The scope of the above topic is so wide that readers would have been excused to narrow down my view points to spotlight the 2015 Imo State gubernatorial election as the text case. The Imo State Politics is known for pace-setting in political cum legal developments in this country. And so, Imo State is reputed for springing surprises in the political hemisphere of Nigeria. Taken from the wider perspective, 2015 general election in Nigeria is bound to be fraught with intrigues given the state of affairs in the governance at the moment vis-a-viz power distribution formulae and political permutations with various inclinations. Far from guesstimation, the second term ambition of the incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan is no longer in doubt being hitherto divulged by the vociferous first Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan while dissipating a virtuous aspect of her idiosyncrasies. In the recent past, there had been overt and covert demonstrations of this yet to be officially declared intention of President Goodluck Jonathan to take a shot for the second time at the much coveted and highly esteem office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. As a harbinger the return ambition was first openly declared by her Excellency, Ambassador (Dr) Kema Chikwe who also doubled as the erstwhile National Women leader of the largest political party in Africa, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) prior to compulsory resignation of the party post. That, there is no vacancy in Aso Rock Villa. As a follow up, the Lilliputian Militant Asari Dokugbo threatened fire and brimstone that heavens will fall should President Goodluck Jonathan not be availed the ample opportunity of enjoying a second term de facto-wise.
On the contrary, the students of the Awoism concept of coalition opposition front stuck vehemently to their guns, thus pursuing the merger project to achieve the opposition mega party of the All People’s Congress Party (APC) recently registered officially after several huddles posited by the electoral umpire, the all time Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) under the helmsmanship of the rather resolute and shrewd Professor Attahiuru Jega. Now, with the APC on the stage of the political parlance, the environment is so frantically charged that political jostlings, ambushes and gimmickry are gaining prominence daily as essential tools and weapons of warfare ahead of the 2015 generation election.
As it stands, on both sides, the posture tends to assume a do-or-die stance in that the incumbent players are up against oppositions whereas the oppositions are hard put to the pursuit of change of the status quo. Consequently, a battle line is imminent as the coalition forces gather momentum amidst virulent efforts and subterfuge ploys by the incumbent forces to destabilize opposition at all cost. The major conundrum unfolding in this situation where the opposition mega party got deeply enmeshed in the whirlwind of the intrigues surrounding the routes towards the unanimous adoption of consensus candidate whereas the incumbent strives harder in tactically eliminating internal competition with the President for the ticket at primary levels in the PDP that is almost brimming with several political heavy weights gunning for the presidency. The intricate political calculus is considering that the success of the coalition APC in mustering strong opposition enough to contend with the copious might of the incumbent PDP (material financial resources wise cum, popularity) is by arriving at a strong political figure, a personality colorful enough as a consensus candidate to contest with the incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan, who par adventure is bound to bulldoze through to emerge as the ruling PDP flag bearer for the presidential ticket come 2015 . In all these circumstance, the North in their spurious but strong believe or conviction that the advantage of numbers is in their favour would not accept any form of change ushered in by the mega party that is devoid of a northern extraction candidate pitched against whatever the ruling PDP could showcase. So, at the national level, it is evident that even the so called opposition
Merger or mega party APC is having difficulty with harmonizing to arrive at one voice with the presentation of a flag bearer whereas the much faulted PDP is not finding it easy with the struggle to wriggle out its heads from in-fighting, internal crisis and bickering.
Meanwhile, down in Imo State, the operational background of the bitter pills, analysts are of the view that a conflagrated cataclysms looms in the arena of the much talked about 2015 politics. For one thing, the crusaders and soldiers of the Rescue Mission team are working round the clock to return to power at least to finish what they have begun in the weird campaign for the mission and rescue of helpless indigenes of Imo State. The various predictions and projections that make the rounds ranging from the speculations that the Imo State’s Governor Owelle Rochas Okorocha’s spontaneous divorce with the All Progressive Grand Alliance APGA and the simultaneous courtship through amorous romances to the consummation of relationship with the newly born APC smacks of irresponsible political prostitution aimed only at attaining selfish ends not far from a suspicious venture into national politics with an eye on the Vice Presidential position.
Otherwise, the surreptitious acceleration and motivation for political ascendancy designed all the while in favour of the Deputy Governor, His Excellency Prince Madumere by Owelle himself was in tandem with some People’s fears that a landing pad is being laid for the successor to be stage-managed to shield this administration from feared probes of financial profligacy, impropriety, executive recklessness and obvious accusations against flagrant abuse of the rule of law and negation of due process in the affairs of governance. Be that as it may, the stage is all set in every ramification for imminent political intrigues come 2015. From another angle, in Imo State, the emergence of Owelle remains an unresolved contradiction of the zoning arrangement or understanding (charter of equity) between the trio of Orlu, Okigwe and Owerri Senatorial Zones. Amidst the Surging ululations from Okigwe Zone that their tenure was not completed, the Owerri Zone’s agitation against marginalization, deprivation and inequity is resoundingly echoed to rent the air with appellation to People’s reasoning for equity and good conscience. The Imo electorates are confronted everyday with one out of the well deduced fifty (50) reasons why the next governor must be from Owerri Zones.
The Imo Trumpeta Newspaper is at the moment championing this media warfare in trumpeting into the ears of the conscious Imo People this logical line of thought. In the 2011 Imo gubernatorial election, Okigwe Zone indicted Owerri Zone for casting protest votes instrumental in the ignoble ousting of the Ohakim’s government and ushered in Owelle from Orlu Zone over and above the Imo charter of equity.
Now that Owerri Zone is clamoring for their turn it is most likely that Okigwe might assume a retaliatory or vindictive posture to frustrate them. But, Orlu zone being in the saddle though not without internal divisions between the pro-Owelle and anti-Ohakim Vice Versa. Interestingly, among Owerri Zone, many heavy weight contestants are being branded in the other as follows; Captain Emmanuel Iheanacho, Senator Christ Anyanwu, Hon Emeka Ihedioha, Prof. Jude Njoku, Chief Ojinere, Chief Martin Agbaso, Hon. Bethel Amadi, Chief Jerry Chukwueke etc. Also, it is likely that Orlu will come up with several aspirants besides the incumbent and his secrete agenda (or joker with Prince Eze Madumere as a landing pad) in addition to indicated interested parties like Chief Chris Brown from Ohaji Egbema (the Oil Kingdom) and Senator Hope Uzodinma (still a rumour).
Essentially, all these muscles are being flexed from different quarters in the quest for the heart of the Douglas House in the 2015 Imo Gubernatorial Election.
Politics is a game of intrigues where the rules are bedeviled with bickering propaganda, mudslinging, ambushes and counter ambushes bushes; conspiracies and counter- conspiracies, all geared towards attaining a political goal-access to power. This is quite curious.
