I have the feeling that the dust raised by the race for who becomes the ministerial nominee from Imo State has been settled following the forwarding of the last batch of names to the Senate by the President, Muhammad Buhari.
At the close of work on Monday last week, Buhari settled frayed nerves when one of his aides rushed to submit the names to Senate President, Bukola Saraki.
The act has put to rest numerous permutations and guess work of analysts and socio-political forecasters who exploited the gap created by the late submission to engage in premature permutations. In Imo, the game was intense and interesting with different shades of views adding another spectre of fun to it.
After the expected intrigues and intensive horse trading, the Imo State governor would be popping champagne and clicking wine glasses to celebrate the emergence of one of his own, Anthony Gozie Anwukah as the anointed minister to fill Imo gap.
While I am not disturbed or interested in the mountain of petitions against Anwuka as submitted by one of the Senators from Imo State, Athan Achonu, one fact remains that Buhari picked Anwuka from the State.
In the spirit of the change which Buhari is crusading, Mr President gave an impression that he would not run a bogus federal executive. To distinguish between his regime and the past, there were reports of attempts to downsize the number of ministries to have a relative less numbers of ministers even as the President was quoted to have branded the Federal Exco members as “noise makers”. That notion could have prompted him to submit only 21 names before public outcry and constitutional responsibilities demanded that every state gets a seat in the executive council.
Before now, it was speculated that Eze Festus Odimegwu from Orsu LGA is the man to beat followed by some nominees of the governor led by Anthony Anwukah. The race was heightened by media reports that Odimegwu, a former Chairman of the National Population Commission, NPC during the tenure of ex President Goodluck Jonathan had undergone security screening. The absence of a name from Imo State in the first list set the stage for another horse trading and intrigues among the contending camps for the plum position. It was even learnt that other top brass politicians in the country were advancing the case of Odimegwu ahead that of Okorocha. Reports have it that the likes of ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo and APC leadership pillar, Bola Ahmed Tinubu pushed the nomination of the former Managing Director of the Nigeria Breweries PLC, while Okorocha is undoubtably lost sleep in an attempt to have his own person become the state nominee.
The squabbles are over following the announcement of the name of Anwukah by Senate President on the Red Chamber as the ministerial nominee representing Imo State.
The significance of the outcome shows that contrary to belief that Buhari may not look the side of the Okorocha as earlier speculated, the governor no doubt is a force to reckon in the present federal government arrangement by producing his own as the eventual flag bearer of the state’s ministerial nominee.
The nomination of Anwukah who was the Secretary to the Imo State Government four years ago further indicates that Buhari has quickly realized the role of Okorocha in his ascendancy to power as Nigeria’s President. Apart from being the only governor in the South East region to defy all odds and challenges to back his presidential aspiration under APC, the state remains the only state in Igboland where Buhari visited a record three times for campaigns. More so, the state played host to the wife of the President, Aisha Buhari when APC South East wing held campaign rally in the state. Okorocha cannot also be divorced from Buhari`s partial acceptance in the South East states before the 2015 presidential election when he renamed the President “Okechukwu” and even went further to give the northerner Igbo identity by claiming that his mother is from the area.
Okorocha’s political ingenuity cannot also be divorced by the improved votes Buhari garnered in the last election in the state unlike the previous elections when he posed dismal performances. For the Imo State governor, this is definitely a payback time and Buhari can be said to have used the ministerial job to reciprocate his steadfast spirit in the success of APC in the state.
It would have amounted to a big slap on the faces of APC big wigs in the state who crusaded the victory of Buhari in Imo should any person other than Okorocha`s nominees get the slot. Some of the names mentioned as contenders like Odimegwu and Emeka Nwajuba according to observers and APC stakeholder in Imo were not prominent during the pre-2015 election in the state. Granted that Buhari reserves the right to choose his ministers, certain factors must be considered before the choice. The factors could be what favoured Anwuka
However, one factor that cannot be waved aside in the unfolding scenario is the sheer domination of affairs of the state by one zone and a group close to Okorocha. While the governor is from Orlu zone, the ministerial designate he supposedly nominated is also from his Senatorial zone. Anwuka, a university professor and former Vice chancellor of the Imo State University is from Egbuoma in Oguta LGA of the state, a part of Orlu zone. The act has cast a spell on the much desired Charter of Equity and balancing of Power in the state. Since the governor is from Orlu zone, a ministerial nominee from the other parts of the senatorial divisions; Owerri and Okigwe zones that make up the tripod standing would have been appropriate.
More disturbing in the nomination of Anwukah is the filial relationship the governor enjoys with the former SSG. The marriage bond has further cemented political relationship between Anwuka and the Governor when the former served as the Director General of the former’s Rescue Mission campaign outfit of Okorocha. One of Okorocha’s daughters is married to Uzoma, Anwukah’s son. Reactions have been trailing the newsbreak of the name of the university don. Feelers have it that most persons in the state especially those in APC are not comfortable with the prosecution of my “family, my family” style of government in Imo State, otherwise known as Familiocracy in local parlance. Commentators recall that when Okorocha took off to run for the presidential primary of the APC, the husband of his first daughter and then Commissioner for Lands, Uche Nwosu, was the only person found worthy and to be trusted to be given the governorship ticket of the party in the interim, before the governor swiftly returned to collect it. Now that it is time for ministerial nomination, his in-law again in Anwuka was considered okay for the job.
Further revelations have it that while one of the governor’s siblings, Ogechi, married to Chuks Ololo has been an appointee since the government of Okorocha came on board in 2011. The husband, Chuks almost became the life chairman of Owerri North LGA until the APC House of Representatives ticket for Owerri federal constituency dragged him out of the council. The “my family, my family” factor may have warranted plethora of complaints manifested in petitions and protest letters that flooded the Senate against Anwuka
Irrespective of the foregoing, including allegations bordering on damning IMSU White paper, Anwukah somehow deserves the position. The ministerial nomination is not by accident. Having served four years handling the cabinet office of the state, the former SSG whose relationship blossomed with the Okorochas when he became the Director General of the governor’s campaign outfit will not be a misnomer in the position.
