I started this piece last week with the emphatic statement that come 2019, the likes of Senator Ifeanyi Araraume, Rt Hon Emeka Ihedioha, His Excellency Chief Ikedi Ohakim and Senator Hope Uzodinma will not only be major players in the Imo Political space, but will fight over the Governorship position currently occupied now by Owelle Rochas Okorocha, who has completely disappointed Imo populace due to his model of Governance which has kept the state in motion since 2011, but without any movement.
Any doubt that Ihedioha, Araraume and Co will dominate Imo Politics in 2019 was dashed with the list of Ministers rolled out by President Mohammadu Buhari.
I made it clear that politics is like Football, where it takes time to groom stars. And the moment the old players begin to exhibit their qualities, it takes time before they are displaced by new players.
Take or leave it, the current politicians in Imo will continue to dictate the pace of things for a long time to come. How long did Senator Arthur Nzeribe dominate the politics of Nigeria, Imo and Orlu before the combined efforts of Chief Achike Udenwa and other Orlu politicians tamed the Ogbuagu.
Therefore, it is no question asking if Araraume will vie for Imo Governorship election again, same for Ihedioha and Ohakim. They will if not must.
What should be the issue is whether they will accomplish their ambitions to rule Imo State. Ohakim has, and his tenure was truncated. This leaves Ihedioha and Araraume as major contenders. But mostly Araraume, whose dreams of ruling Imo State has always come to grief at the last minutes.
Therefore when Araraume comes in 2019, he will be coming with alot of experience on how to safe guard his victory, right from the party primary level, to the main general election.
In 2007 he was the Governor in-waiting until his friend and in-law, His Excellency, Chief Achike Udenwa disappointed him and could not put to fruition the optimism that his inlaw will hand- over to him as his successor. Although many said it was not Udenwa’s fault because of pressure from different angles, but some still swear that Araraume would have hoisted PDP Governorship flag in 2007 if Udenwa had stood his ground.
Just last December when Araraume appeared as an Aspirant for Governorship under PDP, after he had just returned to the party from defunct ACN, many wondered what he was up to.
Surprisingly, in the end, if not for Emeka Ihedioha’s sagacity and dogged resilient, Araraume would have snatched the PDP Governorship ticket. He fought hard as usual, but the diadem escaped him again by the whiskers, reminding him of the 2007 debacle.
Therefore, as destiny beckons on Araraume again in 2019, the Lion of Ishiebu will not approach Imo Governorship seat with kid’s glove, even though he will subdue himself to all due processes to nick the Imo Governorship seat, because 2019 may be his last chance, as age is approaching.
But the important question should be, under what platform would Araraume execute his election then? Will it be APC, APGA, PDP or which party?
The answer is that Araraume will run for Imo Governorship race in either PDP or APC.
However, it is going to be a herculean task. But that will not be a matter, as Araraume has grown used to tough matters.
For those who may not have noticed, Araraume has begun preparing for 2019 election. His “Destiny Organization” has remained busy since. The Organization has busied itself with two major things that are inevitable in politics; money and contacts.
Araraume has since planted his trusted allies in various with elections, and therefore abandon their “structures” for their personal businesses till the next election year, Araraume’s politics commences after elections. He continues to oil his political machine at the period when many political leaders had shunned their followers to rue the Millions of Naira they had spent in primaries.
Don’t forget that while Araraume schemes to plant surrogates at the helm of Imo PDP, he would be doing the same in APC which Gov Okorocha has given him a foothold.
However, by now Okorocha may have been savouring with the delusion that he had tricked Araraume to dislodge PDP to the advantage of his second term election, and therefore can do with what he likes with Araraume.
That is where Owelle Okorocha got it wrong. Okorocha may have been appointing his Task Forces and Committees without any input from Araraume, whose Boys Okorocha have completely abandoned in his recent appointments. And till date, Araraume has not uttered a word in this direction. But the time of reckoning is forth coming when the Lion of Ishiebu will call on Okorocha to give account on his contributions to his 2015 election triumph.
