Recently, Owerri Federal Constituency was in the news. For purposes of clarity and those who are yet to know, Owerri Federal constituency is made up of three local governments- Owerri municipality, Owerri North and Owerri West Local Governments.
It is known to have so many political titans in its domain and have contributed so much to the political evolution of Owerri zone, nay Imo State, having been relevant on issues that shape the political future and direction of Owerri zone.
In recent times, the constituency has come on the spotlight over the visit of key leaders of the area to Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State. There has been so much fuss about that visit. The nay-sayers have tried so much, albeit in vain, to articulate the disadvantages of the visit to its advantages and benefits.
As a close follower of events in the area, I will say there is nothing wrong, absolutely nothing faulty, with that visit. An unbiased observer of the political dynamics in the area will agree with my postulations for many reasons.
I am compelled to say so because the message the elders and leaders of the area passed on to Rochas during that visit has no basis to raise any dust. It was a message that has so many political platitudes. A message with two sides of a coin. For a people desirous to capture power in 2015 or beyond, a handshake with Rochas, the incumbent governor of Imo State is a good move, a deft political step for that matter. I call it constructive political engagement and alignment.
One of the 48 laws of power says Never Outshine Your Master. And this is one principle leaders of Owerri Federal constituency have adhered to and practicalized. Rather than engage in political fisticuff with Okorocha as a basis to secure the governorship seat in 2015 or beyond, they choose the path of engagement .
They only gave thumbs up to Okorocha, in the anticipation of a return handshake from the Imo governor that may metamorphose to the realization of Owerri zone having an occupant in Government House in the near future.
Those uncomfortable with that visit fail to understand that the quest to realize the desire of Owerri zone is to sound out the idea to Rochas who is a big political player in Imo State at least for now.
There is no basis for leaders of Owerri Federal Constituency to shy away from having a handshake with the present occupant of Government House, Owerri. And they have many reasons not to do so. One, the seat of government is in their domain. This implies they are political landlords and bound to interact with any tenant in Government House which is located in the heart of the Federal constituency.
Besides, one of the local Governments in the constituency- Owerri municipality- gave Okorocha the second largest vote after Ideato South (Rochas local Government) in the 2011 governorship election. This attest to the fact they are crucial players in the Imo polity.
Based on these factors, one can see that the constituency invested much on Rochas election and it will be political stupidity if the people of the area fail to draw his attention to pressing needs of the people of the area. So, why should they shy away from moving into a House which they successfully built?
Those who fault that visit are politically naive. They forget that Politics is all about scratch my back and I scratch yours. If Owerri Federal Constituency gave Rochas so much votes in the 2011 polls, why should they shy away from asking him for payback.
Also,the issue of endorsement of Rochas for a second term by leaders of the area does not imply that Owerri zone has given up the agitation to produce a governor.
Infact, It is a direct message to Rochas that after his tenure, he should handover the reins of governance of the State to Owerri zone, preferably a son or daughter from Owerri Federal constituency. This is good politics. There is nothing wrong if a landlord tells his tenant to hand over the keys of his apartment after exhausting the period of his tenancy.
This is the significance of the key which one of the leaders of the constituency handed over to the Imo governor at that visit in addition to other symbols of authority given to the Imo governor by other elders of the constituency.
I was told that Owelle was advised to handover the key to the people after his reign. The political interpretation of that act is simple. It means after Okorocha ends his reign, he should handover governance to Owerri zone.
I have consistently maintained on this column that only a multi dimensional approach to the issue of achieving an Owerri zone governorship will see the project come to reality That power is given and not taken does not imply Owerri zone should develop a war arsenal and war mongering posture over their agitation.
We must not go to war to grab the seat of power of the State. Besides, politics is not for war mongers. It is for the intelligent and those who see results in constructive political engagement which the people of Owerri Federal constituency have exhibited.
The power of constructive engagement is a crucial and a major component of politics. Those who apply it will attest to the fact that it quickly yields political dividends and results. If leaders of Owerri Federal constituency decided to back Rochas as a bait for smooth transition of power to Owerri zone in the near future, what is wrong with such strategy or move?
The quest to actualize an Owerri zone governor is not solely the perogative of the PDP or any other political party. It is not the birthright of OZOPOLF, OPF, PDP, APC, APGA or any group for that matter. It is the collective responsibility of true Owerri sons and daughters, including those from the area who visited Owelle.
Besides, one should not loose sight of the fact that Owerri zone needs willing partners from Orlu and Okigwe zones to realise its dream. Owerri zone with nine local Governments cannot produce a governor in State that has 27 local governments, Therefore the zone ought to extend a handshake beyond the shores of Owerri, Mbaise and Ikeduru. It needs support from Orlu and Okigwe Zones.
If Owerri Federal Constituency had a handshake with Rochas who is from Orlu zone on the basis for mutual political relationship that will blossom into a political marriage and alliance, such alliance is bound to contribute to the actualization of the age long dream of the people of the area to produce the next governor of the State.
So, those who are raising dust over that visit to Rochas are simply missing the point. It is a clear display of their inability to understand the dynamics required to capture political power. In civilized climes, political alliances are crucial factors to the realization of political desires.
Therefore, those opposed to the visit have shown they are instruments of some political desperados who are so desperate for power. And because that is what they are, they can be branded as bunch of frustrated politicians who have found themselves in political quicksands.
They are the black legs in the area who have been shoved away from the political landscape in the area and struggling for political relevance. And because they are political puppets, myopic and willing tools in the hands of their political paymasters, they will never see the gain and importance for Owerri Federal Constituency to spread its political dragnet in a bid to remain politically relevant as the next dispensation draws near.
