By this time Friday next week, Owelle Rochas Okorocha would have been sworn-in as the third civilian Governor in the history of Imo State to be given power to lead the State for two consecutive terms of eight years.
The first was Dr Samuel Onunaka Mbakwe. Although his second term bid was cut short by a military coup led by the current President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari. This was after he had been sworn-in for a second term.
The second was Chief Achike Udenwa who had a quiet and peaceful eight years stretch uninterrupted two-term rollercoaster.
Presently, history is repeating itself as Owelle Rochas Okorocha joins the likes of his predecessors; Mbakwe and Udenwa.
However, it is on record that it was Senator Evan Enwerem and Chief Ikedi Ohakim; two former Governors of the State that could not do a second term. But while Ohakim finished a first term and even vied for a second, that Atta, Ikeduru-born Enwerem could not even finish a first term following a military junta that sent him packing from office.
As Owelle Rochas Okorocha is administered oath of office next Friday, one man contributed to Okorocha’s ascension to the coveted office is Senator Ifeanyi Araraume. However, he may have contributed to Okorocha’s political gains inadvertently. First was in 2011 and now in 2015.
You may ask how? Since 2007 Senator Ifeanyi Araraume was denied the opportunity to become Governor of Imo State, he adopted a political strategy that has caused a lot of woes to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, without knowing it.
In 2007, Senator Araraume had contested for the Governorship seat of Imo State. Following a misunderstanding between him and his political party, PDP, he was abandoned by his party which preferred to vote for Chief Ikedi Ohakim of the Peoples Progressive Alliance, PPA, and in the process PDP lost the Governorship position. Chief Ikedi Ohakim later went back to the PDP which made the party to occupy the Douglas House again for four years.
But in 2009 when Ohakim wanted to go back to PDP, Araraume fought like a wounded Lion, making every effort to stop the then incumbent Governor, who was received with open arms by the PDP hierarchy who felt that Ohakim was a good asset as a sitting Governor, as he would use all the powers within his reach to win a second term under the PDP.
Meanwhile, within the period Ohakim sojourned in PPA as Governor, enjoyed relative peace, as there was not much pressure from the Godfathers, because they were more populated in PDP and therefore they did not know how they would approach a “PPA Governor”.
Hardly had Ohakim returned to the PDP than he was stampeded left and right by the PDP Crowd that waited for him at every stop; Lagos, Abuja, Owerri even outside the country.
Frustrated that he could not stop Ohakim’s return, Araraume bolted out of the party and pitched tent with a former Governor of Imo State, Chief Achike Udenwa, in the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, where Araraume picked the Guber ticket, and Udenwa the Orlu Senatorial slot.
With Ohakim flying the Governorship flag of the PDP and Araraume hoisting that of ACN, the battle line was drawn between these two “Brothers” who hail from the same LGA; Isiala Mbano in Okigwe political zone of Imo State. This was in 2011 when Ohakim ran for a second term to complete what many saw as eight years for Okigwe zone, based on the zonal policy of the PDP.
After the electoral hostilities, the Candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, who took Ohakim to a re-run on supplementary election was eventually declared winner of the exercise, coasting home with about forty thousand votes.
Araraume of ACN came third in the pecking order, with a few votes, majority of them coming from Okigwe zone. Those votes were more than forty thousand, with which Okorocha won PDP nay Ohakim. Therefore, political pundits maintained that had Senator Araraume not contested that election and garnered over one hundred thousand votes from Okigwe zone, those ballots would have gone to the then incumbent Governor, Ohakim, who needed half of that to emerge winner and complete the second term for Okigwe zone.
In the whole analysis, it was held that Araraume had played a spoiler’s game, to stop not only PDP but Okigwe zone, as a payback to what PDP did to him in 2007, when he was seen as the governor in-waiting following his massive structure and closeness to then Governor, Achike Udenwa, yet was denied PDP support even after winning the ticket in court.
Therefore, it follows to stay that Araraume contributed to Okorocha’s emergence as Governor of Imo State in 2011, because the votes he “took away” from the PDP and his “Brother”, Ohakim facilitated in giving Okorocha the majority of votes cast.
After the PDP lost the 2011 election, whether the party took a study of what made her lose the Governorship election is very difficult to ascertain, because if the Party thought it had had enough of the “Araraume Nemesis”, it did not show it as the Isiebu-born Business Mogul staged a comeback to the PDP, and was once again given the front role seat of the party.
Therefore, when Senator Araraume announced his interest to run again for Imo Guber seat under the PDP platform, his ambition was trailed by mixed reactions. While some watched him with hawkish eyes, others gave him the benefit of doubt, while the rest embraced him, knowing that he was a political titan, who fights like a Bulldozer when time calls for it.
As the PDP concluded its “Voodoo Delegate” election, Senator Araraume was one of the first Aspirants in Imo that raised eyebrows over the exercise and even threatened going to court to challenge the list. This “cry” from Araraume gladdened many hearts who believed that the “Lion of Isiebu” has been trapped at last, as he has no delegates to vote for him during the Governorship primary.
