The pertinent issue now is not whether the All Progressive Congress, Imo State Chapter will clatter and relapse into commotion soon. The begging questions are; when, and how would it come out of it early enough before the general elections arrive.
In the first place, the APC in Imo State is owned by one individual and was tailored to be so abinitio. Imo APC belongs to the Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha who holds its patent letter and is the shadow State Chairman and Secretary respectively rolled into one.
Although the party has a certain Dr Hillary Eke as the State Chairman, but that only exists in name and nomenclature because Imo APC has no functional office and the one that is located at IMSU junction in Owerri is always asleep, with over grown weeds due to lack of activities.
What is sure is that Imo APC office is usually located wherever the Governor was at any point in time and when he wants Eke to confer with him and then dish out instructions.
The APC is the only ruling party in Imo State, since the inception of the new republic in 1999 that has a “mobile” State office. Unfortunately, the members are committed but rudderless and scattered since their offices at the Local Governments and Wards are non existence.
Imo APC chieftains have never been sighted holding crucial meetings presided over by State, Local or Ward Chairmen at the usual designated places for a political party.
However, you can only see Imo APC followers at the Imo International Conference Centre, IICC, Ahiajiaku Centre, Ojukwu Centre, Government House or any other chosen place, where the Governor holds court, with the State APC Chairman sitting beside the Governor. After such functions, the members all troop back to their homes, leaving the APC offices, LGAs and Wards without activities.
Under this scenario, it is not difficult to decipher who owns Imo APC and controls its affairs. Any doubt on who owns Imo APC was made clear in 2015, when the Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha pocketed and kept the Governorship ticket to himself, and went to Lagos to contest for the party’s Presidential primaries.
When the Lagos adventure went awry, he still coolly strolled back to Imo State and dusted the Governorship ticket and went on to win his second term. No question was asked. No whimper from any source till date.
It still remains a mystery to many APC members when and where the Imo APC 2015 Governorship primary was held. Who contested, and who endorsed who unopposed.
However, the coloration of the ownership of Imo APC started changing, following the out-come of the Governorship election of 2015 where Okorocha as the incumbent could not beat his closest rival, and Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate Rt Hon Emeka Ihedioha in one fell-swoop, and therefore the election had to go through a supplementary method to produce the winner in Okorocha.
But seeing that the battle was getting tough and sensing that the diadem may elude him, Okorocha resorted to political self-help and began to look for more hands to make his second term election a reality.
It was at this juncture that the thoroughly shaken Governor, recruited and entered into a political marriage with Senator Ifeanyichukwu Godwin Araraume, the Lion of Ishiebu.
Only both men knew what they promised each other, and then went into the war front together, and the political battle ended in favour of Okorocha, who while constituting his State Executive Council drafted in Araraume’s son as a Commissioner.
Since Araraume arrived, the Imo APC began to have a little semblance of a political party, as ideas other than that of the original owner began to be accommodated, with some of the APC members regaining their voices, which were drowned on the ocean of one-man party syndrome before.
Today, Imo APC is undergoing a weaning which only members can testify to. But the party is presently held at the jugular by threeo major forces, dragging it at each end. And soon, something must give.
From experience, what is presently existing today in Imo APC is the peace of the grave yard, just as their PDP cousins have what could be described as “relative peace”.
Indeed, political parties are not churches. A political party is a place where men and women with personal interests converge to ride into political power under the platform of a political party.
Therefore, there is no how different individuals with different ideas, interests and opinions can converge, without disagreements.
But the major issue is, how are these matters resolved for the political party to exist as a vehicle through which the members realize their ambitions?
Some months ago, it was the turn of the PDP in Imo State, as many could not give the party a chance to survive. Whether Imo PDP is today in a cold war with itself while searching for its soul does not matter. What is important is that the party has in the end resolved the issue of authenticity and remains one body.
Another thing going for the PDP now is that it was lucky to have imploded early enough, and sorted itself out before the general elections, which comes after the party primaries.
Imo PDP could be said to be limping now, but it is at least moving and will soon bring down the other leg and trudge on to the end point.
Therefore, looking at Imo PDP as case study, should what befall it visit Imo APC now, or later before the general election, is it possible for the party to come out of it unscathed?
All indications point at Imo APC heading to the cliff. The drums of War are already sounding, only waiting for the Battle to commence.
As it stands now, Imo APC is struggling in the hands of three major forces.
One is headed by the Governor of Imo State, and the original owner by the party, Owelle Rochas Okorocha.
The other Group is led by Senator Ifeanyi Araraume, who is bent on contesting the party’s Governorship primaries against Okorocha’s wish.
The Third force is piloted by Hon Emeka Nwajiuba. This Group maybe silent or not much reckoned with in Imo State. But it is the strongest in terms of its power voltage, which comes directly from Aso Rock.
In the Araraume Group, there seems to be peace, and has been making major consolidations, as the Group has been busy poaching members, especially those neglected by the Okorocha Group that is too confident and arrogant in the fight.
For the Araraume camp, it is not decipating energy at various fronts, as it knows the common enemy, which is the Okorocha Group.
Therefore, the Araraume people are focused, having detected its major target, and therefore raining its ammunition on the enemy territory.
