By hector obinna
The dreams of Owerri Zone people producing the next governor of Imo State in 2015 general election is witnessing hiccups following grapevine reports that the incumbent governor who is from Orlu zone, Owelle Rochas Okorocha is dreaming a second missionary journey.
Following the unconfirmed development which is gaining prominence in Government House and All Progressive Congress, APC political family members, Owerri zone Leaders of Thought and Traditional Rulers are edgy over the vague disposition of Governor Okorocha having a second shot at Douglas House.
Trumpeta exclusively learnt that despite maintaining an ambiguous expression about his next political destination which neither indicates he is returning to government house for a second tenure or moving to the national level to run for the presidency as speculated earlier, Okorocha’s recent body language and mental signals indicate that he will seek to return to government house in 2015.
Trumpeta reliably gathered that Okorocha is at crossroads on his next political step after giving intention of running for the presidency in 2015. It was noted that after the poor signals he got at the national level from co-APC travelers of possible doom in his political career if he seeks national attention for presidency or vice, the governor retraced his steps back home to continue as number one citizen of the state after 2015.
A clear indication to the governor’s second term be emerged when he publicly declared that he was in dilemma on what to seek for in 2015 and if allowed would like to seek Nigeria’s president in 2015 as well as be the governor of “my people, my people” to complete his numerous ongoing projects.
Okorocha who had in an earlier meeting with APC stakeholders and facilitators early this year asked his Aides and lieutenants to declare their interests for any position since he would be seeking national attention seems to be making a rethink when he publicly announced that he would make a U-turn and succeed himself in order to finish the projects for Imo people to shame the opposition group.
The governor was even quoted to have said that “If PDP annoys me, I will change my mind and go for a second term, but my problem is that those in Abuja will laugh me”. Moments after the expression and following pressure from sycophants who have been benefitting from his ascendancy as governor, Okorocha is reported to have changed mindset about presidency and is making consultations within the inner caucus of his political family for a come back bid in 2015.
Trumpeta further gathered that under ground works and subtle campaigns to promote Okorocha’s second Missionary Journey has been handed over to a consultant who in few weeks time will roll out modalities to relaunch the governor’s battered image and market him again before the masses.
This alarmed development which has gained prominence in Government House Oweri is causing uneasy calm among APC members and Rescue Mission apostles sympathetic to Okorocha administration in Owerri zone.
Trumpeta observed that all APC former chairmen, and political appointees past and present from Mbaise clan who got wind of this development gathered in Owerri yesterday to tinker on the rumoured second term ambition of the governor.
The group who comprised Leaders of Thought and Traditional Rulers were worried that Okorocha’s second term bid could scuttle the chances of Dr Charles Onuoha who had declared interest to run for the next governor under APC as well as others in other political parties.
It would be recalled that Onuoha from Ahiazu Mbaise openly showed interest to run when Okorocha requested his followers to make their intentions known on next political office since elections are fast approaching and he is heading to Abuja for greener pastures.
Though details of the meeting were not made public, but it was gathered that the Mbaise group in APC had already booked appointment to confront the governor on the said.
Second term ambition with a view to reminding him that his volt face about 2015 governorship is at variance with his earlier promise in 2011 to run only one tenure and hand over to an Mbaise person in 2015.
Meanwhile the said second term ambition of the Governor has sent worrisome signals into the PDP camp with the leaders coming together to study the situation.
According reports available to the Trumpeta, the PDP hierarchy have been having series of meetings with plans to resist the onslaught as top in the agenda.
Unconfirmed report has it that part of the new PDP strategy is zoning of such positions like the Governor, Deputy Governor and Speakership of the Legislature among the three geo-political zones of the state ahead of 2015 general elections.
Notable gubernatorial aspirants from Oweri zone extraction are reported to be plotting strategies to check the overbearing influence of Okorocha at the grassroots level.
