Last week, I began a sojourn into how the battle for Owerri Federal Constituency House of Representative will be in 2015. In the course of the analysis, I mistook AUD Mbah for AUD Nwosu. Strong apologies for the error and misplacement of surnames.
I was referring to the Owerri West person who won the ticket to represent the Federal Constituency before the Abacha military junta rubbished the in-coming political structure.
Having discussed the chances of the incumbent House of Reps men, Ezenwa Onyewuchi, member representing Owerri North state constituency in the Imo State House of Assembly, Dan Ikpeazu, and former Mayor of Owerri zone, Gibson Achonwa Njemanze (Oyiga), focus will now be on the three time Transition Committee Chairman of Owerri North, Chuks Ololo, former member who represented Owerri North in the State Assembly, Ray Emeana, elected Owerri West Council Chairmen and former member of the House, Ikenna Elezianya.
Others that will get a mention are former Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ Chairman, Imo State, Fidel Onyeneke, Lagos based business mogul, Raymond Opara and Kenneth Nzewuihe.
As I predicted in the last edition, the coast is absolutely clear for Ololo to pick APC ticket for main election. The odds favour Ololo who is an inlaw to the state governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha. The former US-based can be said to be lucky in the present dispensation since the wife’s brother is the number one citizen of the state and unchallenged APC leader in Imo. Apart from exploiting the opportunity to be at the helm of affairs of the council since 2011 Okorocha came into power, the APC structures in the federal constituency no doubt were recently created to favour him as the anointed one to carry the party’s flag in the 2015 election.
Observers of Imo politics are aware that the likes of Oyiga and Onyewuchi may have left Okorocha and dumped APC when they discovered that the governor was suspected of surreptitiously pulling the strings to favour Ololo, his inlaw for the Owerri Federal constituency Federal House. Ololo, therefore has amassed wealth and several logistics to prosecute an election that comprises three LGAs. His continuous stay in power and romance with the powers that be in Douglas House is an added advantage to boost his chances. Within the period of acting as number one citizen of Owerri North which his inlaw proudly facilitated, Ololo may have carved a niche for himself to build a political structure capable of pursuing his electoral campaigns.
If wishes were horses for the APC people in Owerri Federal Constituency, the LG boss is only marking time at Orie Urratta, the council headquarters before celebrating his expected triumphant entry to Abuja for lawmaking in 2015. But Ololo is expected to surmount the teething obstacles before shouting hurray about his new desires. Apart from the opportunity granted by Okorocha that threw him up to political stardom, Ololo is unknown and has no pedigree in partisan politics even in his Obube-Owerri North home. Ololo has neither ran for an elective position nor participated in political crusade to elect anybody except that of his in law. His rating at the home front is disturbing even as it is stated that his continued retention and perhaps the longest serving appointed chairman of Owerri North LGA has attracted more enemies than friends.
The seeming winner-takes-all syndrome where Ololo will migrate from LGA chairmanship after a dominant four years to National Assembly, to many Owerri North people, is an act aimed at insulting their sensibilities. There will be likehood of protest votes if Ololo finally gets the APC ticket as Owerri Federal Constituency noted for their egalitarian politics may resist imposition and godfatherism during the election.
Emeana from Akwakuma is said to be under intensive pressure to run. The man who ran a glamourous campaign outfit code named “Ray is Ok” to get to a failed second round ticket in 2011 may be putting his popularity to test again with the Owerri Federal Constituency seat. The former university teacher with bias for public relations is said to be banking on the connections and contacts of highly-placed political kingmakers and dictators in the Owerri federal constituency enclave, to gain advantage even as it is believed he is reportedly in that firm control of Owerri North PDP structure.
The politician with Nze title is also hoping to get acceptance because of the dividends of democracy he attracted during his four-year stint in the House of Assembly. Ray is said to have opened old political routes with a view to exploring it for the House of reps battle.
It will be a difficult task for Ray in 2015 if he has intention of achieving his dream. The former House Committee Chairman on Information, due process and hnter Parliamentary Relations may have not recovered from the nightmarish experience he went through in 2011 during the House of Assembly when he made spirited efforts to break records by attempting to represent Owerri North back-to-back. The forces that worked against him in 2011 may still be hovering again to frustrate his 2015 ambition. Again, Ray is likely to be decimated at the home front where another prominent contender, Onyewuchi is in the race for the House of Reps Seat. Both Ray and Onyewuchi are from Uratta block and are likely going to sweat it out for the PDP ticket. The quest to conquer voters during the party primaries and eventual election no doubt will affect their chances, hence Ray is in a tight corner for the battle.
