At the end of the last century, FIFA, the global football authority, ranked Pele as the Best Player the world has ever produced.
Pele is the only player to have played in four consecutive World Cup Finals, striking gold thrice in the process.
Before Pele emerged to the scene in 1958 in Sweden, Brazil never lifted the World Cup. Pele’s emergence was symbolic and historic. His heroic efforts enabled the South Americans to be crowned world champions for the first time; and, at the same time, cleared away the 1950 agony where Brazil lost at home to Uruguay in a crunchy and crucial final.
Again in 1962 in Chile, Pele’s skills and acrobatics were extraordinarily exceptional, leading Brazil to retain the World Cup for another four years running.
However, in 1966 in England, Brazil was shockingly eliminated in the first phase of the World Cup. The reason for the defending champions’ unexpected outster was simple: Pele was fouled out in the first game against Russia. Disgracefully, Brazil, without Pele, the magician, lost all her matches, including a 3-1 humilliation by Portugal.
Four years later in Mexico in 1970, the Great Pele returned. Free from injury, Pele’s performance was absolutely sensational. He inspired Brazil that paraded Jairzingho (the first player to score in all games of the World Cup. Messi only equalled that record in Qatar, after 53/4 years, with more of penalty goals), Dida, Garincha, Revelino, Tostao, etc, to win the World Cup for the third time. It was also the first time any country would lift the World Cup thrice.
After, Pele’s exit in 1970, it took Brazil almost a quarter of a century (24 years) to win the World Cup in USA 1994. Pele, as FIFA observed, is unargueably the best footballer ever to have played in the World Cup.
There are dramatically striking similarities between Pele, the Legendary Brazilian footballer and His Excellency, The Rt Hon Emeka Ihedioha, COS, KSC, Omenkeahuruanya.
Before Pele arrived the football scene, Brazil never lifted the World Cup. So also, prior to Ihedioha’s governorship forays, the Mbaise Nation never had any governor. Pele won the World Cup for Brazil, Ihedioha was elected Imo governor of Mbaise extraction, from Owerri Zone – he won 103 out of the 104 boots in Owerri Zone. It is still an INEC record.
As Pele was brutally injured in the 1966 World Cup in England and Brazil recorded awful outing in that year, so also Ihedioha was mindlessly hacked out of the Imo State Government House in 2020. As Pele nursed his injury with the hope of a better tomorrow for Brazil, so also did Ihedioha go to his cyst to reset and gather himself.
Of course, without Pele in 1966 in England, Brazil was reduced to a ruination point. And without Ihedioha in 2023, Mbaise, Owerri Zone and the entire Imo State faced the worst form of political frustration, dejection as well as depression in the November 11, governorship election. Just as the 1966 World Cup without Pele was horrendous and pitable for Brazil, the 2023 governorship election was horrific and pathetic for Mbaise, Owerri Zone and Imo in general.
Pele’s reentry in 1970 was triumphantry, leading to Brazil’s remarkable World Cup victory. In that line, so far, Ihedioha’s 2027 aspiration has begun on a solid, wonderful and magnificient take off, even promising note. He is poised to replicate Pele’s 1970 heroics.
It must be proclaimed to the rooftop that the foregoing graphically depicts Ihedioha as a political machine (re)builder. In 2011, the PDP lost the Imo governorship election to Owelle Rochas Okorocha’s APGA. Against every political calculus, Ihedioha worked so hard and in conjunction with other progressives across the country, emerged the deputy speaker of the Federal House of Representatives.
As the deputy speaker of the federal house, Ihedioha rebuilt the Imo PDP, made it bigger, better and stronger. Four years later, with a firm grip on both national and state politics, Ihedioha was elected the PDP candidate for the 2015 Imo governorship election. He fought hard to take the race to supplementary election, it was the first of its kind in the country. However, he lost.
Yet, Ihedioha did not relent. He orchestrated, transformed and revived the Imo PDP into a formidable political platform. Going into the 2019 governorship election, despite all bickerings and wranglings within the rank and file of the party, the PDP was a force to reckon with. Eventually, Ihedioha was declared winner of the 2019 Imo State governorship election.
As it was, the PDP became a trap and Ihedioha left. He invigorated his Rebuild Imo Movement (RIM) with which he was a founding father of the rebranded African Democratic Congress (ADC). The ADC is now the talk of town with its tentacles spread nationwide. Indeed, Ihedioha is a master (re)builder!
