Irrespective of the image and impression Martin Agbaso leaves in the minds of those familiar with him, especially the Imo electorates, what one may not deny him is sound knowledge of the economic indices of development in the state fondly called Eastern Heartland.
If theoretical expressions of taking Imo to greater heights using economic modules is a yardstick to find a suitable governor for the state, Agbaso, a seasoned politician, chieftain and one of the governorship aspirants of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA might compete with few persons to occupy Douglas House, the famous seat of power of Government of the state.
While I stand to be challenged on my earlier postulations about Agbaso’s rich knowledge about viable matrix of the state, I must confess that in my assessment of those packed with knowledge about what Ndi Imo need, the revered politician with envious chieftaincy title of Ochiudo Owerre, belongs to this cadre. This view stems from empirical evidences I personally sourced after several years of close monitoring and observation of political developments in the state.
As a university undergraduate in the early 90’s, one politician that dazzled the electoral terrain during that era is Agbaso from Emekuku, Owerri North LGA. Undoubtably, the supposed infant terrible of Imo politics has a political history that transcends three decades. In his middle 30’s the America-trained economist won the senatorial primaries of Owerri zone. In 1992, under the moribund National Republican Congress, NRC, party, the fair-skinned politician dusted several opposition fronts to pick the ticket. It can be said that his booming horizon in political career may have prompted the Gen Ibrahim Babangida led military government to unceremoniously relieve him of the hard won position in a rather controversial manner. The rest is history as playmakers of that era are yet to be properly informed reasons behind that action. The beneficiary of the decision was Senator Bright Nwanne from Ezinihitte Mbaise. Others affected in the rival Social Democratic Party, SDP, are frontline governorship aspirants Prof Fabian Osuji and Dr Ezekiel Izuogu who had their dreams cut short by military fiat Dr Alex Obi later emerged SDP candidate.
Unrelenting in his quest to represent Owerri zone in the Senate and showcase his iconic worth, Agbaso was elected Senator under the platform of another outdated party, the Democratic Party of Nigeria DPN. Talking about further political profile, under former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, Agbaso served as the Special Assistant on Ecology to the President. As one of the front runners in PDP of that era, Agbaso’s unsuccessful attempt to challenge the incumbent Achike Udenwa saw him join disbanded United Nigeria Peoples Party (UNPP) where he grabbled the party’s governorship ticket for 2003 election.
In 2007, Agbaso had already cemented relationship with the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA. I was one of the journalist who thronged the Emekuku mission primary school late 2006 to witness late National leader of the party, Dim Emeka Odimegwu Ojukwu usher Agbaso into the party in grand style and confirm him leader of the party in Imo. The event no doubt was a watershed in the history of Imo APGA as it gave the party leverage to be considered a force to reckon with in politics of the state. The event was not only another remarkable development in Agbaso’s political history but also a turning point in the life of APGA in Imo. Maximizing his political sagacity to raise a model campaign and party structure across the 27 local government area of the state, Agbaso, made APGA to become the party to beat. The “Onyeaghala, Nwunneya slogan of the Igbo oriented party became another sympathetic attraction to the party with chicken symbol. However, faith played a fast one on Agbaso when his chances of entering Government House got dimmed in 2007.
Agbaso was to be a direct beneficiary of the skirmishes in PDP ranks between the “Onongono” faction and Abuja Group. While Abuja camp propelled by Senator Ifeanyi, Araraume was locked in bottled war with the camp of the incumbent governor Udenwa ahead the 2007 election, Agbaso’s APGA got tactical support of the PDP Onongono’s against the out-of-favour PDP candidate, Araume. The subsequent cancellation of the governorship election and conduct of a re-run that saw Ikedi Ohakim of then PPA emerge winner is now a subject of history. One fact remains Agbaso was spitting distance to that Douglas House before the sudden change. His several court challenge to reverse the outcome proved abortive.
