I am yet to put my stake on the expected second term ambition of Imo state Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha. My reasons stem from the fact that the loving first citizen of the state seems to be confused about his next political destination, hence the adoption of a rather Maradonic style in recent political overtures. While body language suggests that the Ogboko-born politician wants another show in Douglas House, Owerri, outward demonstrations and comments oozing from his camp and mouth indicate he is hungry for a national show, possibly a Presidential or VP ticket. In this regard, I have to thread softy while attempting to discuss his next political future to avoid falling guilty to premature permutation.
However, the recently concluded Osun Governorship election won by Rauf Aregbesola of the APC has pushed me to partly wade into the 2015 dreams of Okorocha. Because Aregbesola is of the APC like Okorocha and has won back-back as governor of the state, my piece this week will compare and contrast the Osun case and what is expected to happen in Imo come next general election.
Before I commence, permit me to seek for approval to pause for a while in the continuation of a piece I started last week billed for conclusion in today’s edition. Last Thursday, I began a title “The Growing Interest for Owerri Zone Senate” and promised to complete it this week, I considered it necessary to join the discussion on the effects of Osun 2014 before the dust raised by Aregbesola’s victory is rested.
Unlike the victory of PDP in Ekiti few weeks ago courtesy of Ayo Fayose who dusted the out going incumbent, Kayode Fayemi to clinch the victory, Osun appeared different as APC and Aregbesola stood their ground to avoid an upset again.
Undoubtably, the APC on sensing that another defeat in the hands of PDP would be a death knell on the influence of the party especially in the South West zone, said to be its stronghold and domain, began a decisive approach on the build up to the Aug 9, 2014 election. As part of the measures not to suffer defeat in the hands of PDP, APC stalwarts led by one of its national leaders, Bola Tinubu moved to Okuku, the home town of a former Governor and out of favour National secretary of the rival PDP, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, to woo him into dumping PDP for APC. Before then, there has been altercation between the leadership of PDP and Oyinlola who ironically was sacked from office by Aregbesola via Appeal Court victory four years ago. The differences over the scribe position made the Okuku Prince to drag the PDP to court before his new found love for APC Comrades.
Efforts of APC to woo Oyinyola paid off when he publicly declared for the party during the final mega rally for Aregbesola in Oshoglo while shunning that of PDP held a week before the polls. Apart from wooing of Oyinlola few days before the election several tactics were deployed by the APC to avoid another disgraceful outing in Osun 2014.
The APC schemings paid of handsomely on Aug 9, 2014 Insipte of challenges offered by the PDP, it was a smooth sail for the broom party who won convincingly for Aregbesola to continue his mandate.
Back home in Imo state, Aregbesola’s victory has elicited a level of confidence in the minds of APC faithful in the state as well as public reaction in several quarters. Remarkably, the Ekiti loss dealt a devastating blow to the foundation of the party in Imo. Immediately after the defeat of Fayemi, an incumbent governor, by Fayose, of PDP in Ekiti state, the media was not only awash with the development but it also trickled down to non partisan stakeholders in the state who freely discussed the issue inside churches, market places and bus stops. And the central focus was how it will effect Imo governorship election in 2015. A keke operator I noticed threw away the APC flag hung on his machine over the Ekiti loss. When I queried him on the rationale behind the action, he contested that APC loss in a South West state has put a question mark on the survival of the party. Having blamed the Ekiti loss on new policy of “stomach infrastructure.” Osun poll offered a new dawn for APC to redeem its image, which the victory of Aregbesola has restored.
Similar to what Okorocha is doing in Imo, I am informed that Aregbesola instituted some infrastructural development to attract the sympathy of the people Osun for a second term. Also free education is practised in both states courtesy of the Chief executives, who are of the APC. In response to the desired trend for grassroots politics, Aregbesola and Okorocha are close to the populace as grassroots-oriented politicians. Though a typical Lagos boy having served as commissioner in the government of Bola Tinubu when he was governor of Lagos state, Aregbesola relocated to Osun before emerging governor of the state. As the August 9, 2014 election approached, Aregbesola and his APC deployed all forces to stop PDP and its candidate Omisore. Aregbesola never lost contact with people at all levels and can be regarded as a grassroots mobiliser
It is believed that Okorocha can go the way of Aregbesola and surmount all oppositions to have a smooth sail in next general election should he seek another term in office.
Even as Okorocha can be said to be close to people at all levels which cannot be divorced from his 2011 success, certain factors may prove a hard nut to crack on the way for Okorocha to repeat the Osun success in Imo come 2015 if he decides to run. Aregbesola has no much political history in Osun except for his unexpected ascendancy to the office of the governor plotted by the APC grandmaster, Tinubu four years ago.
That snag was however used by the PDP as a propaganda tool to diminish Aregbesola’s. According to the umbrella party, Aregbesola is a “foreigner” planted by Tinubu to allegedly “ferry” the resources of the state to Lagos with other collaborators who enter Oshogbo during the week with their toiletries and few wears but depart when weekend approaches.
It would be recalled that after the 1999 governorship primaries of the PDP, Okorocha has not shown enough interest in Imo politics until recently when he returned to run for governor in 2010/2011 elective year.
While Aregbesola was facilitated by Tinubu and other political bigwigs into power, certain combined forces were responsible for Okorocha’s victory in Imo. Apparently aware that it would be difficult to displace the incumbent governor Ikedi Ohakim to take of the party ticket for governor in 2011, Okorocha who was a member of the PDP before he moved into APGA with his Agenda political family and handed the governorship ticket when the undisputed supreme commander of APGA in Imo, Martin Agbaso surrendered governorship ticket to him. Even as I don’t want to be dragged into the controversy of how the present Imo state governor got the ticket of the Onyeagbalanwanneya party, keen followers of political history of Okorocha can not deny the contributions of people like APGA national chairman, Victor Umeh, wife of APGA National leader, Bianca Ojukwu, Agbaso and MASSOB leader Ralph Uwazuruike.
