Bianca Is Responsible For My Father's Death - Emeka Ojukwu Jnr

Bianca Is Responsible For My Father's Death - Emeka Ojukwu Jnr

  

 
Emeka Ojukwu jnr. has never hidden his disdain for Bianca Ojukwu, his father’s last wife and daughter of Christian Onoh, governor of old Anambra State. In a recent interview

In a recent interview with News Express Nigeria disclosed how Bianca killed his father, Dim Odimegwu Ojukwu. Excerpts:

Reasons for not going on campaign with Governor Obiano

I know that you are aware of what Bianca has been saying and I do not want to associate myself with her. This is a woman who wants to create an impression that she loved Ezeigbo, but while Ezeigbo was sick she chose not to take care of him and rather pleased herself until she got tired of waiting for him to die. 

She had made many disparaging remarks about former Governor Peter Obi in an attempt to curry favour with Obiano, forgetting that when Ezeigbo was gravely ill, Obi, with the help of his friends, was able to get a private jet and took my father to England so that he could get the medical attention he received. 

She forgets also that it was Peter Obi and other well-meaning folks who were instrumental in persuading the then President Goodluck Jonathan to accord my father what was, in essence, a state funeral. I remain grateful for what he did for Ezeigbo and for the family. Keep in mind that regardless of whatever support my father might have given to him, it was not mandatory that he extend himself in that manner. After his entire name is Obi and not Ojukwu.

What do you mean by she chose not to take care of Ezeigbo?

When Ezeigbo had a stroke, he was being “treated” at home. He was neither given a CT scan, MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) nor subjected to any of the standard procedures applicable to a stroke victim. She insisted on having him treated in his bedroom by her doctor, against the wishes of the family for two weeks!

At some point, family members were stopped at the gate from inquiring about Ezeigbo’s condition. On several occasions, I had to force myself in to see him. So all this grandstanding that Bianca is putting up is just to create a false impression about her relationship with my father and unsuspecting members of the public are buying into it.

But we understand that Bianca was with your father when he was flown to England and made efforts at taking him from Wellington Clinic to another hospital known as Lynden Hill Therapeutic Centre.

All the evidence is available and well documented. First, the air ambulance provided only had room for one family member and it was decided that she should go with him in the ambulance.

You are right. Certain changes were made in terms of treatment centres. Lynden Hill Clinic was the third place he was moved to. We were dismayed by the decision, because you have to understand that throughout his treatment, he required 24-hour nursing care, and that particular centre was ill-equipped to handle a patient in his condition, even with 24-hour nursing.

 That was why he was transferred, yet again, to the Royal Berkshire when his health, predictably, deteriorated. Several members of my father’s immediate and extended family, including myself, made a concerted effort to have him moved to a neurological rehabilitation centre, where he would receive the sort of treatment he needed. 

But again, Bianca blocked our efforts, and on the 25th of November, 2011, a date I will never forget, without reference to the family, she had him discharged from the Royal Berkshire and transferred to yet another ill-equipped nursing home, this time in London, where he died a few hours later.

Coming back to politics, for a minute, I remember that she was allied with the former Governor while he had problems with (Victor) Umeh, the former National Chairman of APGA. And now she is on the side of Umeh against Obi?

Your question itself speaks volumes. Perhaps, this seeming flip-flop is due to the expediency of the moment. What I can tell you, again, is that it seems that at a point, it became expedient to her, for Ezeigbo’s treatment to be discontinued.

 As far as I am concerned, I know a man must die sooner or later. But in the case of my father, but for her actions, he would not have died that day. In fact, his remains were not immediately released to us until an investigation was conducted, because the circumstances of his death were deemed worthy of further investigation. 

We were told that because he had been ill for so long, a specific cause of death could not be ascertained and the result of the investigation was therefore inconclusive. But as far as we are concerned, she is directly responsible for Ezeigbo’s death. I wish to say that out so that my father’s spirit will allow me to rest. And that is why I have refused to show up, in any event, to do with Obaino’s re-election campaign in which she features prominently. I do not want to be associated with a person whose hands are soiled with blood.

Going by your statements, would you subscribe to supporting APGA in this election?

A political party is like a vehicle and the essence of joining a vehicle is to get to your destination. If the driver is not going to your destination, or if you are not comfortable with the passengers, then it’s either you have no business in that vehicle or you work hard to effect a change in leadership and attract the new members and or disenchanted people who left.

When Peter Obi left APGA, I spoke up against his move publicly. However, having said that, I was not in the meetings and discussions that led to his leaving the party. So in retrospect, I have to admit that you must walk in a man’s shoes before you know where it pinches him. So my support for APGA is not automatic. It depends on what APGA stands for. 

If it turns out that the party has been hijacked by some people due to personal interests and their ideals are not in tandem with those of my father and the original direction set for the party and change cannot be effected, then perhaps it is time to look elsewhere.