Immediately the 2011 election which ushered in Owelle Rochas Okorocha as Governor of Imo State, was over the popular slogan among political stakeholders in the state especially those of Owerri zone extraction was that it will be their turn to produce governor of the state in 2015.
Self acclaimed political leaders from the nine LGAs of the state that make up Owerri zone started raising structures for the actualization of this agenda.
Few days ago, a visitor to the corporate office of my medium, the Trumpeta newspaper in Owerri attracted my attention to one of the stickers of the pro-Owerri zone governor pasted at the entrance door. The sticker belongs to the Owerri Zone Political Forum, OZOPOLF, one of the leading groups before it submerged and reportedly became a campaign weapon of the incumbent from Orlu zone who won back to back recently.
The OZOPOLF sticker found its way to my media out fit office door because two of my partners associated with the group when the “going was good” about Owerri zone for governor project.
After a careful study of the major characters in Owerri politics and considering the intrigues that shaped the 2011 election which brought Okorocha from Orlu zone to power against Ikedi Ohakim of Okigwe zone, I knew that the quest for Owerri zone for governor is utopian and the people clamouring for the project could be suffering from grandeur of delusion.
Regular readers of this column, Babanababa on 2015 vibes, back page column of Trumpeta newspaper every Thursday can vividly note that the issue of Owerri zone for Governor in 2015 heralded the political analysis. I took on the issue and expressed reservation about its reality.
I encountered several reactions and encounters from top Owerri zone politicians who through my feed back mechanism disagreed when I opined that it was not realistic based on some cogent factors. A particular party leader from Aboh Mbaise created time to challenge my views. Apart from text message exchanges, we had time to have an interface on the matter through phone conversations; others who joined to kick against my views far back in 2012/2013 opted for rejoinders which I facilitated them to publish.
However, I have been vindicated by events preceding the elections and outcome of the result of the governorship election. My earlier views that the Owerri zone project for 2015 is a wishful thinking that exists in the minds of few has been confirmed. I hope that the Owerri zone readers who misconstrued my initial postulations from sectional quarters because of my Orlu zone background can see reasons why permutations are products of critical assessments of current political waves in the state.
I have always insisted that self-destructive tendencies exhibited by Owerri zone political class in each election year are their greatest albatross in observing the number of years other zones have had in Douglas House, the seat of power in Imo. As I earlier said the self denial process began in 2011 when some elements in the state pioneered by Owerri zone distorted the rotation formula if it ever existed in the state. Surprisingly, the idea of “Charter of Equity” in sharing the governorship position in Imo became pronounced this year against four yours when that of Okigwe was truncated, no thanks to high-power conspiracy by Owerri and Orlu zone political leaders who today may have realized that they were hypnotized by Okorocha ‘s one term bait of coming to rescue Imolites before seeking presidential nod where he will find the “size of his shoe”.
It would be recalled that after former governor, Achike Udenwa from Orlu zone ruled Imo for eight year from 1999 to 2007, the lot fell on Okigwe zone when Ikedi Ohakim ascended the position. Ohakim’s plan to complete eight years for Okigwe zone was unsuccessful as Okorocha of Orlu came on board. Key Owerri zone political players are responsible for the fortune that befell the incumbent governor. The likes of Martin Agbaso, Captain Emma Ihenacho who ran for the 2015 governorship under APGA, PC. Onuoha, a veteran politician and household name in Mbaise politics were part of the machinery that threw up Okorocha against Ohakim. It is no longer hidden that a powerful caucus of Owerri zone persons met at the home of Agbaso who had APGA structure Okorocha rode to power in 2011 to not only adopt but also agreed to deliver the incumbent in that year’s election. Their group caved into a supposed dummy sold to them by Okorocha that he would run for one tenure and it would be Owerri zone turn in 2015. Privileged persons who were opportuned to be at the meeting at the palatial mansion of Ochiudo Owerri, once said at a meeting of Odimma Owerri, a socio-cultural organization, also advocating for governor of Owerri zone extraction that “Okorocha told us he wants to come and clean the mess of the past government in his one term agenda before handing over to us, that is why he termed his government Rescue Mission”. I am yet to set my eyes on a two-time lawmaker of Imo State House of Assembly, Oliver Enwerem, leader of Odimma Owerri to find out what happened in 2015 and whether the earlier agreement whether mutual or written has been kept to the letter by both parties in this year’s election after the 2011 discussion. I wish I will also meet the former Ezinihitte state constituency representative and Agbaso to find out if a dummy was not sold to them in 2011 knowing fully well about a jocular saying that it is “easier to hand a monkey a cup but difficult to take it back” By now, the Owerri zone actors who by omission or commission, truncated, the zonal transition in 2011 by aiding Okorocha’s guber victory would have realized their mistakes which indicate that the “funeral” of Owerri zone for governor has began.