The records of Okorocha’s stay in Douglas House, Owerri cannot be written without mentioning these political bulldozers of APGA extraction. While Aregbesola maintained strict relationship with his benefactors like Tinubu etal, the story is different with Okorocha in Imo as it was difficult for the Imo governor to manage the marriage with strange bed fellows who were instrumental to his governorship enthronement in 2011. In recent times, aforementioned persons take liberty at pouring invectives on the Imo state governor when any opportunity occurs in the media. The governor fires back and in the process worsens the strained relationship.
I am also aware that non of Aregbesola’s allies and who were or have been part of his administration from inception and even in the build up to the election attempted to dump the governor and the APC party to turn around and castigate him. Rather, the second term bound Osun state governor attracted people from the opposition parties in the state into his fold. Several PDP and Labour parties stalwarts like former governor Isiaka Adeleke and Oyinlola joined Aregbesola’s APC campaign team ahead of the election. But in Imo, there is hardly any week without stories of Okorocha’s estranged aides and former co-travelers jettisoning hisAPC for PDP and APGA. As a sitting governor, Okorocha is armed with the needful to attract more political juggernauts and game changers to his fold than losing vital ones.
Ironically, all the commissioners who served in first cabinet but were dropped in the maiden shake up have not only separated ways but speak ill of the governor when chanced to comment on the person of the first citizen of Imo state. From his first commissioner for information, Obinna Duruji who recently made a sarcastic statement about the governor to Ogueri Enwerem, Chris Ejike Uche, Steve Ahaneku and lately Ann Dozie, it has not been a sweet tale about their affair. Only recently, a former commissioner and chairman of Imo Housing Corporation, Charles Onuoha who had intentions of running for governor under APC but reportedly has joined PDP was quoted to have said “it is hell working and associating with Okorocha’s government.” What of the interim chairman of APC in Imo state, Marshal Okafor Anyanwu who sojourned with the governor. OkofarAnyanwu who joined Onuoha to PDP recently in a function where he addressed the press stunned newshunters that it was “regrettable associating with Okorocha”.
Part of what propelled Aregbesola to Victory in last Saturday’s election was the rosy relationship he shares with other elected office holders in the state ranging form the National Assembly to State Assembly members in Osun. In Imo, the story is different. In 2011, Okorocha managed to be blessed with a Senator, Christy Anyanwu, of Owerri zone and two lawmakers elected on the platform of APGA; Eddy Mbadiwe and Ezenwa Onyewuchi of Ideato and Owerri Federal constituencies respectively. It is no longer news that the once fascinating partnership between Okorocha and Senator Anyanwu that was crucial to the APGA victory in 2011 has turned into a warfare with mudslinging trailing the affair. Their skirmishes which began barely a year after the Okorocha Rescue Government took off has entered a dangerous dimension with both parties throwing unprintable jibes at each other even at public events. The Owerri Rep man, followed Okorocha from APGA to APC but has quickly retraced to PDP like Senator Anyanwu. His allegation bothers on poor human relationship on the part of the governor
The case of Imo State House of Assembly members is rather interesting. It is only in the state where lawmakers who joined their state governor to APC are yet to publicly declare for the party. The four PDP lawmakers who joined APGA at the inauguration of the House on June 7, 2007 like Speaker Ben Uwajumogu, Acho Ihim, Ugonna Ozuurigbo (OZB) and Majority Leader, Adaku Ihuoma only did so for the sake of principal office position which was dangled at them to deplete the strength of PDP and making the umbrella party the opposition in the House. Three years later, the governor can no longer command the full support of the House more especially among his former allies in APGA. Despite overtures meant to lure them into APC, five of the twelve APC members can be said not to be with him thereby leaving APGA/PDP coalition to be in the majority in the House.
One unique aspect of Aregbesola that distinguishes him from Okorocha and likely to be considered as a strong weapon of the bearded Osun governor is that he is that he is not a political turn coat and he has remained in the structure that brought him into power. Aregbeshola’s APC is an off shoot of defunct ACN if the party’s broom insignia is considered. But same cannot be said of Okorocha who dumped APGA for APC even as some die-hard apostles of the Okokoroko party are yet to forgive the governor for riding on their back but branding the party a cultural goup. I am also aware that Aregbesola never had brushes with his Deputy unlike Okorocha who had his Deputy and younger brother of Martin Agbaso, Jude, removed under controversial circumstances after JPros allegation of N458m contract scandal. How Okorocha will overcome the expected pernicious attack from his old reliable will no doubt determine his success in 2015. The chutzpah displayed by the governor may turn out to be one of his greatest albatross for a second missionary journey in Douglas House.
I will keeps stating that APGA is an Igbo party and can be said to be the only strong opposition the dominant PDP faced in previous elections. The charisma of Okorocha coupled with love Ndigbo has for APGA was the magic wand that stopped Ohakim’s second tenure. Except APC stakeholders in Imo are idealists, they need no further prove to be intimated that their party is still suffering acceptability challenges in Igboland.
The APC in South East is worsened by notable primordial tendencies that are not the subject of discussion. However, it is worthy to note that the massive support APC enjoys in the South West may not be witnessed in Imo and entire South East in 2015.
