As we count down to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC’s) deadline for the submission of names of the various candidates of the political parties in the 2015 general elections, it is important that we ponder a while over the Imo situation.
According to that INEC deadline, all primaries of the political parties should have been rounded off by October this year. What this implies is that the real in-house politicking of the various parties should be actually on now.
Those who rather than be professional in politics than being professional politicians with little or no interest of the masses in their dictionary other than pecuniary and selfish aggrandizement of wealth are at it again.
Granted the fact that Zionism is “Unconstitutional,” but some of the political parties have it in their constitution where it is said that political offices shall be shared among the various groups to show balance.
What this apparently implies whether we appreciate it or not is zoning. And that is why such offices like the President, Vice President, Senate President and Deputy Senate President, Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives as well as such positions at the state levels are structured the way they are today.
In Imo State for instance, the situation had remained so before the political aberration of 2011 which saw Governor Rochas Okorocha from Orlu zone as the Governor as we speak.
Be that as it may be, it is important to remind those who kick against zoning of what happened in Imo polity in 1999 when Chief I.D. Nwoga the then state chairman of PDP stopped Barrister Humphrey Anumudu from flying the Governorship ticket of the party.
As God would want it, Chief I.D. Nwoga is still healthy and alive today and should find out time to tell Imolites why he and his party then stopped Anumudu if not on zoning grounds.
If that is correct therefore, it will be full heady and unfair to discourse Zonism in Imo politics without any mention of Anumudu because it all revolved around him.
That is why when we see these pockets of Governorship aspirants outside Owerri zone in PDP, we start to wonder the characters and manner of people they are ordinarily. And worst still when they come up with one selfish reason or the other on why they are in the field.
But a cursory look at the whole drama shows a group of selfish individuals who believe that they should remain in power all through their life. But unfortunately, that will and is not going to happen irrespective of their antics.
Good enough that at present all the other organized parties in the state have deliberately conceded their Governorship ticket to Owerri zone as could be manifested in their aspirants who are all from the zone.
We think that the Imo PDP is basking in the euphoria of the self acclaimed largest political party in Africa which if not guided will be their albatross in 2015. It is important for the PDP leadership in Imo state to wake up to the challenge if actually the party intends to survive the 2015 onslaught.
It is an insult on the generality of Owerri zone for anybody to say that he has not seen any strength in the aspirants from Owerri zone to confront the incumbent Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha in 2015.
For the avoidance of doubt, no one man has and can boast of any strength except the masses gives that support. Igwe Bu Ike. All the aspirants from Owerri zone are strong enough to confront anybody if given the support by all and sundry.
Money is not the yardstick to measure strength even though we are not in their pockets to know how deep it is.
Ex- Governor Ohakim’s Declaration And Panic At Douglas House Owerri
Ex-governor Ohakim “Cards” To Fly Or Not To Fly? Sympathies and condolences to Imo’s Ex-Governor (OCHINANWATA) … And it happened that the former Governor of Imo State Dr. Ikedi Ohakim returned to Imo State on Wednesday 14th May 2014 to prepare for his Gubernatorial declaration on Saturday the 17th of May 2014. Then Suddenly, the enemies of the state went to the drawing board and drew a devilish plan that will destablise Imo State and his people. In the early hours of Thursday the 15th May, 2014 the private residence of Dr. Ikedi Ohakim located in the State Capital Owerri was bombed and all the properties contained therein were reduced to rubbles. Sympathisers thronged the place to commiserate with the Ex-Governor. One of the personalities that sympathized with the Ex-Governor was Citizen Ikenna Samuelson Iwuoha.
As would be expected, a press release from Douglas House signed by their mouth piece, expressed shock and disbelief over the bombing of the Ex- Governor’s private residence. The said release cunningly and subtly tried to blame the callous Act on a particular Governorship aspirant. The press release ended by trickishly advising in their imagination a certain Governorship hopeful who is or who may be afraid of Ohakim eventual declaration to either quit the race. After the press release was made public, RUMOUR Mongers, and Balckmailers were allegedly incited by the powers that be to go into the political market to sell the DUMMY that their imagined Governorship aspirant who is from the same zone with the former Governor was behind the bombing.
Let me therefore make it clear that 2015 Governorship election will not be like 2007 Governorship election, where blackmailers, intimidation and mudslinging were used as tools to tarnish the image of an innocent man for no just cause.
Citizen Ikenna Samuelson Iwuoha has condemned the wicked Act. I have used Citizen Iwuoha as an instance because the whole world knows where he is standing politically. The whole world also knows that he controls a vast political structure in the state; and he has gone to sympathise/pay condolence visit, to his Now Forgiven ex-Governor Dr. Ikedi Ohakim. The presence of Citizen Ikenna Samuelson at Ohakim’s residence to sympathise with ex-Governor shocked many observers. I am therefore of the belief that ex-Governor Ohakim with the assistance of Security Agencies and of cause, the sincerity of state Government, will be able to fish out those that committed that devilish Act.
Meanwhile, it should be stated categorically, that ex-Governor Ohakim is qualified to seek any political office in this state and beyond. It is his democratic right. He is a leader of no mean feat in this state, with the existing structures across the state.
Therefore, those who are already afraid of his Governorship ambition and making press releases with the soul aim of destabising the state and diverting attention and finally creating an unnecessary enemity between ex- Governor Ohakim and their imagined Guber Aspirant is UNCALLED FOR. Citizen Samuelson has the ex-Governor and Ohakim knows where the MESSAGE IS COMING FROM. LET NO BODY CREATE UNNECESSARY TROUBLE IN THE STATE. Imo is a peaceful state. Every Imo-lite is free to aspire to Douglas House. That Douglas House “WU OCHE BARBER.” it is never a do-or-die affair. Peace! Peace! Love!
Amb. Prince Chinyochaobi Uhuegbu-Duru
08137921022
