Going by latest political development, it appears that the once famous political group in Imo State, Rescue Mission propelled by former Governor Rochas Okorocha has crumbled and on the path to extinction.
On taking over power as governor of Imo State in 2011, Owelle Rochas Okorocha who rode on the back of APGA to Government House, Owerri, formed the Rescue Mission political family as a structure to not only get a second tenure but also sustain followership and support while in office.
Trumpeta can reliably state that for the first four years and the second tenure Rescue Mission later known as “Agburu” political family reigned in Imo politics. As at the time Okorocha left office in 2019, not less than four of his men were at the Federal House of Reps with majority in the Imo State House of Assembly even as he was in the Senate to represent Orlu Zone at the upper National Assembly.
Within the four years he was no longer calling the shots in Government House, Owerri, the political structure he established has diminished with no one standing to be reckoned with the Rescue Mission identity.
Signs that Okorocha’s political family will disintegrate showed in the Imo State House of Assembly where majority of those he backed using the Action Alliance, AA party structure his son-in-law, Chief Uche Nwosu ran governorship election of 2019 dumped the party for either APC or PDP. In the last count before the 2023 elections, AA that has about six State lawmakers couldn’t boast of any member indicating that they had dumped the Okorocha structure for fresh alliances.
In the National Assembly, while Okorocha’s Presidential ambition crumbled when he lost the primaries, his men in the House of Reps found their ways to different parties.
While his former Principal Secretary, Dr Paschal Obi representing Ideato Federal Constituency hobnobbed PDP before drifting to Labour Party, arch followers of Okorocha who became House of Reps members through his support; Hon Kingsley Uju and Ugonna Ozuruigbo joined PDP. While Uju represents Ohaji/Egbema, Oguta, Oru West Federal Constituency OZB is for Nkwerre, Isu, Nwangele and Njaba (NINN). The third Fed lawmaker who rose the ranks through the Rescue Mission ladder, Chike Okafor of Okigwe South Federal Constituency earlier turned his back to the political family before the 2019 election.
The “nunc dimities” for the Rescue Mission is the outcome of the just concluded National Assembly election.
Reports available to Trumpeta from names of those the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC declared winner show that the surviving Okorocha boys lost out.
A clearer indication that Rescue Mission is going to oblivion is the fact that two of the three hopefuls for a Reps seat; Uju and Obi have been roundly defeated by PDP’s Ikenga Ugochinyere and Eugene Dibiagwu of APC, respectively.
OZB is hoping to clinch the electoral victory for NINN to survive. In the absence of him not coming top after the re-run of Saturday March 11, 2023, that will end the chapter for Rescue Mission political family holding an elective post in the State.
Meanwhile, another pointer which clearly shows that the Okorocha’s Rescue Missionaries have diminished is their recent appointment by the incumbent administration of Governor Hope Uzodinma.
Some of Okorocha’s foot soldiers including the factional APC chairman, Dan Nwafor was among the 217 Special Advisers recently appointed into the 3R administration.
