Following the outcome of last meeting Owerri Zone top political chieftains, in the nine LGAs that make up the senatorial district, had with the Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, search for a reputable candidate in the APC has commenced.
It would be recalled that the leaders led by Capt Emma Ihenacho and Ambassador Kema Chikwe met with Uzodimma on the issue of Charter of Equity ahead the next governorship election.
After the meeting, Trumpeta learnt that the fallout prompted some of the stakeholders to recoil for a search to fish out a possible candidate to be projected.
It was gathered that to avoid a crowdy situation that has capacity to undermine the chances of the Zone to run for the election when the tenure of Uzodimma is over, some stakeholders commenced a search and one of those said to be knocked out of favour is the Senator representing Owerri Zone, Senator Ezenwa Onyewuchi.
Even as Onyewuchi has not publicly shown interest or announced that he will run the next governorship contest, feelers are rife that he is hungry to taste the number one office in the state after two times in the Reps and Senate positions since 2011. This speculation became intense when Onyewuchi late last year dumped Labour Party for APC as an avenue to run for the governorship.
This newspaper was reliably informed that some of the Owerri Zone stakeholders have started a “home work” of looking at possible and potential materials from the zone within the APC family to back for the hostilities ahead.
The Senator representing Owerri Zone was nowhere near those considered for the adoption and support.
Despite being on the saddle of office as House of Reps member for Owerri Federal Constituency 2011 to 2015 and 2015 to 2019 before moving over to the Senate where he is witnessing a second term in the Red Chamber, the Orji, Owerri North born Senator was said to be unable to get a passmark to earn the support of the stakeholders to be backed for the title.
Though, details of the analysis on why the odds may not favour him was not made public but Trumpeta learnt that there were fears hovering around his position on party membership.
Considering that Onyewuchi first gained elective position under APGA in 2011, decamped to PDP in 2015, was in the party to win Senate in 2019 and when 2023 came he jumped into Labour party to return to Senate, and now in APC, leaders of the party are scared that as an outsider, he may not be trusted to hold such a position as he may also dump the APC if handed the chance to get what he wants.
A review of his political trajectory indicates that he may not be trusted to still keep the membership card of the party that brought him to power if his past records are anything to go by.
Trumpeta was further informed that this frequent shuttle from one party to another is a big “baggage” endangering his future political desire of running for Governorship in the next election.
