Onwuasoanya FCC Jones
It is four days since results from the governorship and state house of assembly elections in Imo State started trickling in, and there is hardly any doubt that some people’s political invincibility has been torn to shreds. If anything, Dr. Kelechi Okpalake’s claim that a good number of PDP leaders are slave traders has been proven true. That American trained attorney and cerebral mass communicator cum political analyst made it clear that some PDP leaders are very good at gathering people as their supporters and collecting money on their heads, without giving those people any sense of belonging. One thing that cannot be deducted from any living human is that special instinct to be free and express themselves. Election periods are the best periods for the people to express themselves and vent their held down anger against these slave trading political leaders, and that is exactly what happened last Saturday. Over the years, these political leaders have been having a field day in their manipulative plans, but this time around certain machinery ensured that some of them were caught in their rigging plans.
The incumbent Governor of the State, not sure of claiming a straight victory at the polls, and informed about the huge deficit in acceptability that he has incurred from a large majority of Imo electorates got involved in a final minute push to woo most of these supposed political leaders to his side. Billions of Naira of Imo funds were alleged to have been blown off in a whirlwind of money sharing that involved about six governorship aspirants on the PDP platform, various aspirants to the PDP’s ticket for various legislative elections and top ranking leaders and even BOT members of the acclaimed largest opposition Party in Africa.
As at the last count, most of the people who spared no invectives in criticizing Chief Ikedi Ohakim when he warned that the PDP were treading on a path that could only lead to its defeat in the recently concluded elections, have all been linked with a dying minute push to join the All Progressives Congress, which they all condemned as a Party of infidels. Have they all become infidels, now? It is only pretenders to the rank of political leadership who would be bought with the highest money in the land to join a different political Party. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with acclaimed and real political leaders cross carpeting to a different political Party, there is everything wrong when they do so impulsively and without credible convictions. Such defections qualify to be tagged the ‘anywhere belle face’ kind of politics. These ‘leaders’ who are trooping into the APC in droves are those kind of leaders who do not have the stomach to endure lack of political patronage, hence, they cannot be seen playing opposition politics. I am almost sure that most of them will be disappointed by the time, the incoming Buhari administration takes shape.
Like I stated earlier, results from last Saturday’s election has gone a long way in demystifying the so called leaders, and for those who are ready to be realistic in their rating of political leadership across the State, the information contained in this essay will help you in appreciating those who are really worth the title; political leader.
In Ideato North where Chief Tony Ezenna throws money up and down, trying to tell anyone who cares to listen that he is the Alpha and Omega of Imo politics, there are money spraying, but politically poor moneticians like Professor, T.O.C Ndubuizu, Chief Ibeneme, Maduakor, Anyikwas, Ojimba’s, Ufere’s and many others who should have made the PDP indomitable in Ideato North, but all these leaders put together could not deliver more than five thousand votes to the PDP candidate as Governor Rochas Okorocha and his APC swept home to victory with over twenty thousand votes. One won’t be wrong to ask; where went these leaders, and what is the value of their leadership?
In Ikeduru, where Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu makes everyone believe that he is untouchable, the PDP was also trounced by the insurgent APC, as the values of individuals like, Hon. Bethel Amadi, who has been in the House of Representatives for the past twelve years, Samdaddy Anyanwu, who has never stayed out of political power for the past fourteen years, as he served as the chairman of Ikeduru LGA for about six years, then is yet to serve out his second term in the Imo State House of Assembly, he also recently won an election to represent Owerri zone in the Senate. While some analysts have placed the credit for Okorocha’s victory in Ikeduru on the shoulders of Chief Charles Amadi, who recently defected to the APC from PDP, most people feel that the failure of PDP was the people’s way of breaking loose from Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu’s overbearing political enslavement of a mass of the people. For me, the influence of Chief Charles Amadi cannot be waved off just like that, as a young and successful businessman who understands and identifies with the ordinary people in his locality, Charvon like he is most popularly known, commands a lot of followership in Ikeduru than Chief Iwuanyanwu and all other PDP bigwigs put together. The immediate past Governor of the State, Chief Ikedi Ohakim saw this early on, when he appointed the young millionaire as the apex political leader of Ikeduru LGA in his days as Governor of the State. The fact that PDP’s combination of leaders could only deliver a paltry 1378 votes to their candidate, while the APC swept home with 17451 votes tells a lot about the rightness of Ohakim’s declaration of Chief Charles Amadi as the apex leader of Ikeduru.