But as the result of the Imo Governorship primary was trickling out, confusion rent the air. Even before the voting started, the news everywhere was that the former Governor, Chief Ikedi Ohakim has swept the votes, as there was jubilation in every part of Owerri.
Surprising and shocking to Bookmakers, when the “authentic result” was released in the early hours of the next day, Araraume came second, only behind Rt. Hon Emeka Ihedioha, the Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives, who was declared winner with “just” ten votes.
“How did Araraume come second? How can this happen? Was he not the one complaining about the list of Delegates?” Imo people asked nobody in particular. In fact, the result of the 2015 Imo PDP Governorship primary shocked many political Soothsayers. Araraume threw many into confusion. The reason was that he was not given a chance, much more coming second.
However, Araraume’s outing at Dan Anyiam Stadium that December night led many people to begin to study his political strategies and see if is adoptable. This was because the Senator proved that he holds the master key of Imo PDP Governorship primaries, ranging from the 2007 debacle.
But to the chagrin of many PDP members, the Senator who had earlier hugged Ihedioha in the presence of the Camera and Journalists, the next few days withdrew his earlier actions, saying Ihedioha rigged the primary with the help of the people that conducted the exercise.
From hence, Imo PDP Governorship primary, which many believed would be a prelude to a good outing in the main election, developed “k-leg”.
Araraume later went to Court, and Imo PDP immediately got decimated as internal wranglings set in between those sympathetic to Ihedioha and those following Ararume. This went on even as Ihedioha continued with his campaigns.
Some days, you will come into Owerri and Araraume’s posters are everywhere proclaiming him as the Imo PDP Governorship Candidate. The next day, they are no more there, but replaced with those of Ihedioha as the man to beat for Imo Government House.
This was the situation until President Jonathan visited Imo State for his own campaign. As the Ihedioha campaign team was parading around Dan Anyiam Stadium that day, the Araraume train was hoisting their own Principal as the man to replace Owelle Rochas Okorocha. This was a sign of disaster waiting to happen.
Jonathan who was sitting at the podium savoured the entire drama and flew back to Abuja without asking what was the matter in Imo State PDP with its Gubernatorial ticket. Just like playing the Ostrich, everybody in PDP went on without a whimper on the Araraume-Ihedioha saga.
Knowing Araraume’s mode of fight, I knew that there was trouble in the air. Even those of PDP Leaders who have been in the party since 2007 could not even have a retrospect of the 2007 trouble. As a Dog which has refused its owner’s whistle, the PDP marched on with the election without any troubleshooting.
Therefore, knowing that politics is all about using every opportunity available, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, a few days to the last Governorship election threw pride to the Dogs and stormed the political Headquarters of the Senator and extended him a hand of fellowship and a deal was struck and Araraume joined the Okorocha train, even though in principle, not in practice, since the PDP flags still donned his abode.
In the end, Okorocha has won the Governorship seat of Imo State again benefitting from Araraume’s political engineering. You may say that Araraume has no tumultuous followership, and therefore could not have influenced the outcome of the Imo Guber result. False!
Araraume, I learnt has remained committed in funding his “Destiny Organisation” since he contested for Senate seat in 1999. Though he lost in his Isiala Mbano in 2015 to Ohakim’s doggedness but Araraume has a lot of followers across Imo State, especially in Orlu zone. And his followers are ready to commit suicide for him, this I learnt, because of the way he takes care of their welfare, both in time of joy and sorrow.
And again, it is very easy to destroy than to build. If Araraume has the propensity to destroy all that Imo PDP has built, right from 2007 till date, can the PDP in the state not acknowledge this and look for a way of taming this Lion politically?
In 2007, Imo PDP lost the governorship to PPA, and in 2011 it did to APGA, and in 2015 it again lost to the APC. These are glaring and recorded facts. And each of these failures have the imprimatur of a Senator Araraume. What should Imo PDP do to stop this man who has made it eat the dust thrice now?
Ironically, Senator Ararume is not a pioneer member of the PDP. Instead, he was the chairman of the defunct All Peoples Party, APP, when the army returned democracy in 1999. He later moved over to the PDP which had Chief I.D. Nwoga as Chairman.
Araraume later muscled the Okigwe PDP Senatorial seat from his own political nemesis and brother, Ikedi Ohakim, and went on to win the seat where he spent eight years in Abuja.
In 2015, just like what happened to Okigwe zone and Ohakim when they lost in 2011, Araraume has caused Owerri zone, PDP and Ihedioha the coveted trophy as usual simply because the PDP hierarchy did not reckon the pain Araraume could inflict on them. Why is it that Imo PDP takes the Senator for granted at the party’s peril? This is because the party has vehemently refused to acknowledge that Araraume is its Nemesis. Is he not?
The 2015 Imo Governorship is won and lost. For the PDP, the party must reflect now by sitting down on how to handle Araraume in future Governorship elections in Imo State. 2019 is just by the corner.
But unfortunately, I see the Senator returning to the PDP before 2019 and trying again to become the Governor of Imo State, and the PDP definitely will welcome him back as usual. But the one million naira question is: Will PDP ever give Araraume its platform to fulfil his lifetime ambition? And if it does not, will Senator Araraume continue to avenge the 2007 Governorship setback? Time will tell.
