Since death is inevitable and believed to be necessary end for a living, no one will blame it for coming for the life of Benjamin Uwajumogu while he served the Okigwe zone senate in the National Assembly.
The demise of Uwajumogu, a former Speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly, and two time member who represented Imo North Senatorial District, as Okigwe zone is known, before death knocked him out, has posed fresh hurdles for political parties and the political elites in the State, especially those from the zone.
Ominous signals that a rancorous episode was about to unfold after Uwajumogu’s death was announced late last year, was the enormous interest generated by would be successors.
Even as his burial arrangements had not yet be arranged, reports started flying concerning those angling to fill the vacant post.
Gradually, it was like interested bidders were waiting on the wings for his death before throwing in their hat into the ring for the position. The political atmosphere witnessed swollen number of aspirants which didn’t exclude the family members. Among those reported to have shown intention were the elder sister to the late Senate, Chidinma Uwajumogu and the wife.
With the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, giving out October 30th 2020 date for the election, hostilities for who picks tickets of willing parties have commenced in earnest.
For now, what is uppermost in the minds of lively parties in the State is how to capture the Senate position Uwajumogu left vacant after his exit.
Three major parties; namely APC, APGA and the PDP have shown interest to take part in the exercise with aspirants warning up to pick the tickets. While limited interest has been observed in the APGA and PDP, the race for the APC ticket will definitely be titanic considering the identity of those seeking the post. The man who flew APGA ticket in 2019 election, Charles Onyirimba is likely going for a repeat show since no one has shown interest, that of PDP is a straight fight between Patrick Ndubueze who ran the race in 2019 and Emma Okewulonu.
In APC, the dust raised by the entrance of numerous aspirants is yet to settle as the party is already feeling the heat. The roll call has Ifeanyi Araraume who had represented the zone a record two times, former Secretary to the State Government Mark Uchendu, Former Speaker, Acho Ihim and others.
Recall that APC was in turmoil before the 2019 election. The crisis commenced when preparations for 2018 congress began leading to the birth of the Coalition political family opposed to the Agburu group controlled by the former governor, Rochas Okorocha. The Agburu group was made of Okorocha’s former appointees and allies under his Rescue Mission government set up, while the Coalition consist of those strongly opposed to his desire to take total control of the party structure with an intent to hand over the 2019 governorship election ticket of APC to his son in- law, Uche Nwosu. The schism caused by this division saw the party sharply divided between the Coalition against Rescue Mission. Majority of those on the side of the former governor, apparently backing the interest of Nwosu for Governor dumped APC for AA where the son-in law ran for the position.
The Okigwe Senate rerun has resuscitated the intra-party crisis ravaging the Imo State chapter of APC as two major factions continue to lay claim not only to the leadership but right to organize the primaries for the party’s ticket.
It is a well known fact that when Nwosu failed to grab APC governorship ticket well pocketed by Hope Uzodinma, he moved to AA with majority of Okorocha loyalists in AA since the State party Exco led by Daniel Nwafor were not disposed to backing Uzodinma for the guber contest, the National Working Committee, NWC of APC led by Adams Oshimole was forced to sack them for a Caretaker Committee led by Marcon Nlemigbo. Nwafor didn’t back out but couldn’t battle to reclaim his position through court processes.
The guest for who between Nwafor and Nlemigbo is entitled to take charge has resumed, no thanks to the Senate bye election for Okigwe.
Ahead of this exercise, Uzodinma who is strongly behind the Nlemigbo team assembled a gathering of the party Chieftains and leadership for the challenges ahead.
At the meeting, it was gathered that the pro-Uzodinma team advocated a concensus arrangement whereby a panel for that purpose was raised. Most of the APC aspirants who declared interest showed face.
Not wanting to be losers in the heightened game for the soul of APC, the Nwafor faction countered the meeting with a gathering at an Owerri hotel belonging to Nwosu where the earlier views of the Nlemigbo team canvassed at Govt House, Owerri were rejected. Part of the highlights was the rejection of concensus arrangement for primaries.
The two factions have started firing warning shots of an ominous sign that the Imo State chapter of APC may go to the battle fragmented.
A de-ja-vu of the 2019 election where major stakeholders of the party who were of the APC but fought against the party under what they call “perfect Alliance” can be sensed.
It is not certain which of the factions shall be entitled to hold forte even as the aspirants are in confused state over who deserves to be recognized for necessary allegiance. Except, the Caretaker Committee at the national level offers a helping hand in salvaging the party, a doomsday awaits APC in the Okigwe zone Senatorial election.