And because they are toys remote controlled from the fortress of their controllers, they are loosing sleep that leaders of Owerri Federal Constituency decided to engage Rochas, rather than confront him on the issue of transfer of power.
However, it is important to note that Owerri zone cannot not be deceived by the ongoing harmonization wahala in the APC. Or be carried away by the perceieved indifference by Governor Okorocha not to appoint any APC strong follower from Udenwa or Nwajiuba’s political camp as commissioner signifying that all is not well in the APC ship in Imo State. This is far from the truth.
That commissionership positions were not extended to other political forces in the APC camp does not imply or remove the fact that the APC is a divided house. It might be a political dummy sold to confuse others.
Infact, it remains a threat to those
It is based on this development that prompted yours sincerely to reproduce verbatim, the political implications of the registration of APC in Imo State published in February this year on this page. Read on:
This piece is all about the registration of the All Progressive Congress by the Independent National Electoral Commission (APC) and its implications on the political landscape of Imo State.
Those who say that the coming of the party in the State is no cause for worry are dead wrong. They are not being realistic. Or simply put, oblivious of the political implications of the arrival of a party that has the capacity to take power at the centre. If the APC was no threat before its registration, then why was booby traps and banana peels thrown on its path before it was eventually registered by INEC?
This is not the gist in this essay, rather, as one who has been a close observer of the political terrain in Imo since the return of democracy on our shores in 1999, it is important we look at the implications of the arrival of the party in the State.
For those, who are oblivious of this fact, I will say they are either living in a fools paradise or delibrately stoking political semantics just to cover up whatever fears they have about the consequences of the arrival of a new party in the Imo polity.
For me, the coming of the APC is dangerous. It is more trouble for the ruling party at the centre and here in Imo, it alters and changes the political equation.
The PDP had the herculean task to contend with APGA in 2011. It focused its target on the rampaging and sinous tentacles of the ACN led then by Senator Ifeanyi Araraume and Dr. Alex Obi. Even those who piloted the PDP ship then attest to the fact that it was not Rochas Okorocha and his APGA train was their headache, but Senator Ifeanyi Araraume and his political henchmen in the ACN.
While the PDP watched the then ACN with a binoculars in order to see and decipher its moves and antics, APGA like a thief sneaked into the dead of the night and stole the Imo governorship seat from the PDP.
Two years after that historical political event in Imo, we are seeing the arrival of another deadly political octopus in the Imo polity. A party that has similar strenght and ruggedity like the PDP. A party that possess the same political urugraphy which the PDP can boast of as well.
When a thief goes after a fellow thief, it is deadly, dangerous and suicidal to when a thief is hunted by law enforcement agents. This is the case in our dear State.
If two lions engage each other in a fierce battle, the intensity of the battle becomes fiercer. And If the lion easily prey on weaker animals daily for a meal, certainly it will raise an eyebrow when a fellow lion appears.
This is the situation in Imo State. What we are about to see in the State is a game of wits, the clash of political giants, where contending forces with similar political strenght and prowress will engage themselves in a brawl. We are about to witness in the State a titanic electoral contest, a clash of the titans in 2015.
The arrival of the APC and the continued resilience of the PDP in the State, indicates that the days of rag tag and mushroom political parties are numbered. Proponents of mushroom political parties should desist from believing that manner will fall from heaven.
Gone are the days surprises spring up in the political arena of the State. Those who think that what happened in 2007 will re occur again are dead wrong. That year, the internal implosion in the PDP compelled then leaders of the party to handpick a candidate from the PPA who later became Imo State governor.
In 2015, if the PDP goofs, it will be APC’s gain. If the APC fumble, the PDP will make a mincemeat of it. Things will be different in all ramifications. We shall not only see the return of two strong parties, but a balanced political contest, remniscent of a Mike Tyson Vs Evander Holyfield boxing encounter. And in such contest, the pendulum of victory could swing either way.
The botched Oguta re run election is a reflection of what we are about to envisage in the next elections in Imo State. In Oguta, it was a battle for the strong, the fittest as exemplified by then APGA (Now APC) and the PDP.
The Oguta re run was more than an election. The State quaked and prayed that an election, not a war should take place to assuage the yearnings of the people who has no representative in the Imo House of Assembly for over two years.
Due to the intensity of the electoral contest in Oguta,the polls caught the attention of the nation. If an election in a local Government in Imo State with less than 100,000 people could generate so much fuss natiowide, what happens when Imolites scattered in 27 Local Governments go to the polls in 2015 to eject or re elect new leaders that will propel the wheels of governance of the State for another four years?
In 2015 in Imo, its going to be (APGA/APC)+ACN+ANPP= APCvsPDPVs APGA=Fight To Finish. That will be the political arithimetic. Its a plus minus game
That is what we should expect.In a State politics is the only thriving “industry”,we should expect to see the greatest political battle now that another political cobra has crawled into the political field.
I also anticipate that the coming of the APC will promote political competition which will allow Imolites to make choose who governs them. In a State politicians think more of elections than what they will do for the people is really worrisome.
Further,we hope that the arrival of a new democratic alternative in the State will offer our people the opportunity to assess and reasses the credentials of those who want to govern us.
The time has come we re engineer the political process in the State where emphasis will be placed on which political party has the right programmes and policies to improve the living condition of Imolites. This is the beauty and benefits of two strong political parties.
Power return to the voters who have the option to vote in or vote out candidates and political parties whom they consider are incapable to deliver.
This is important as we look at the two dominant political parties in the State- the PDP and APC- to present to Imolites only credible, responsible and responsive people who place premium on the expectations of the people
The good people of Imo State are desirous of such credible and responsive political leaders who will take them to the next level.