In Ideato South where the incumbent Governor hails from, there are supposedly weighty leaders who were supposed to give him a serious run for his money. The likes of Eze Duruiheoma who is the immediate past State chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party and the incumbent board chairman of the National Population Commission and his group of supposed leaders could only manage a paltry 2317 to Okorocha’s 32708. Orlu LGA with its array of leaders, including former Governor of the State, Chief Achike Udenwa, former Deputy Governor, Dr. Douglas Acholonu and others could only snuff out 4936 votes to Okorocha’s 27244. While in Nkwere where the incumbent State Chairman of the PDP hails from, the PDP only managed an insignificant 3737 to the APC’s 11597.
In Ihitte-Uboma LGA with its array of leaders who throw their weight around as determiners of the people’s fate, the PDP was also trounced. The combination of the current Speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly, Chief Benjamin Uwajimogu and the immediate past commissioner for education in the State and House of Assembly candidate of the APC, Chief Mrs. Uche Ejiogu proved too much for the trio of Chiefs Ozichukwu Chukwu, George Egu and Rt. Hon. Jonas Okeke, as the PDP could only manage to smuggle out 7600 votes to APC’s 11152. In Okigwe LGA where a former Deputy Governor hails from, the PDP was also shellacked as they could only manage 4951 to APC’s 12920. In Owerri North LGA, where the National Women leader of the PDP, Ambassador Kema Chikwe hails from, the APC was also victorious, even though the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) hails from the same LGA. This trend continued in all but five six LGAs of the State where the PDP managed to scratch out victory.
Isiala Mbano is one LGA where the people made a clear statement on whose leadership they believe in. This is because Isiala Mbano is one LGA where there have been lots of controversies as regards who is the authentic political leader in that LGA. Two of its most visible political leaders have been involved in serious ego battles, with each trying to impose his leadership on the other. This political ego tussle has raged for a very long time, but has never been as glaring as it became from 2007, when Senator Ararume and Chief Ikedi Ohakim appeared on the ballot of different political Parties for the same position, and Chief Ohakim smiled home with victory. In 2011, Ararume also ran for the office of the Governor on the platform of the now defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), while Ararume ran on the platform of the PDP, Ohakim did not only defeat him in Isiala Mbano, he also went ahead to defeat him in all the six LGAs in Okigwe zone. In last Saturday’s election, Ararume was also defeated by Ikedi Ohakim in the entire Isiala Mbano LGA. Nothing could lay bare Ararume’s political inferiority to Ohakim than the fact that the latter trounced the former in his Osuachara ward, and gave the PDP a desired victory. This is after Senator Ararume had allegedly collected a huge sum of money from Governor Okorocha with a promise to deliver the votes to him in the election.
Apart from the the Mbaise clan who gave their votes to PDP because one of their own was on the ballot, the only other LGAs where the PDP got victory are LGAs considered Ohakim’s stronghold. Ohaji-Egbema LGA has always being a comfort zone of the former Governor because they see him as one of their own. It was under Ikedi Ohakim that the two oil producing LGAs of the State reaped the benefit of their oil producing area status as they got a good chunk of the derivation funds accruing to the State. The people have never hidden their preference to Ikedi Ohakim’s government to the present government, hence, they held back their support for any of the candidates till Governor Ohakim encouraged them to vote for the PDP. The influence of Rt. Hon. Goodluck Opiah cannot also be taken for granted. As a Speaker during Ohakim’s regime, he was able to render service to his people due to the shared cooperation and understanding he had with the Governor. In Ngor-Okpala LGA, where PDP scratched out a slim victory, Ohakim had his closest appointees and confidants from that LGA; Dr. Ethelbert Okere, Henry Ekpe, Soronnadi Njoku, Professor Jude Njoku, etc, were very close Aides to the former Governor and till date are his core loyalists.
The truth is that anybody can pretend to be a political leader, but the true maestros are determined during elections. It is obvious that very few political leaders will survive the present political tsunami sweeping across the State, as new political leaders and stakeholders emerge; it is only a matter of time before we place the pretenders where they really belong.
IMO ADIBAGO MMA OZO!