From Owerri West comes Ikenna Elezianya, an engineer by professional calling but one of the first eleven politicians to be counted in the LGA. Elezianya can be qualified to be among the few lucky young politicians who have emerged victorious in any elective venture since the advent of our nascent democracy. In 2003, Elezianya from Orogwe/Ndegwu ward succeeded GAS Amadi in Imo State House of Assembly for Owerri West State Constituency. Years after he served out his four-year tenure as a state lawmaker, the youthful Elezianya was mounting another elective position as chairman of Owerri West local Government Area.
Now, Elezianya is in the race to Abuja for another law-making business. The luck that has seen Elezianya through seems to be pushing him again to try another chance having won two elective positions in the past. Elezianya is counting on the established political routes he may have set up during his House of Assembly days and LG chairman position to garner support. His name is prominent and speaks volume of experience in governance since he has been in public office. Elezianaya will also explore his wide contacts that goes beyond Owerri West to further his ambition to represent Owerri Federal Constituency in 2015.
Having conquered several electoral processes, the House of Reps will not be an exception hence the reason for Elezianya’s turn-around game to outwit others for the 2015 game.
Elezianya like other aspirants will also encounter challenges ahead 2015 election. The people of Owerri West may use 2015 to prove a point to him that all available elective positions are not exclusively his birth right. Since he has tasted House of Assembly, and LGA chairman seats, his kinsmen may ask him to wait a little so that others will have a shot of elective positions in the spirit if “mmanu akara di uto, onye ratu ibe ya aratu. How well Elezianay has also performed at the home front in terms of “carrying along” his people will further say if the former lawmaker has chances or not in the fast approaching National Assembly election.
The Owerri West LGA legion for Owerri Federal Constituency race includes an erudite scholar and renowned journalist, Fidel Onyeneke. The former chairman of Nigerian Union of Journalists’, NUJ, Imo state chapter feels it is the ripe time for him to play partisan politics. Having talked and written about politicians at the apogee of his pen pushing career, Onyeneke is reported to be another person under pressure from several quarters and forces to come and represent Owerri Federal Constituency. Onyeneke has wide tentacles and as a public figure, his high profile image and integrity will add value to his campaign. The believe is that having come from the fourth Estate of the realm and a trained watchdog of the society, Onyeneke could be trusted to hold the people’s mandate. The former Imo NUJ boss and now national Auditor of the national body in Abuja wants to emulate the likes of Senator Smart Adeyemi, former NUJ president and host of other journalists’ turned-politician who vied for elective offices.
As a rookie politician who is not familiar with the murky waters of local politicking, the 2015 race may just be a “testing ground” for Onyeneke if he goes ahead to join the fray. The former state NUJ chairman will be taught by core political juggernauts in the federal constituency the difference between seeking for votes from the electorates and information dissemination business. Again the former News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) bureau Chief in Imo will also be intimated that NUJ politics is different from party politics.
Except he has enough backers who are grounded in the three LGAs that constitute Owerri Federal Constituency, Onyeneke may join the clique of aspirants embarking on wild goose chase in 2015 election.
From the same Avu community with Onyeneke is Raymond Opara. Though not permanently resident in Imo state, Opara is a grassroots politician and a strong pillar of PDP in Owerri. He can be said to have paid his dues in the party and contributed in sustaining the party in recent times. Opara came into prominence when he won the Owerri West LGA delegate in one of the PDP national functions. The business mogul is waxing stronger among the packs and is said to be highly favoured considering ranking and acceptability. It was learnt that since he has not held any elective position and no snag attached to his profile, all eyes are on him.
However, Opara should note that all that glitters is not gold and he must also pay the price in politics. His popularity is only felt in Owerri West and he cannot be delivered only in his LGA.
For Nzewuihe, he is coming from an obscure political angle and expects to spring surprises. The Egbu-born politicians may face obstacles in PDP arising from his conduct in 2011 where he was accused of working against the interest of the party.
