Saturday February 22, 2014 was heavy. It was the day the foundation of Owerri, the capital city of Imo State was shaken to the ground. The crowd was unprecedented, intimidating, tumultuous. The frenzy was high, the happiness on the faces of the masses was oozing and the joy was touching.
This was the day the President of Nigeria, Dr Goodluck Jonthan visited Imo state again, after his last call in 2011 when he came asking for votes. And Imo people gave it to him in legions then.
That was when Imo state was hooked to the National grid of Nigerian Politics. When the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was incharge of Governance in Imo State.
Then, both President Umaru Yaradua, and now President Goodluck Jonathan could come to Imo state at their will, any time. Then the President could sleep and eat in Imo state. But not now.
It is nobody’s fault but the Imo electorate, who took the President’s frequent visits to Imo for granted. The last time Jonathan visited Imo state, he slept at Prefab Layout Owerri, among the residents.
That was in 2011. The inhabitants of Prefab woke up in the morning to realize that the Nigerian city of power had relocated to their quiet neighbourhood. They could not believe it that the almighty President of Nigeria slept in their neighbourhood; inside a modest three Bed room Bungalow owned by then Governor Ikedi Ohakim.
That was how close Jonathan was to the people of Imo State until they drove him away in 2011, by voting in Owelle Rochas Okorocha of All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA.
Rather than play politics of inclusion, Gov Okorocha decided to be confrontational and thereby drove away everybody, including the President as Okorocha felt that only he and a few of his friends and relations will govern Imo and eat all that is in it.
This combative politics of Okorocha was extended to the Presidency, which may be the reason the President has not set foot on Imo soil since Dr Ikedi Ohakim left office, until when the PDP invited him to Imo state last week.
I have seen rented crowds before. It can easily be deciphered. But what one saw at Dan Anyiam Stadium on Saturday was not a hired crowd.
I saw a crowd hungry, for fun and feeling nostalgic of the good old days when it was regular for Imo people and PDP followers, to converge at the Dan Anyiam Stadium for the usual rallies that put Imo state on the front burner as a joyous and bubbling state in the South East.
On that Saturday, I saw macro-economy at play. Apart from giving opportunity to Imo people quarantined in their homes without social outings for over three years to come out, it created opportunity for business to boom.
Sellers of different brand of wares were available, and the patrons were in thousands. Food vendors nearly sold their pots. PDP Souvenir-vendors made thousands of Naira. What of water peddlers, Newspaper vendors, taxi, bus, and even Trailer Drivers who made easy cash. Book hawkers made kills with Electoral Act, Nigerian, and PDP constitutions.
But most importantly, the “dead” Local Government Areas in Imo momentarily became alife again. Every body in the communities in Imo state noticed that some thing was happening in the state, as Buses and Cars conveyed human Cargoes to the city centre from the rural Areas.
And at Dan Anyiam Stadium, PDP members; I mean the grassroot members realized what a mistake they made in 2011 election. They came to their senses. They came to discover that it was better to be a big fish in a big pond, than be a small fish in a small pond.
They realized what it meant to be hooked to the political party at the centre in Abuja where the National cake is being distributed. Imo PDP followers woke up to realize their mistakes.
I saw an old woman over 70 years and wondered what she was doing at Dan Anyiam Stadium. But I later discovered why she was there. Since Jonathan became President, she has not set her eyes on the man, she told me and therefore compelled his grand children to take him to Owerri to see the President. But unfortunately he could not because the crowd was intimidating.
“You never look for Your water until Your well goes dry” Bob Marley sang. Imo people took power, real power, for granted. They were misled in the 2011 election debacle and have woken up from their slumber. Whoever visited Dan Anyiam Stadium Owerri that Saturday will know that the masses of Imo state have spoken. They have sent a danger signal to the incumbent Government in the state. Okorocha is a Lion-hearted man, and courageous.
But he is also a real politician. For him to tell any body that he slept very well on Saturday night after he saw the mammoth crowd at the Sam Mbakwe Airport, and Dan Anyiam Stadium will be economical with the truth.
That a sitting Governor received the President of the Federal Republic, with only a hand-shake, while the President flew away in a Helicopter to another direction in the state, and the Governor headed back to the Government House is a bad omen.
For the first time in the history of Imo state, the President visits the state without paying official call to the Government House, but instead went to Obinugwu, Eze Ilomuanya’s palace for official courtesy welcome.
The politics of Imo is really changing, and more shocking developments are bound to unfold as we approach the election year. What played out on Saturday reminds one of the Nigeria Peoples Party NPP, and National Party of Nigeria NPN days.
Somebody told me that PDP should not use the unprecedented crowd to assume that it will clean the stakes in 2015 election.
His argument was that the day Chief Ikedi Ohakim declared for PDP from PPA in 2009, nearly the same strength of crowd graced the occasion, yet he lost the election in 2011.