It is going to be easier to Araraume since Okorocha will not be running for 2019 Imo Governorship. Certainly Okorocha would like to plant his stooge as successor, but that is where the trouble with Araraume will start. It was on the grape vine that one of the conditions for Araraume to join Okorocha train was his 2019 Governorship ticket.
If that is true, Okorocha will realize that Senator Ifeanyi Godwin Araraume is not Chief Martin Agbaso.
In 2010, Martin Agbaso and Owelle Okorocha had struck a deal that Okorocha will hand over to him after one term. Martin therefore planted his younger brother, Chief Jude Agbaso to act as his Sheriff on Owelle Okorocha while the regime lasted. But Okorocha had other ideas and Jude Agbaso had to give way for Okorocha to complete Eight years in Office without interruption.
But Araraume will be a tough nut for Okorocha to crack without sweat, because when two male Tigers clash, the calamity will be unimaginable.
For Emeka Ihedioha, he will be there in 2019. He has ample chances because his structure will still remain fresh, s and favours to dish out like the last time, because having left his plum office as the Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives will reduce his propensity to dispense favours.he touched every strata of Imo politics by dishing out helps across the State. There is no part of Imo State that was not adequately represented in Ihedioha’s Train. He lifted many abandoned old politicians who many thought had waved final goodbye to cosy living.
Many forgotten Ex State and National Lawmakers, past Government Appointees, finished Contractors, obselete Traditional Rulers, moribund Youth Leaders, including frustrated hangers-on were restituted by Emeka Ihedioha.
I know many people today who would have been nothing, if they had been alive today, if not for Ihedioha’s magnanimity. Whether these people will remember in the long term is their own problem.
That Emeka Ihedioha lost Imo Governorship election was not exclusively his personal fault but because of accumulated factors in his political party, PDP; a political party that can be linkened to Crocodile.
Crocodile eats its young ones when it is hungry, only to begin to look for them after it had assuaged its hunger.
Imo PDP is like a group of ambitious fellows who found themselves in a hole. But rather than form a chain to swing out one of them to go out and find a Ladder for others, they will all resort to individual efforts to climb out singly, and in the process all of them remain in the hole.
Why has PDP lost all Governorship elections in Imo State after Achike Udenwa in 1999-2007? Sabotage. Greed. Envy. Ambition. At the crucial time, each of the Leaders will have an excuse not to support the party’s flag bearer, but instead join opposition candidate.
Owerri Zone is by now rueing why it could not support her son, Emeka Ihedioha. Yet Ihedioha has no political future without his people; Owerri Zone.
Therefore, he should forgive them and reconcile with even those who worked for his failure. What the outing has done to him is to acquire more experience in politics and human Psychology. Was it a surprise that some people making a living out Ihedioha’s magnanity, whom he made sure their names appeared on the Imo PDP Delegate lists, voted for his opponents in the primaries? Yet they feed from Ihedioha. Human begins are wicked. Even God Knows that.
Whatever are the short-comings and disappointments, Ihedioha will come in 2019. Age is on his side and he has the capacity to continue the ambition.
The problem Ihedioha will encounter is the battle for his party’s ticket if he wants to run for Governorship. Whether PDP will make impact is not in doubt. The only stumbling block is if the party has learnt its lessons.
Already, the current APC administration led by Okorocha has shored up the chances of any other serious political party in the State. Even though things may change before 2019, but it will not be for the better for the simply reason that Okorocha has made up his mind that Imo people did not vote for him in 2015 even though he won the election and has resolved to pay them back in their own coins.
For sure, if Imo PDP voted for him, why would Emeka Ihedioha stretch him to the limit with a re- run election that tasked him both mentally and financially to wriggle out?
So, one of the reasons for which Okorocha is punishing Imo people today is because of Rt Hon Emeka Ihedioha. He knows Imo voted for Ihedioha. So, it is left for Ihedioha to do what he can to remain in the psyche of Imo people till 2019.
2019 may look far, yet is close for a serious politician with pending ambitions. Can Ihedioha retain his “men” till 2019 elections? It requires a Philanthropic heart to continue to give, and strong mind to make sacrifices and enduring focus to win a marathon race. Has Ihedioha all these? Days ahead will task him, but he must not fall over-board.