The outcome of 2015 governorship election portends further danger and another ominous sign to Owerri and Okigwe zones governorship project in 2019. Apart from the three Mbaise LGAs and Ngor Okpala, PDP did not win again in Owerri zone even in the three councils that make up the Owerri federal constituency despite the candidature of Capt Ihenacho who is from Owerri North. Same applies for the remaining Mbaitolu and Ikeduru, that also fell to the Orlu zone man.
Invariably, the issue of zoning has been thrown overboard to give way to what I will tag “Ike Kete Orie politics” (politics of strength and might” that is likely going to favour Orlu zone in future elections because of their member of LGAs and numerical voting strength.
On pro-Owerri zone agitators who made a volte-face in the dying minutes to back the re-elected governor from Orlu zone. I saw it coming and that is why there will be no tears for Owerri zone people. Sometime in September 2004 when the media was awash that Hope Uzodimma, Senator for Orlu would run for governorship ticket of PDP, I was privileged to attend a briefing to unveil the Imo Hope, the campaign organization of Senator Uzodimma at Bestway Hotel, Akwakuma, Orlu road, near Owerr. At the meeting were top flight leaders across the three ozones of the state including one of those who earlier responded to my write ups claiming that 2015 is the turn of Owerri zone for governor. The presence of Dr Ikay Njoku, a former chairman of Aboh Mbaise LGA, and Vanguard of Owerri zone for Governor in 2015 on the elevated platform for VIPs of Senator Uzodimma of Orlu zone governorship project, was a warning signal that the Owerri zone project would crash before the elections. Therefore, I was not surprised when OZOPOLF leader, Charles Amadi (Charlvon) who threw in resources and logistics to make his group a model has turned leaf to project candidates from other zones for Imo guber alongside his numerous acolytes. There was no need to also raise eye brows when diehards of Owerri zone for governor, and a governorship aspirant who chickened out when it was time to pay N10m for PDP form, Bethel Nzimako as well as his kinsman Chief C.Y. Amako from Irete, Owerri West LGA joined forces with Okorocha in APC. I knew that the project will crash like packs of cards at the nick of time because it is the way “the cookies crumble”.
More worrisome is late minute endorsements Okorocha received from PDP governorship aspirants of Owerri zone extraction who earlier were protagonist of the project. The new tunes Jerry Chukwueke Humphrey Anumudu sang few days to the April 11 2015 election question the ability of Owerri zone to work in common purpose for the realization of the project. Before the PDP primaries, aspirants from the zone collectively endorsed to agree to work and support any of them who emerges at the end of the primaries for the final contest. but before the polls, most of them jettisoned the idea and disregarded their signatures which was also advertised in the print media o work for candidate from another zone.
Since it happened in 2011, repeated in 2015, will 2019 be different/ I still believe Owerri zone for Governor is a mirage.
In the next general election which is four years ahead, the game will be thrown open and zonal sentiments will diminish thereby putting the desire of the zone in perpetual jeopardy.
