By Henry Ekpe
Politics is a War fought without Arms. But it is a war. In politics, Groups confront each other at the political field in a bid to “capture” power.
In some cases it is played with venom and vengeance, while to some it is a game played without bitterness, according to late Alhaji Ibrahim Waziri of defunct Great Nigeria Peoples Party, GNNP of yore.
In Imo like other States in Nigeria, the most highly contested and contentious seat during elections is the Governorship position. This is because whoever wins it takes charge of all that accrues to the State, both Assets and Liabilities.And the Assets are juicy,rosy and enormous. So it is a Winner takes all situation.
Imo Governorship seat has remained turbulent, chaotic and hotly fought for.
In order to stem the tension that trails the seat, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in 1999 mused about the idea of spreading the Position among the three political Zones in the State namely; Orlu, Okigwe and Owerri. But unfortunately, that plan could not stick, as the arrangement was not put in paper in writing.Therefore it has remained a convention flouted by all.
Because of this situation, the Imo Governorship could be described as open to all manner of people, Groups or parties within the Imo project.
But since the inception of the current political dispensation in 1999 Orlu Zone has dominated the Imo Governorship seat, followed by Okigwe Zone.
While Okigwe Zone has spent Four years,Orlu has done Sixteen years and still counting now, and Owerri did Seven months.
The Orlu dominance of the seat is not because the Zone has high population,or because it has Twelve LGAs to Owerri’s Nine and Okigwe’s Six. Rather Owerri Zone has the highest number of registered electoral voters in the State.But Orlu glues to IMO Governorship Throne because of the intrigues that goes with partisan politics.
Okigwe Zone was Governor during the Dr Ikedi Ohakim era which was between 2007 and 2011.
Owerri assumed that position through Rt Hon Emeka Ihedioha for just seven months.
The present Imo Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma hails from Oru clan in Orlu Zone.
From 1999 till date, Imo has had Governors Achike Udenwa, Senators Rochas Okorocha and Hope Uzodinma from Orlu.
Throughout the period of these various administrations, it never went without heavy political wars waged against the incumbent at any particular time.
But ironically, such battles usually come from the Zones that produced the Governor at the given time.
Achike Udenwa enjoyed relative peace in office. However, he came under fire during his last term in office following the disagreement over who to succeed him.
The fight became too fierce that Udenwa got under pressure and left office without anointing a preferred successor.
It was under political gimmickry that his “successor”, Dr Ikedi Ohakim emerged, I doubt if Udenwa would have preferred Ohakim. Not that Ohakim was not eminently qualified but because Udenwa had other ideas.
And Ohakim met mayhem in office from day one. He remains the only Governor in Nigeria that faced over twenty litigations while in office.
Ohakim faced war from different Quaters in the Four years he was in office. He never had a day without such issues as allegations against him at Aso Rock, or Court cases concerning the exact hour he was sworn-in as Governor.
But the major surprise of it all was that these distractions were from his own Zone of Okigwe.
Apart from Chief Martin Agbaso from Owerri, Ohakim’s major nemesis was his brother Senator Ifeanyi Araraume, from the same Isiala Mbano LGA with then Governor.
Ohakim weathered the storm until his second term bid, where he lost with just a few votes he ought to have garnered from his own Zone, Okigwe, had his brother Araraume not shared the votes as a contestant.
In 2011, Okorocha played on the sentiment of Imo populace, with a well grounded
Publicity stunt clothed in emotion and sentiment that pulled the Imo grass roots on one side for the perceived “Messiah” who came to carry the burden of the poor of the State on his Shoulder.
The magic worked, and beyond every imagination, Okorocha emerged Governor with a new set of youthful Foot Soldiers in IMO politics and some tested old titans in the State.
Since not many of the elites in the State took part in his emergence, everybody ignored Okorocha and he took Imo through an expedition the masses never envisaged.
He enjoyed his First term in office. But it was in his second that he met a big resistance, majorly from PDP, which forced him into a supplementary election he escaped by the whiskers.But, Okorocha had a real taste of Imo political war, when he wanted to take the people for granted.
Instead of thanking God for a memorable Eight years in office that changed his fortune, that of his relations, and those yet unborn in his family, Okorocha wanted to stretch his luck further.
This he did by trying not only to foist a successor, which has never worked for any out-going Governor in Imo history, he was determined to plant on Imo State his son in-law.
Okorocha is yet to recover from the ferocious rebuke he got from Imo people in terms of concerted political war waged against him and his political family.
After Emeka Ihedioha emerged as Governor in 2019, following the most fiercely contested Governorship election ever in Imo State, which pitted all the known political gladiators in the same ring, many had thought that escaping from the electoral furnace, which the contest itself represented, Ihedioha would have had peace in office. But it never was.
Rather, Okorocha, Uche Nwosu, Hope Uzodinma,Ararume and others teamed up against Ihedioha right from the Tribunal until he was removed by the Supreme Court after seven months in office.
It was really a baptism of fire for the Youthful Ex-Governor, whose ordeal pained many of his followers till now.
Indeed it is now the turn of Senator Hope Uzodinma who is occupying the hot seat. And it has not been easy for him. Whoever strew sugar on the table must expect ants. That is the issue.
But the confusion is that most of the salvos aimed at the Governor are coming from his Zone, Orlu.
In the first place, when the Supreme Court made its pronouncement in January 14, 2020, estranged allies like Okorocha and Ararume suddenly joined the Uzodinma train.
On January 15, 2020, Okorocha, Uzodinma and Araraume held hands together as they arrived Imo State for Uzodinma’s inauguration at Heroes square, Owerri.
But today, all the men have gone their separate ways. So what happened? This is the question on the lips of Imo people.
The Political war in Imo has continued to heighten tension as these men duel. Every day the masses don’t know what will be their fate. The Governor wastes much time repelling the “Political foes”within his party APC.
Okorocha who is from Orlu Zone with Uzodinma is the main factor. No day passes without both Men throwing political punches.
Senator Ifeanyi Araraume has remained quiet for now after his erstwhile political friend, Uzodinma stood between him and Okigwe Senate Diadem.And Unfortunately all these wars are taking their tools on the poor masses because when two Elephants clash the grasses suffer. Obviously, now is the turn of Okorocha to confront Uzodinma.
Araraume is waiting in the wings.
Soon the Lion of Ishiebu will roar and come for his own pound of flesh.
The question now is, when will the present Imo political war end?
With the present Imo Government good at War Mongering, Imo people should brace up for more political “Roforofo” but less Governance.
