Tomorrow, Saturday, April 11, 2015, history will be made again in Imo State. The electorate will troop out to elect the new Governor of the State who will be sworn in on May 29, 2015. Already, there are about six notable candidates in the race. But the fight is between Chief Rochas Okorocha, the incumbent Governor and candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC and Rt. Hon Emeka Ihedioha, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
The Saturday election will be more contentious and fierce than that of the Presidential and National Assembly, because the Governorship and State Assembly elections are communal in nature, and therefore produce much sentiment and emotions among the populace.
Even then, since the inception of the current democratic dispensation in 1999, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, dominated the Governorship seat of Imo State. The party in its wisdom had studied the political partitioning of Imo State; namely Orlu, Okigwe and Owerri Zones, and decided to give a sense of belonging to the leadership of the state, arriving that it would be proper for all the zones to one time or the other produce the Governor of Imo State.
Therefore, when General Abdusalami Abubakar ushered in the civilian administration in 1999, the PDP was formed alongside other political parties. The party headed in Imo State by Chief I.D. Nwoga, from Ahiazu Mbaise LGA, with other leaders of the political party decided that since Okigwe Zone had earlier governed Imo State under Chief Sam Mbakwe for more than four years, and Senator Evan Enwerem of Owerri Zone for just eight months, it would not serve justice and equity to begin a new democratic regime by giving power to either Okigwe or Owerri, as Orlu brethren will not feel accommodated.
Therefore, sense of patriotism prevailed as PDP handed the Governorship ticket to Chief Achike Udenwa from Amaifeke, in Orlu LGA, despite the fact that the winner of the primary was Chief Humphrey Anumudu from Mbieri, in Owerri Zone.
Udenwa eventually won that election and was massively supported by the Owerri and Okigwe people to clinch a second term project.
In fact, a son of Owerri Zone, Dr Alexander Obi, from Aboh Mbaise LGA spearheaded the Achike Udenwa Redemption Machine as the PDP State Chairman, which defeated the All Peoples Party, APP, even though the party fielded a candidate of Owerri zone extraction, Chief Humphrey Anumudu.
In 2007, rather than power move to Owerri zone which had spent just eighteen months in Douglas House, the powers that be muscled Governor Achike Udenwa to hand over power to Okigwe zone instead of Owerri. Recall that Mbakwe had had over four years earlier for Okigwe Zone.
Following indecision on his Deputy, Engr Ebere Udeagu, Senator Ifeanyi Araraume and Barr Ike Ibe all from Okigwe zone on who to hand over power, Achike Udenwa got confused and the battle that followed necessitated Dr Ikedi Ohakim of the Peoples Progressives Alliance, PPA, being adopted by the PDP to be its “proxy” candidate. And Chief Ohakim emerged Governor.
However, this was after the PDP had earlier endorsed Chief Martin Agbaso of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, who was massively voted for and “won” the first balloting, until those in Abuja rejected the outcome, saying that in the political equation of Imo State, it was Okigwe, not Owerri, that should produce Udenwa’s successor.
Therefore, Okigwe having ascended to the throne through Ohakim, it was natural for the Isiala Mbano-born Governor to go for a second term like Orlu did under Udenwa. This was the reason the PDP adopted Ikedi Ohakim unopposed without any Governorship primary.
During the 2011 election, Owerri Zone stood behind the PDP Candidate of Okigwe extraction, Chief Ikedi Ohakim. He got massive votes from the Mbaise Nation, including Mbaike comprising Mbaitoli and Ikeduru except for some booths in Mbaitoli. The PDP Candidate would have swept Ngor Okpala LGA had the election held the first day, before it was postponed and things went awry subsequently.
In Owerri Municipal, PDP could only have said to fail because it is a cosmopolitan town inhabited by non-indigenes, who live alongside the owners of the land.
Therefore, Owerri Zone has ever remained committed to the course of the PDP and the doctrine of Zoning formula. This was the reason Owerri Zone waited for eight years of Udenwa’s regime, and was ready for Ohakim’s eight years, until the political permutations were distorted by the failure of the PDP to retain power in 2011.
What made PDP to lose power in 2011 was due to various factors which culminated with the propaganda that the then sitting Governor, Ikedi Ohakim assaulted a Reverend Father, Eustace Okorie.
