There have been some ecstatic expressions of amazement and pleasure at the increase in the quantum of endorsements and congratulations that the Imo PDP governorship candidate, His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, has been receiving from across Imo State, Nigeria and even diaspora.
Indeed, there are so many incontrovertible reasons why good people of Imo PDP and Imo State should be celebrating the victory of Ihedioha in the recently concluded gubernatorial primary election.
Top among the reasons must be that for once in the history of Imo State, the people are having an incoming governor that is a product of the Nigerian government system.
By that is meant that Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, having served Nigeria at the top most leadership bracket as the number fourth Nigerian by national order of protocol, has been equipped and imbued with some of the finest qualifications for leadership at any level in Nigeria.
It is only in Imo State that merit, pedigree and antecedents are relegated when isolating leaders for leadership. Elsewhere, the track record of public service and character and conduct in private life are considered before a person is entrusted with leadership tasks and responsibilities.
Inevitable sentiments apart, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha is the most prepared Imo leadership and governorship material in the 2019 general elections. He stands iroko higher than all others that feel they qualify.
When verifiable academic, public service career and political office achievements coupled with personal, private character and conduct are the items of measure, no aspirant for the coveted office of the governor of Imo State can match the highly impressive resume of His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha.
He has a big space in the Nigeria National Hall of Fame by virtue of his fourth highest national honour award of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON). He is also visible in the spiritual realm as he is also a Knight of St. Christopher (KSC).
He learned the political ropes, vied for and won elective political positions and went on to excel as Chief Whip, Deputy Speaker and Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
He is a graduate of the prestigious University of Lagos. He attended the best citadels of learning in America, Canada and Europe, including Harvard University and Stanford University, both in America; Oxford University, London School of Economics, both in the United Kingdom; and British Columbia University, Canada.
Undoubtedly, the very high profile qualifications of Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha account for reasons why the people of Imo State are excited and elated that at last a true thoroughbred professional is the incoming governor of Imo State.
Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha is coming like the prophet after the prophets. He is a professor of practical politics. And his teachers and mentors in politics are among the top most leadership leaders of Nigeria today.
Another reason for the season of congratulations and endorsements for Rt. Hon. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha must be his political ruggedness and doggedness.
It is confirmed that the expiring governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, has repeatedly repeated it that it is only Ihedioha that scares him in the political leadership equation of Imo State.
This must not be unconnected with the fact that it was while Ihedioha was Speaker in the House that he exposed the misappropriations by Rochas of Imo money.
With details full of facts and figures, Ihedioha showed Imo people the official flow chat of revenue Rochas received on behalf of Imo State from the Federation Account. Ihedioha then urged Imo people to rise up and ask Rochas to explain to what use he was putting Imo money from Abuja.
Till date, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha has kept records of all the revenues, borrowings and other financial accruements from the Federation Account to Imo State. Rochas knows this and is desperately fighting tooth and nail to stop Ihedioha from emerging as Imo governor in 2019.
Unfortunately, the Imo people that were in the position to ask Rochas questions about Imo money in care of Rochas preferred to share in the loot by Rochas, conniving and conspiring with him against Ihedioha that God sent to Imo State to liberate the people.
Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha put up a very robust challenge against Rochas in 2015 but traitors, betrayers and saboteurs joined forces with Rochas to resist Ihedioha and instead handed Rochas an undeserved second term. And so Ihedioha with Imo PDP leaders and members were denied their well-deserved victory.
For many lesser political mortals, the loss to enemies within Imo PDP in 2015 would have been the end of their elective political career. But for Ihedioha, it was a momentary setback. Indeed, of the 24 governorship candidates in 2015, only Ihedioha it contesting in 2019.
That is why since the turn of 2018, Ihedioha has been with sound mind and good health on his two strong political feet working very hard to actualize his mandates from God and from Imo people.
Of all aspirants for Rochas’ seat in 2019 none has put in 10% of what Ihedioha has put into the preparations for resuming work at Douglas House in 2019 as the Executive governor of Imo State.
Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha has practically toured all of the 305 electoral wards and 27 LGAS in Imo State. It took him about four months to accomplish that. In the course of touring Imo, Ihedioha acquainted himself afresh of the Imo State he will be governing from mid 2019. He saw the places and the people. He saw the physical environment and noted the current challenges in the State.
Then came that fateful Monday, October 1, 2018. After a keenly orchestrated campaign and a keenly contested, free, fair, transparent and credible governorship primary election, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha was proclaimed the winner and declared the governorship candidate of Imo PDP in 2019.
Right from that early hours of Tuesday, October 2, 2018 when Senator Emmanuel Nwaka made the proclamation and declaration of Ihedioha’s candidature, fireworks have not stopped cracking the skies, and the atmosphere has continued to witness expected high volume of congratulations and endorsements from the good people of Imo PDP and Imo State in felicitations for Ihedioha.
With the trend increasing by the day as more and more congratulatory messages flood the newspapers for Ihedioha, it is expected that the road to Douglas House in Owerri is getting nearer and freer. What with the unabated and irreconcilable confusion and commotion raging in APC and APGA families.
Apparently, those are reasons enough for Imo PDP and Imo people to rejoice because delectable, charismatic Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha is the incoming governor of Imo State.