As if he is destined to taste the position of number one citizen of Imo, 2011 was another veritable chance to claim Douglas House as Agbaso joined the fray in his usual fanciful style. But midway into his ambition under APGA platform, incumbent governor, Rochas Okorocha appeared on the scene. Intensive underground and subtle political maneouvering saw the Emekuku-born politician surrender his quest to allow Okorocha pilot the guber challenge against Ohakim eventually which was successful. The younger brother and relatively a neophyte in the game of politics joined Okorocha as running mate and successfully assumed duties as Deputy Governor and Governor respectively on May 29, 2011.
The outcome of the Agbaso/Okorocha romance which has left a sour taste on the minds of Martin and his political camp in APGA, is an indication that the 2010/2011 union was a marriage of strange bed fellows that needed only time to explode and detoriate.
As 2015 election is drawing nearer and several actors warning up for certain designated positions, it is no longer in doubt that Ochudo is the man to beat again in APGA guber race. To add spice to the build up to the governorship tussle of the party, multi-millionaire business man and Agbaso’s kinsman, Capt Emma Ihenacho joined the party when his ambition in PDP showed that it would amount to be a cut-de-sac for the former Interior Affairs Minister to continue to push his ambition through that platform. The appearance of Capt Ihenacho and the likes of Mazi Unegbu, Okey Eze and Amobi Uwaleke angling for APGA ticket for 2015 signifies fresh acid test for Agbaso.
In the last count when my stereoscope attempted to auscultate Agbaso’s heart beat on his next political destination, the sound produced showed that he is again on top form to pocket the title ahead others lined up for the battle. While his campaign office said to be located on MCC/Urratta Road is nearing completion in terms of furnishing, a formidable campaign structure has already been raised when Agbaso sent out signal about his governorship race months ago.
Just like keen observers of Imo politics who may be bemused why Agbaso is still interested in 2015 guber race having encountered unsuccessful attempts two years and bowed out in 2011 to allow Okorocha who picked his younger brother Jude as Deputy, my findings indicate that the international business man has untapped potentials that would make a difference in the governance of the state. Contrary to belief in certain quarters that Agbaso may have sold away his mandate to Okorocha in 2011 and has no moral sanctity to stand for any election, related to guber later revelations that characterized the unceremonious exist of the younger brother from office of the Deputy Governor settles the puzzle. A careful study of what transpired during that era suggests that Agbaso may have been indisposed to continue his renewed battle against Ohakim in an electoral contest after the marathon battle in the law courts to unseat the immediate past Imo state governor. Even at that, certain APGA forces internal and external, who are also his backbone in the party induced him to also step aside and possibly wait for next four years to allow Okorocha embark on his professed Rescue Mission that will last for one tenure and back Agbaso in 2015. I cannot explain if this salient disclosure was mutually agreed upon or put on paper for record purposes. It is between Agbaso and Okorocha to tell the world how the political marriage was consummated and the attendant undercurrents that may have facilitated it. In a bid to test-run the “agreement” the senior Agbaso considered his junior, Jude a Knight of St Mulumba, of the Catholic order to partner Okorocha. On reasons why he chose his brother to pair the governor in 2011 after the deal, Agbaso during the heat of the JPross Gate Saga did inform journalists who queried him on the issue that he can be justified for that action considering what he has gone through in the hands of Okorocha. “If I trust Okorocha when he started and he treated me this way by disgracing my brother who was his Deputy, don’t you see wisdom in the action I took?”, Agbaso queried.
On the issue of alleged collection of money from Okorocha to sell his position which I have not heard from the camp of the governor as it could be mere speculation by detractors to smear his image, Agbaso while debunking such claims exploded that Okorocha does not have such amount of money as at that time people rumoured he collected before parting with APGA Guber ticket in 2011.
In his own words, Agbaso said” I never took a dime from Okorocha. He is the one that is owing me because he reneged on our agreement. The only money I got from Okorocha was only five thousand US dollars and that was in Kosovo, alongside others like Osita Izunaso, when we went on a tour. The money meant nothing to me because I gave it to my aides. That was all I got, I challenge anybody to open up on what the said I collected from Okorocha”.