And for the Emeka Nwajiuba Team, it is not asking for much. Their major concern is that their principal, Nwajiuba, must pick the Ehime Mbano/Ihitte Uboma/Obowo Federal constituency ticket under APC.
From there, Nwajiuba can now plot how he wins his election and heads to Abuja where he has been promised to be made the Speaker of House of Representatives in 2019.
For the Okorocha Group, this is where there is much problem that may eventually tear Imo APC apart.
In the first place, their Leader, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, has his hands full. He is the incumbent Governor. He wants to plant his successors. He wants to also control how the party produces candidates in other positions, including the House of Assembly candidates. And recently, he was made the Coordinator of President Buhari’s Campaign Organization for Southeast zone.
And since Okorocha is not one to trust anybody, except his relations, he has his attention being distracted from all fronts at the same time because he cannot delegate assignments and concentrate on major matters.
Under this scenario, the Governor cannot see everything at the same time, since he cannot be everywhere at the same time. Under this circumstance, some of his Aides are growing impatient and angry that their Boss cannot trust them to carry out instructions without standing over their back.
Because of this situation, Okorocha’s men are getting frustrated. And again, Okorocha’s over-bearing intervention on every matter in his camp is creating him more enemies.
Many had thought that as a Leader, and the assumed Father of all his Aides and followers, he should have given all of them a level playing ground to sort themselves out than involving himself, which is now tearing his camp into shreds.
For instance, the issue of Okorocha’s successor will cause APC major setbacks if not properly handled.
If after 8 years Okorocha wants power to go back to his Orlu zone, he should be ready for some revolts within his political structure, as not all his followers will agree with that.
And should Okorocha at anytime pick any of his Aides and support him for his succession plan, be that fellow his Deputy Eze Madumere, his Secretary to Government, Sir George Eche, his Chief of Staff and Son in law, Chief Uche Nwosu, Okorocha must wait for implosion within even his own political Family. Jealousy, anger, mutual reactions must be expected from those whom Okorocha had sold the “Successor Doomy” all these while, only to pick someone else.
Another tinder box waiting to explode within Okorocha’s camp nay Imo APC is the issue of Okigwe Senatorial seat, where the Governor was alleged to have said that Prof Nnamdi Obiaraeri would represent APC in the Senatorial race in the zone.
In the first place, APC already has a sitting Senator in the person of Senator Benji Uwajumogu, who was Okorocha’s ally during his stint as Speaker of Imo House of Assembly.
Unfortunately, things are no more rosy between the two former political friends. Certainly, Uwajumogu will fight to pick the ticket, while Okorocha stands behind Obiaraeri. We are waiting to see how much tool this particular battle will take on Imo APC.
Then, there is the little matter of the current Imo Speaker, Rt Hon Acho Ihim, whom many had tipped to run for Okigwe Senate. Now, to Ihim’s chargin, Okorocha, has penciled down a new found ally to go for the ticket.
Meanwhile, it is said that Acho’s body language had ever indicated he wants the Okigwe Senate Seat, but Okorocha took his sight off the radar with a bogus promise that the Speaker could succeed him, which many said led Acho to forget that others could also eye the Senatorial seat.
Now that Okorocha has endorsed Obiaraeri, the Speaker is said to be sulking and no more happy with Okorocha, who many say may also be playing a game with Obiaraeri’s recent romance.
Then, the other matter is that of Chief Chike Okafor, a man who has been with Okorocha for strategic reasons. He is one of those that knows much of the present administration in the State, and has grown politically under Okorocha’s wing.
But the Emeka Nwajiuba issue seems a matter that has defied Okorocha’s intervention.
Unfortunately, Chike Okafor has done very well in the National Assembly, and is even said to be among those Okorocha considers can hold the State as a Chief Executive.
Now, what happens to this bright and intelligent youthful politician from Obowo? Would he be sacrificed on the altar of political supremacy that is over and above Okorocha?
Assuming this Nwajiuba angle happens, can Okorocha afford to sleep well allowing Okafor empty-handed for no fault of his only that a political force stronger than his principal has emerged on the scene?
Then in Ohaji Egbema/Oguta axis and one of Okorocha’s reliable zones, there seems to be an internal battle raging between two Okorocha’s “Sons”. As I write this piece, Kingsley Uju, Okorocha’s “Bulldozer” and “Hardman” is at logger heads with Dr Henry Okafor over who gains Okorocha’s attention for Ohaji/Egbema/Oguta/Oru West Federal Constituency seat.
Because of this war, Henry who debuted the “Okorocha show us the man and go to sleep” has been bogged down with this challenge that he has slowed down with the Uche Nwosu project.
But the straw that will break the carmel’s back is the Imo APC Governorship primaries, where Senator Ifeanyi Araraume will square-up against Okorocha’s anointed Aspirant.
Already, both camps have been plotting on how to outwit each other at the D-day.
Meanwhile, Okorocha is hinging his hope on the APC National convention which may not return Senator Osita Izunaso, an Araraume ally, as the National Organization Secretary of the Party.
But the Araraume camp is of the conviction that even if Izunaso goes, the list of the party’s last State, LGA, and Ward congresses favoured the camp.within these intrigues, it needs to be seen how Imo APC will remain cohesive after the primaries to face other opposition political parties, at a period their Leader, Okorocha, waves Imo Governorship goodbye at the height of these battles.
