Expectedly, one of the elective positions that will be interesting to monitor from the party primaries stages to select party candidates to the main election on Lovers Day of 2015, is the Owerri Federal Constituency Seat.
Owerri Federal Constituency comprises the three local governments that constitute Owerri clan, namely Owerri North, Owerri West and Owerri Municipal.
Considering the array of politicians warming up to occupy the position and be “Owerri man in Abuja” come next year, there is no doubt that the battle will not only be fierce but also titanic where it will not be a smooth sail for the eventual winner.
For the first time since the advent of our nascent democracy, uncountable number of aspirants are said to be eyeing the position presently occupied by Hon Ezenwa Onyewuchi who joined the honourable cadre using APGA platform in 2011. In the last count, not less than 10 persons have commenced consultations and subterranean means to sell their candidacy to party leaders and supposed delegates ahead party primaries.
The list is endless but I shall limit to some known aspirants whose body language and political “Orography” suggests they are hungry to speak the voice of Nde Owerri Federal Constituency in the glamourous Green chamber of the National Assembly.
While the All Progressive Grand Alliance APGA, and the All Progressive Congress, APC have relatively few aspirants showing interest, several contenders are abound in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
In APGA, the present member representing Owerri North state constituency, Hon Dan Ikpeazu is among the notable figures while three-time Transition Committee Chairman of Owerri North, Engr Chuks Ololo holds the race in APC. For PDP, returnee lawmaker formerly of APGA, Onyewuchi who cut his APC romance short to rejoin PDP, former Member who represented Owerri West in the House of Assembly, Hon Engr Ikenna Eleanya a frontline PDP chieftain, and Lagos-based bizman, Ray Opara, member who represented Owerri North in Imo state legislature in the last dispersion, Hon Nze Ray Emeana are said to be warming .
Joining the fray is also former Mayor of Owerri zone in Okorocha government, Chief Gibson Achonwa Njemanze (Oyiga) who dumped the governor’s APC for PDP from Egbu, Owerri North is Kelechi Nzewuihe a former banker. I will take a look at the chances otherwise of the mentioned persons in the coming election.
Before delving into this matter proper, permit me to discussing about the raging issue of zoning concerning the House of Reps position in Owerri Federal Constituency. Zoning has become sacrosanct during election years with interested bidders proposing different postulation to win support and favour.
Therefore, zoning principle cannot be divorced from the forthcoming contest. I might not be an authority in this zoning issue as I am not from any of the Owerri clan LGAs, but a brief history can be an eye opener to the vexed matter. My postulation can also be challenged. However, it is not in doubt that the formula for zoning in Owerri Federal constituency has only existed in the minds of the Protagonists with no documented evidence or agreement among the contending blocks to back the arrangement. My brief knowledge about those who represented Owerri Federal constituency indicates that zoning has never been imbibed or employed as a yardstick to determine representatives of the federal constituency. When it was the old Owerri Federal constituency, including Ngor Okpala, one retired Brigadier Amadi from Uratta in Owerri North went to the Federal House between 1979 to 1983. In the next dispensation, a political warhorse and former commissioner in the state, Chief A.U.D Mbah of Owerri West extraction succeeded but could not enjoy the legislative business. No thanks to the late Abachi military junta that uprooted the incoming democratic set-up. In 1999, Chief Levi Oguike from Umuguma, Owerri West was at the federal House for the federal constituency while his kinsman, Hon Uche Onyeagucha took the Owerri West ticket again to Abuja under APGA. Onyeagucha was succeeded by Hon Ernest Ibejiakor of Owerri Municipal before the present arrangement where Onyewuchi of Owerri North is occupying.
In the event leading to the emergence of the above mentioned lucky representatives, aspirants from each of the three councils that make up Owerri Federal Constituency had contested the party primaries and went ahead to challenge each other in the main election without recourse to the much touted zoning policy.
If there was zoning policy, why would Onyeagucha succeed his Owerri West brother-lawmaker Oguike in 2003 when the grey hair coloured politician was there from 1999 to 2003? To indicate that zoning has been de-emphasized in the federal constituency, the 2011 Owerri Federal constituency contest had people from the three LGAs gunning for the position. The then incumbent, Ibejiakor otherwise known as Nwa Ndaa from Owerri Municipal succeeded in picking PDP ticket for a second missionary journey ahead the likes of Oyiga and present day Chief-of-staff to Gov. Okorocha, Chief Jude Ejiogu from Owerri West and Owerri North respectively. The incumbent, Onyewuchi from Owerri North picked APGA ticket while an aggrieved Oyiga was handed the ticket of defunct ACN for the eventual April 2, 2011 election.
Judging from the 2011 pre-election rating, any of these: Nwandaa, Owerri (Municipal) Onyewuchi, (Owerri North) and Oyiga (Owerri West) would have picked the position. If it had gone either way, where lies the zoning arrangement for Owerri Federal Constituency?
Based on my analysis which hitherto has no reckoning for zoning, several pesons irrespective of local clannish interest and LGA of origin have started building political structures across the three LGAs to realize their ambitions.
Onyewuchi no doubt was one of the lucky politicians that got elevated in 2011 courtesy of the ubiquitous APGA overun. The Orji-Uratta born lawmaker has shown that his voice can be heard on the floor of the Green chamber hence the decision to launch a comeback bid for 2015 election. Onyewuchi has incumbency factor to his side which may fetch him the megabucks to prosecute the election. Available information to my disposal indicates that Onyewuchi’s impact has been felt in his federal constituency as he has tried in providing transformers, civic centres, skills acquisition and empowerments to less privileged in his domain. Apart from engaging in effective representation, his voice has also been heard unlike some bench-warming lawmakers who may have gone to the National Assembly for vacation. Onyewuchi remarkably sponsored two vital motions on the flour of the House asking for the installation of night-landing facilities at Sam Mbakwe airport Owerri and construction of second Niger Bridge.