Since Government House, Owerri is yet to prove Agbaso wrong and tell the world the APGA leader in Imo allegedly sold his chance in 2011 and nobody has provided the evidence rather than one of those “dem say, dem say Motor Park gossips, the politician with the famous title of Agbadaga may be given a clean bill of health on that spurious allegation. Further probe into the altercation between the Agbasos and Okorocha cannot be divorced from 2015election game plan. The notion among Agabso followers is that the latter no love lost is traceable to permutations to next governorship election. It was learnt that when Okorocha’s camp knew that it will be an uphill task handing over power to the senior Agbaso in respecting the earlier agreement, getting rid of the Agbasos became inevitable therefore, came different options to outwit them. The first was to dump APGA that is hitherto Agabsos stronghold to another party and secondly shove aside Jude from Govt House to keep them in the dark about plot to renege on the pre 2011 guber arrangement.
Initially, Martin Agbaso was part of the Imo APGA faction that attempted to join Okorocha for preliminary meetings of the merger parties that formed APC. The tactical pullout of Jude was end of the beginning for the younger brother. The next was impeachment and the Agbasos were thrown out of Government House.
Having being kept at arms length and dumping the Agbasos, APGA for APC, the umbilical cord linking their political bondage had broken to obfuscate the early “hand over to me” arrangement between Okorocha and Martin. The disgrace meted to Jude, Martin’s younger brother using the JPros Gate scandal was the last straw that broke the camels’ back.
However, there appears a new dawn in the political life of Agbaso who is one of the greatest contenders for the APGA ticket. In maintaining the earlier agreement that Okorocha should embark on four-year Rescue and handover to somebody from Owerri zone in 2015, Agbaso from the preferred zone is warming up for the show. Keen observers of politics in the state are of the view that if Agbaso fails to run, the popular belief that the accusation that money exchanged hands between him and Okorocha could have element of truth. By joining the fray to Douglas House, Agbaso wants to complement the earlier mutual agreement that he will run for governorship in 2015. It would be morally bankrupt for Agbaso to step out again having mortgaged his ambition for the incumbent governor in 2011.
Again, if rich pedigree will be a yardstick to judge who carries APGA flag in Imo, Agbaso stands a better chance than other present contenders. The Emekuku-born politician has bountiful knowledge of electoral contest beginning from his NRC, and DPN voyage in past republics until our nascent democracy debuted when he became the APGA arrowhead and undisputed moving force in Imo.
In contrast to the widely held views that Agbaso has lost out from controlling the structure of the party in the state following the dissolution of the state Exco and constitution of a new one by the national body led by Victor Umeh, the APGA leader in the state is maintaining strategic control with some of his lieutenants maintaining viable positions in the state exco. Agbaso is chanced to have erected all the structures form ward to state levels in the past before the coming of new comers who may have joined the party for the sake of running 2015 elections after which they are likely to find their ways back to their political roots in other parties.
In service to the party said to have Igbo interest, Agbaso stands tall. I can vividly recall that some pen pushers who had opportunity of interacting with the late national leader of the party Ojukwu did so courtesy of Agbaso who catered for his sojourn for advancement of APGA course in Imo state.
On his alleged winner-takes-all syndrome spirit which raised eye brows at the infant stages of Okorocha administration when his brother was still deputy governor with not less than five juicy appointees for his Emekuku kinsman and women in the Rescue Mission, Agbaso in a recent news report denied being a greedy fellow who pockets whatever comes his way. According to the report carried by this new paper in one of last week’s edition Agbaso was quoted to have claimed” I am not the determinant factor in Okorocha’s appointment. I don’t have any hand in who he appoints. Though I can be consulted, but when such comes I will not deny the person chance. But for sure I have no hand” The denial puts to rest and further clears the air on the crucifixion of Agbaso for certain unfounded misdemeanor. Lets continue to watch how far Agbaso will go.
