Necessity, they say is the mother of invention. In a bid to fight a common enemy, strange political bed fellows of the All Progressive Congress APC, but of Imo State extraction, converged together under what is now called “Allied Forces” to teach the incumbent Governor of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Okorocha the political lesson of his life.
As I write, except something unexpected happens, the Governor of Imo State has been stripped of the political relevance to control the structure of APC in Imo State.
Because of Okorocha’s unguarded statements and blacket insult on both the Imo Elites and the common people that voted him into power, there was an instant unsolicited agreement by all and sundry to give Okorocha the doses he usually proposes and dishes out to others.
As a result of Okorocha’s style of administration which tends to diminish all that exist in Imo State except his own hand-picked Apostles and members of his family, the people of Imo State recently developed a serious detachment from Okorocha whom a majority of Imo populace had thought was the long-sought-after Messiah.
This current situation in the State was the final nail on Okorocha’s acceptance coffin, since the Imo Elites had for years jettisoned Okorocha from their permutations, which was not helped with Okorocha’s open distain for them too. Now the Imo down trodden has abandoned him.
Therefore, when the Governor of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Okorocha among some other Governors persuaded the APC hierarchy to conduct a fresh congress from the Ward to the National Levels to produce new Executives to run the party, Okorocha was inadvertently signing his own political death warrant.
With the high optimism that the eulogies he enjoys from the psychopants around him was the true measure of his popularity in Imo State and within APC rank, Okorocha assumed that a fresh congress would afford him the opportunity to take total control of Imo APC structure.
Today, in a bid to take all, Okorocha has lost all. This was at the dexterity of a coalition within APC, who pulled their resources together to give Okorocha a bloody nose, whose outcome he is yet to recover from.
Thanks go to the “Allied Forces” who made this possible via a well-calculated plot, followed with all amount of secrecy only found in a situation of a military coup. Till date, the Governor is still devastated and dazed by the political gimmickry of the Allied Forces, which never gave him an opportunity to decipher their plans throughout the period of the exercise from Ward to the State congresses.
George Orwell in his epic Novel, Animals Farm said that “After Rebellion Comes Sugar”. Now that the battle is over in taking away the APC structure from Okorocha, how would the Allied Forces share the “Prisoners of war” which is the APC structure in the State, without the situation leading to another set of battle that may tear the Allied Forces apart, to the joy and celebration of the conquered Okorocha?
But who are these “Allied Forces?” The snatching of Imo APC structure from Okorocha cannot be analyzed without stating how it all began.
For nearly seven years now, Okorocha without a viable opposition political party governed Imo State as a personal Estate at his wishes and caprices without even recourse to APC Chieftains while crisis rocked the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP for years.
As PDP was trying to get its house in order, before acting as an organized opposition party in the State, Okorocha had dug in by reducing the Judiciary and Legislature to appendages of the Executive by rendering these other arms of Government redundant through denying them of relative funds to carry out their functions.
The House of Assembly became beggarly and the members accepted appointments as Task Force chairmen.
The Governor tactically ceased paying Judiciary Staff and reduced their salaries, which naturally collapsed that section of Government.
Under this scenario, Okorocha became the Alpha and Omega. Infact, he even cowed the Press through poaching and intimidation, coupled with a confrontational media policy that made him a Dictator to the populace, which ought not to be for an Executive in a Democratic setting. But Okorocha enjoys that as he rather sees himself as a Lion than a Dove and a lenient leader and hard man.
This was the situation which led Okorocha to do whatever he liked, including demolition of markets and private homes that have all authorized Government documents, without giving a hoot to court orders and injunctions and was the law, and the law himself.
Then, there came the “Imerienwe Declaration” where a son of Ngor Okpala LGA and a former appointee of Okorocha himself, Dr Theordore Okwu Ejikeme Ekechi (TOE) rallied some brave APC chieftains who audaciously resisted Okorocha’s plot of foisting his son inlaw as his successor in 2019.
It was after the “Imerienwe Declaration” that APC Elites regained their lost voices and began to now speak out in the open, which was not the situation before.
