by sir bonny ajuogu
As the name implies, Ihitte/Uboma LGA, is made up of two separate independent clans, Ihitte and Uboma but which share common cultural backgrounds, and affinity. The two Communities usually congregate at the headquarters at Isinweke which has a great proximity to navigate to any part of the LGA. This they do for Sports, commerce, recreation and social intermingling. The Isinweke council headquarters is located at the centre of the component clans along the Umuahia-Anara highway thus gives it a unique place in Imo politics.
One striking thing about Ihitte and Uboma is that each of then has 5 political wards, giving them equal strength and capacity to elect their various representatives at the LGA, State and Federal levels.
Politics is therefore a culture and in the character of the people and hence fought very fiercely because Ihitte and Uboma people though live at the deep rain forest region of Imo State, are highly enlightened and politically emancipated. This can be easily explained. Located at the banks of Imo River and its tributaries, the inhabitants of Ihitte/Uboma are rich farmers who do not only engage in commercial farming but essentially produce all of their staple foods, within. It is as a result of their food basket background that Late Samuel Onunaka Mbakwe as Governor of Imo State never relented in building a rice milling plant at the famous Onitcha-Uboma enclave. As the food basket of Imo State, indigenes are usually stoutly built and very strong, physically.
That was then. These days politics has virtually become the first love of the Communities in Ihitte/Uboma LGA. Battle for victory during any elective office whether under a democracy or otherwise, witnesses stiff rivalry. The atmosphere is naturally charged and volatile once it is election time. Here the two clans, Ihitte and Uboma always try to out-win or outwit the other in a superiority contest, that cost both human and material resources.
The ugly situation could be traced to the sharing of assets during the aforementioned Mbakwe administration between newly created Obowo, Ihitte and Uboma LGAs. The disagreement and misunderstanding that attended the exercise forced the dramatis personae to resolve to cut and share a conference centre table belonging to the three clans that once constituted Etiti Division into fire-wood. Another cause was the bitterness experienced during the election of Late Engr. Francis Anamekwe as council chairman. The blood shed that accompanied his election was so much that each of the clans wanted to go their separate ways.
It was this rivalry, acrimony, personality clashes and incidences of politically motivated assassinations, that eventually forced the political, traditional and local leaders, to adopt “an equity formula” in order to prevent a situation where one clan dominates the other. Since the resolution on this equity formula, peace has reigned as no attempt has so far been made to manipulate this political therapy or buffer to the undue advantage of a particular clan.
However, between 2007 and 2011, supporters and unmindful advisers of the former Deputy Speaker, Imo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Surv. Jonas Okeke, stirred the hornets nest when they tinkered with a resolution to return him to the House beyond May 29, 2011. Though very benevolent and magnanimous with his resources and Youth empowerment packages, the attempt to foist Surv. Okeke back to the House of Assembly was stiffly resisted and thwarted by the stakeholders even when it became very attractive.
Although it is said that those who feed with the devil, must use very long spoons, it never mattered that Ihitte/Uboma LGA was almost thrown into a cataclysm of unmitigated magnitude when a certain political jobber and contractor, opened his mouth very widely to incite violence when he called on the incumbent Speaker, Imo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Chief Benjamin Uwajumogu, himself a native of Ihitte to re-contest in 2015. He was quickly reminded that Ihitte/Uboma House of Assembly seat has always been permanently zoned and that zoning has remained sacrosanct as no politician irrespective of office or clout or selfless services has been allowed to return twice. This zoning therapy has always ensured equity, fair play and tranquility. For instance in 1999, Uboma clan produced Engr. Mark Uchendu. Year 2003, which was Ihitte turn, threw up Hon. Greg Owuamalam. When in 2007 it came back to Uboma, Surv. Jonas Okeke grabbed the victory with both hands only to relinquish it to Ihitte in 2011 through incumbent Speaker Rt. Hon. Benjamin Uwajumogu. In 2015, it will be the turn of Uboma clan and already Harold Wilson Onumo favaoured as Ihitte Uboma consistently trust in equity and justice.
Among these names are Hon. Mrs. Uche Ejiogu, Architect Achi Chris Achi, Engr. Christian Anyanwu and Barrister Uwa. While Mrs. Uche Ejiogu, the serving Commissioner for Primary Education is tipped to clinch the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket, against highly favoured Barr. Uche Konkwo and Chris Anyanwu, it is the impression of most pundits that Arch Achi
Chris Achi is testing the crocodile infested political waters for possible notice, as a pretender. Also Mrs. Uche Ejiogu though married to an Ihitte/Uboma man, is of Orlu LGA extraction hence her appointment by a clan driven Governor. Like Deziani Madueke, she is expected to contest for her native LGA under the APC platform, since she has not attracted any facility to Ihitte/Uboma in her capacity as Commissioner or chairman of Imo SUBEB.
As a PDP dominated LGA, with leaders like Sir George Egu, Ozichukwu Chukwu, Rt. Hon. Suvr. Jonas Okeke, Barr. Marcel Ogwuegbu, BigDo Peter Orji, Engr. Mark Uchendu and Hon. Kelechi Iwueke to mention but only a few on the drivers seat, victory for Dr. Harold Wilson Onumo looks certain, is as sure as the morning sun. This is because the medical practitioner cum Youth Activist turned politician, has paid his dues as a party stalwart and co-ordinator of many Governorship and Senatorial candidates in the past.
Besides empowering most of his contemporaries and proteges, he has continued to make free medical services available to indigenes and inhabitants of the Ihitte/Uboma LGA. With his Mobile Satellite Clinic Foundation scheme, Onumo has reached out to the grassroots with his free health and eye care treatments. This is in addition to leading both the Okigwe Youth Assembly (OYA) and Imo Youth Assembly (IYA) as National President.
The young medical practitioner has through these platforms championed the quest for good governance, comprehensive youth empowerment and wealth creation programme, Accountability and Transparency in the conduct of government businesses.
Meanwhile, in the words of one of his contemporaries, Barr. Uwa, “the contest is not a do or die battle, it belongs to two brothers out of who one must emerge to carry the other along”.