This argument does not hold water, because in the 2011 election after Ohakim had joined PDP in 2009, many waters had passed under the bridge.
In 2011, Ohakim did not go to the election battle with former Governor Achike Udenwa, and his brother Senator Ifeanyi Araraume on his side. Senator Christy Anyanwu was in APGA, remember!
What those who love PDP should rather pray for now is that Udenwa, Araraume, Ohakim, Uzodimma, Ihedioha, Kema Chikwe, Christy Anyanwu, Bethel Amadi, Tony Chukwu, Humphrey Anumudu, Jerry Chukwueke, Austine Papa, Col Lambert Iheanocha, Okenze Obinna, Goddy Dikeocha, Alex Obi, Ignatius Umunna, Maurice Iwu etc remain on one page, before, during and after Imo PDP Governorship primaries.
Any implosion will create an Armageddon in the PDP fold. Any confusion, either man-made or natural among these bigwigs will create very big crises for PDP. In my chose observation on all that transpired before, during and after Jonathan’s visit, it was clear to me that there exists an ego war among the big men and women in Imo PDP.
This problem is caused by one thing; leadership. Every one is trying to be the arrow head of Imo PDP. That brings us to the important and inevitable question; who is that Leader in Imo PDP today that will roar and others fall into line? None.
Since Imo state lost the seat of Governorship is 2011, the PDP has gone into cells and splinter groups. True or False?
I ask again, who is that Apex Leader of Imo PDP today? Is it Uzodimma, Ohakim, Ihedioha, Bethel Amadi, Prof Viola Onwuliri etc? Please help!
This leaderlessness of Imo PDP came to the fore on Saturday. All the big wigs were in their own individual arrangements that most of the high caliber visitors from Abuja became stranded at Owerri Airport as the main concentration was the President alone while the big guys from Abuja were abandoned. For instance, I had to give ride to Hon Ndudi Elumelu of the House of Representatives from Delta State and the wife of Col Ahmadu Ali, the former National chairman of the PDP.
Elemelu kept asking “Where are the vehicles for visitors? Which kind of arrangement is this?” I reminded him that PDP is not in power in Imo state, therefore should not expect things to be that smooth, since nobody would be held responsible. And he saw reason with me.
So, in this circumstance, Imo PDP needs to put its house in a order, and build on the coming of the president, which seems to have opened a new vista for Imo PDP among the populace.
Meanwhile, President Jonathan’s visit to Imo last Saturday cannot be narrated without mentioning the contribution of the Governor of Abia state, Chief Theodore Orji. I am not a fan of the diminutive state Chief Executive, but he showed his mobilization acumen.
Orji paraded a group of disciplined women and youths who exhibited maturity and candour. The “Ochendo” Group came with over six thousand members from Abia state.
Their Buses took over the entire Egbu road, from fire service station to AP filling station.
Udenwa was another person who paraded a very good number of supporters. The Redemption 98 otherwise known as “Onongono” came out in their numbers to herald the re-entrance of their progenitor to the PDP fold.
The Araraume Destiny Group also did not want to be out-shined. They rose early in the morning and pasted the picture of their leader on the Express road leading into the Imo Airport.
The Destiny organization’s poster made of Araraume and Jonathan was on every wall on Wethral road so much so that Okorocha’s road cleaners were seen tearing off the pictures to no avail. They were many indeed.
For Christy Anyanwu, she did her thing in her usual moderate and mature manner. But the thing that worked to her advantage was not the “Stadium show” but from the least quarters she less expected it from.
As we were returning to Owerri from the Airport, we got to the Airport junction at Umuowa Ngor Okpala, and Hon Ndudi Elemelu saw the gigantic structure at the Airport Junction by Aba-Owerri road and asked “Henry, what is this structure?” I simply told him the truth, that it is a Skill Acquisition Centre running into Millions of Naira attracted to Imo by Chris Anyanwu. And the construction has not stopped since it commenced a year ago. He was bemused and shocked. Elemelu is a two-time member of House of representatives. So, he knew what he was talking about.
As I was returning home from my village yesterday, the construction has reached plastering stage. And the single Flex poster of Chris Anyanwu pasted on the fence of the big structure, still stood there smiling at you.
A drama played out at the Airport as Jonathan’s Presidential Jet arrived. It was shocking, in the first place, when Gov Okorocha who sold a dommy that he would not receive the President was already seated at the Airport lounge as early as 8am.
Ohakim and his wife Chioma, Uzodimma, Kema Chikwe, Araraume, Onwuliri, Ihedioha and others were shocked when they thought they were the early Birds only to arrive the Airport to behold Okorocha already “balancing” on the Presidential seat inside in the Airport lounge. However, with Okorocha’s presence, he solved the problem of who among the Imo PDP heavy weights will shake the president first.