However, his positive steps in the last three years may easily be diminished by several factors working against his future political ambition. Onyewuchi seems to be wearing the toga of party-traveler having moved into three parties within three years.
Since he came on board using APGA flag, the lawmaker failed to keep faith with the platform that guaranteed him elective position by jumping into the newly-formed APC where he was said to be hypnotized with a second term ticket. Sensing that the promised second term ticket dream was not going to be realistic in view of the suspected double standard on the part of Okorocha, the lawmaker decided to answer “Ben Johnson” by running to PDP.
His PDP move with supporters to a large extent may portray him as a political opportunist seeking only fertile grounds for success. This factor has also reduced his popularity and acceptability among the numerous voters who backed him in 2011. He may be regarded as a suspect to be trusted with elective power if his knack for changing political parties is considered. While APGA people are yet forgive him for the ill manner he dumped the party, his APC strange political bed fellows will be singing failure songs for him for kicking out the party after brief romance. Undoubtably, his new allies, the PDP will watch closely and relate with him from a distance to avoid been jilted like APGA and APC. The three years Onyewuchi missed may have given his challengers in PDP opportunity to grab the party structure to be elected during party primaries. Again, Ezenwa is said to have lost relevance in the face of the political class in Owerri Federal constituency. The believe in the area is that they “apex” leaders are yet to feel his impact in terms of patronage and “servicing”
Apparently aware that House of Assembly is no-go area for him in 2015 as it is the turn of Alaenyi Block (Egbu, Naze, Awaka and Ihitte Ogada) to produce the next state legislator for Owerri North LGA, Ikpeazu has commenced fresh plot to take his political career to the next level. This time, to Abuja. It was learnt that his houses and offices have turned to a meeting point for Owerri Federal Constituency people who are sympathetic to his dream. The Ikpeazu for-Federal House project started since last year when he began consultation. As part of strategy to win support of the people, Ikpeazu jettisoned the desire to join APC and stayed put in APGA where it could be easy to grab the party ticket. The act was a welcome development that boosted his chances of acceptability by his people. Also, the quality representation Ikpeazu has offered so far since he became Owerri North man in the state Assembly can be said to be another strong point pushing him to “do more” for the entire Owerri Federal constituents instead of Owerri North only. Ikpeazu has instituted landmark achievements by distributing not less than 19 transformers to various autonomous communities in his constituency a well as agric-related empowerment to reduce joblessness in the society. To crown his constituency-prone programmes, Ikpeazu holds regular constituency briefings were he reels out his scorecard and inform Owerri North happenings in present day government. Ikpeazu may be wallowing in fool’s paradise if he thinks the milestone he has recorded within three years is enough to push him further than his Owerri North frontier. The Agbala-born businessman cum lawmaker is still believed to be a political rookie who was only opportune to be in the House of Assembly by stroke of luck. His political clout is only felt in his OAU block of Owerri North. OAU stands for Obube/Agbala/Ulakwo arm of the entire Owerri North political divide. The lawmaker will go extra miles to capture the electorates if he intends to win APGA ticket and go further to chinch the position in 2015. Ikpeazu needs to overcome local challenges emanating from his Agbala place of origin before seeking support from outsiders to make real his ambition of going further in the House of Reps campaign. The bitter pills experienced in Agbala community over Ezeship tussle have greatly affected Ikpeazu’s image and popularity.
Some perceived political opponents no doubt grabbed the opportunity created by the Ezeship crisis where the lawmaker is accused of backing a particular candidate, to paint negative pictures about him. If the popular slogan “ana esi na ulo mara mma puo ama” (charity begins at home) should apply, then Ikpeazu should have a rethink before putting in logistics to realize his Abuja-bound dream.
Next to Ikpeazu is Oyiga. After quitting customs service where he was a senior officer, Oyiga has only done two things for a living; business and politics. Though he has held several political offices as PDP state vice chairman for Owerri ISOPADEC Board member and lately Mayor of Owerri zone under Okorocha before his resignation early this year, the Owerri West-born politician is desirous to taste elective position.
It is this bid that has seen him warm up every elective year and 2015 will not be an exception. Oyiga who ran one of the most flamboyant campaign outfits in 2011 is gathering arsenal again for another onslaught after his PDP return. Having returned to enjoy all rights and privileges in PDP as former Vice-Chairman, Oyiga is banking on the old routes he had established five years ago during his earlier race to become Abuja based lawmaker.
His persistence and perseverance to represent Owerri Federal Constituency in the Reps can earn him sympathy. The three LGAs may pity his persistent determination to speak their voice in Abuja and allow him have it in 2015.
Odds are also working against Oyiga. He seems to behave like another “highway” politician who is always on the move seeking only greener pastures. Oyiga’s PDP to APGA, APGA to APC and APC to PDP moves similar to that of Onyewuchi will be his great albatross as many of his die- hard followers and loyalists may have lost confidence in him. The PDP structure he dumped four years ago may not also be there to support him even as the party hierarchy will have to be cautions in future relationship if his penchant for dumping parties is anything to go by. Besides, those he left in APC will use the opportunity as a payback time for his unexpected exit after getting juicy positions like ISOPADEC Board member and Owerri zone Mayor under Okorocha. Okorocha and his men are yet to forgive Oyiga as the governor during the recently concluded LGA tour lamented his exit from the party when his team berthed at Owerri West.
Due to lack of space I will continue with rest in next week’s edition.