If the truth must be said, following the records of the 2011 election, it is glaringly clear that if there was any zone that sabotaged PDP, nay Okigwe Zone candidate, it was Orlu Zone, where Imo electorate suddenly became too enlightened to vote for the Candidate of APGA, Owelle Rochas Okorocha in the Governorship and voted those of the PDP in the other tickets, in the same election, and same day.
Was it not surprising that PDP lost the Governorship election nearly in all the LGAs in Orlu Zone, while the House of Assembly candidates returned?
Therefore, it would sound shallow for anybody from Orlu or Okigwe Zones to say that Owerri People at any time deviated from the zoning doctrine as proclaimed by the PDP, even though that agreement was not documented, but on mutual agreement. After all not all rules of Great Britain are documented, yet the citizens adhere to them.
As it stands presently, the Governor of Imo State is Owelle Rochas Okorocha from Ogboko in Ideato South LGA of Imo State. He assumed office in 2011 under the platform of APGA.
Unfortunately, Owerri people had erroneously believed that the Zoning formula will continue under APGA with Okorocha as the Governor. The “good news” was even sold to Owerri people by the Agbaso Dynasty, which one of them, Sir Jude Agbaso was poached by Okorocha as his Deputy.
In the end, the Agbaso-Okorocha romance could not last as Jude was later shoved aside through a phantom impeachment. As a good strategist, Okorocha replaced Agbaso with his erstwhile Chief of Staff, Prince Eze Madumere, another son of Owerri Zone.
The optimism of Owerri people that they could still get to Douglas House through Okorocha heightened when the Governor continued singing it that he was on a rescue mission and will vacate office on May 29, 2015.
This scenario even gingered some of his Aides from Owerri Zone to begin to “warm up” to take over from their Boss. But that became a mirage when Okorocha’s political body movements began to indicate that the politician in him has surfaced, and he may run again. He secretly bought the Guber Form and gave it to his son in-law to hide. At the point when the secret could no more be hidden, Governor Okorocha handed the APC guber ticket temporarily to the same Uche Nwosu, when great sons and hardworking men from Owerri Zone like Jude Ejiogu and Madumere were there. That singular act by the Governor showed that he does not trust either of the two.
Now, the Chicken has come home to roost. On Saturday, the incumbent Governor, Rochas Okorocha will battle it out with his major Opponent, Emeka Ihedioha.
Ihedioha represents the PDP and is propelled by equity and justice as a son of Owerri, the only zone out of the three that make up the Imo political tripod, that has been marginalised humiliatingly, even though it is the host to the seat of power.
Not that Owerri lack men and women of means, but because the Zone continues to betray itself because of easy lucre.
Chief Sam Mbakwe and Okigwe zone have ruled Imo for Eight years, Orlu for twelve years and still counting, but Owerri for just eighteen months?
It is very absurd that some of the Owerri sons who claimed to be championing Owerri Governorship have jumped Ship. Their only reason is that the Governorship Aspirants from Owerri Zone could not “recognise” them. What is “recognition”? Is that the reason they would throw away the baby with the bath water if really they were altruistic in the pursuit of Owerri Governorship?
It is obviously clear that Owerri Zone has been short-changed in the production of Imo Governorship. However, you do not beg for power, but grab it. But in most cases in the world, power is negotiated. Other zones in Imo got power through negotiations, but when it gets to the turn of Owerri, it will turn to a fight of the fittest.
For if not for negotiation, Udenwa would not have emerged the PDP candidate in 1999 because he came fourth in the primary.
In 2003, if Owerri did not support Orlu as negotiated by the Zone, Udenwa would not have gone for a second term.
In 2007, it was negotiation that gave Ohakim the Imo State Government House, ahead of Martin Agabso.
Even in 2011, it was negotiation between Agbaso and Okorocha that he would hand over to him in 2015 that led Agbaso to throw his weight behind and relinquish the APGA structure to Okorocha.
After the Saturday election, it may not be the same again for Imo State, if Orlu continues in Government, with Owerri Zone still at Eighteen months. This Saturday’s election is more than a political fight. It has also to do with posterity, equity and justice.
We all know it that in some areas where political offices are zoned in Imo State, it does not matter whether the incumbent did well or not. Zoning had remained sacrosanct there.
Imo people are waiting with expectations to know between Okorocha and Ihedioha who will be declared winner of Imo State 2015 Governorship election.
The result will pitch Imo State on the scale of justice and equity, or leave it with an outcome that may linger for Imo citizens yet unborn.