Even as these APC chieftains regained their grooves, Okorocha still felt that he was in control of APC based on his own strategy anchored on bravado, intimidation, combativeness and Gestapo style, with the false belief that the State security apparatus and other auxiliary Imo-made security personnel he created will pave the way for him.
Thus “Allied Forces” was formed. So who are they? Dr TOE Ekechi, Senator Ifeanyi Araraume, Prince Eze Madumere, Sir Jude Ejiogu, Sir Felix Idiga (JAFAC), Chief Uzoma Obiyo, Chief Okey Ikoro, Senator Osita Izunaso, Senator Benji Uwajumogu, Chief Val Okere (Amadioha Ngor Okpala), Chief Cosmos Maduba, Hon Azuatalam, Hon Emeka Nwajiuba, Chief Tony Chukwu, Chief Kingsley Ononuju, Dr Hilary Eke, Hon Ugochukwu Nzekwe, Hon Nwabueze Ogushienti and Others.
These men of means and political sagacity cannot go to war against an individual and he or she comes out unscathed. These are the men who threw away their personal political leanings to do away with Okorocha, who sought every body’s hand when the weather was harsh and tough in 2011 and 2015, only to throw everybody overboard immediately the Ship got steadied. Today there is jubilation in the land, and the populace would be thrown into another mourning mood should anything from Abuja alter the existing status quo which is pleasing to a majority of Imo citizens.
Okorocha’s emergence was a concerted project of all sectors of Imo State prior to his assumption of office in 2011. But unfortunately the Governor has disappointed those who nearly committed suicide in making sure that his Governorship comes to fruition.
However, the question bothering everybody now, is how would the Allied Forces share their booty without greed and all that was accused Okorocha about not tear them apart? The Ship has been captured but the major problem now is how the goods would be dispensed without quarrel.
Looking at the rainbow coalition that went to this war, the sharing formula seems to have shaped itself, except some Animals want to be more equal than the others in this circumstance.
Araraume is from Isiala Mbano, Tony Chukwu is from Ehime Mbano, Omegara is from Okigwe, TOE Ekechi is Ngor Okpala, Oguchienti is Oru East, Hope Uzodinma is Oru West, Jude Ejiogu is Owerri North, JAFAC is Orlu LGA, Madumere is Mbaitoli, Maduba is from Isu, Osita Izunaso is from Oguta, Azuatalam is Owerri West, Ugochukwu Nzekwe is from Nkwerre, Hilary Eke is a native of Ezinihitte Mbaise, Okey Ikoro is Ideato North, Emeka Nwajiuba is from Ehime Mbano, Uwajumogu is Obowo. And Uzoma Obiyo is from Ikeduru LGA.
But as it stands now, Imo APC is sitting on a keg of gun powder, and any implosion in the party at this crucial time will leave the party in pieces as the important exercise of primaries and main election step in.
The fear now is that despite the contribution made by various individuals in routing off Okorocha from the grip of Imo APC, there certainly must be those among the Allied Forces who contributed more than others. But for peace to reign, all that the gladiators now need is to move forward and quantify every body’s effort as equal to that of others no matter what any thought he brought to the table as against that of others.
However, what is obvious is that Okorocha can never allow the Allied Forces have their way completely in this fight.
It is not yet Uhuru, both for Okorocha and the “Allied Forces”, the struggle will continue until something finally gives. There is a possibility that Okorocha may be bidding his time until after the June 28 date of APC National Convention when a new National Chairman will emerge and becomes a Joseph who knows no Pharaoh?
But the only thing that works against Okorocha in this aspect is that while he is waiting and banks on a new National Chairman, may be Adams Oshomole, to emerge and do his biddings by upturning the Imo APC Congress Result, the “Allied Forces” are already digging in and waiting for Okorocha’s next move. And revisiting Imo Congress results would be like exhuming an already buried dead body and an invitation to opening old wounds.
While it seems the Allied Forces have defeated Okorocha now, we still wait for a new National Chairman and how Imo Allied Forces will end up.
