Against the prediction of local political seers, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) trumped the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) by winning the Ahiazu-Ezinihite Federal Constituency. CHIBUZOR UKAIBE examines reasons behind the upset.
The February 26, bi-election in the Ahiazu-Ezinihite Federal Constituency in Imo State has been described by many observers that the Peoples Democratic? Party (PDP) has finally regained its composure and seized the initiative in the state.
PDP’s impressive performance at the election in which its candidate, Hon. Raphael Nnanna Igbokwe, got 17,800 votes to beat his closet rival, Chief Chidi Ibe, of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) who got 13,451 votes.
With that victory, Hon. Igbokwe is headed back to the House of Representatives after loosing his seat last December following the nullification of his earlier election by the Court of Appeal. Although a total of about five parties contested in the bi-election, it was a straight fight between the PDP and APGA for obvious reasons.
PDP is the main opposition to the APGA-led government in the state after its loss at the last governorship election. Following that setback, morale sagged among its members and supporters. The only source of inspiration came from the sustained court actions against the election of Governor Rochas Okorocha.
The action, which has gone from the election Tribunal to the Supreme Court, is expected to be laid to rest this week as the Apex Court delivered its judgment on Friday March 2, 2012.
Naturally, APGA, being the ruling party, tried to take advantage of being in the saddle.? Matters were not helped by the fact that several key PDP topshots are from the Mbaise clan. Notable among then is the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha.
Also from Mbaise is Senator Chris Anyanwu who though won her re-election on the platform of APGA, is believed to be PDP in spirit. To worsen the matter for Okorocha and APGA, the governor has taken decisions which the entire Mbaise clan perceive as a direct affront to their collective dignity.
Chief among them is his recent decision to relocate the state-owned University from its present site in Owerri Municipal to his home town, Ogboko, in Ideato South Local Government Area.
This is against the expectation of Mbaise people who were already gearing up to welcome the University into their domain following the policy of the immediate past administration (of Ikedi Ohakim) to finally take the University to the permanent? site originally chosen by the Sam Mbakwe Administration in the Second Republic.
In the count down to the election, Mbaise people in unison told Okorocha to forget the seat as nothing will make them cede it to APGA. This is in spite of Governor Okorocha’s vigorous campaign in the area where he deployed enormous resources.?
Beyond Mbaise and Ngor-Okpala, the entire Owerri zone has expressed bitterness over the governor’s arbitrary decision to relocate the University from Owerri zone to Orlu zone which already has the College of Medicine and the University Teaching Hospital.
A front line politician in the state, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, recently hosted a meeting of leading politicians in Owerri zone and which meeting rose in condemnation of the policy. This was followed by another Town Hall meeting convened by Senator Chris Anyanwu on the same issue.
In attendance at that meeting was Governor Okorcha’s deputy, Sir Jude Agbaso, who as a result incurred the wrath of his boss for attending the meeting. For more than a week, rumours had it that Okorocha had asked the State House of Assembly, which he is believed to have? a firm grip of, to begin impeachment moves against Agbaso.
When this University issue is placed side by side other sundry developments in the state, the atmosphere is that of scepticism about the sincerity of the current administrator. This is regardless of the fact that the Okorocha administration has embarked on the construction of some physical infrastructure that are seen attractive.
Among those who have shown open resentment to Okorocha’s style of governance are Dr. Alex Obi and Senator Ifeanyi Araraume who have since returned to the PDP after an unsuccessful sojourn in the ACN whose platform the later used to run for the 2011 governorship election.
The return of Obi and Araraume to PDP means that nearly the entire ACN members have returned to the PDP where they originally belonged to. As a matter of fact, Alex Obi, though not from Ahiazu-Ezinihitte Federal constituency, led the PDP campaign for the February 25 bi-election.
What all this boils down to is that in Imo today, the PDP is bouncing back. When this is added to the fact that APGA itself is seen as being rocked with internal wrangling, there is a consensus of opinion that PDP getting stronger.
Evidently, that was what the bi-elections last Saturday proved. On its part, APGA which saw the election as an opportunity to prove that its ascendancy to power in the state may have to retool and re-plan its political strategy.
For many observers, the Ahiazu-Ezinihite Federal Constituency bi-election was a direct fight between Governor Okorocha and Ikedi Ohakim who, apart from being the leader of the PDP in the state, has been fingered by Okorocha as the arrow head of the opposition to his administration.
Governor Okorocha may well be right. Checks reveal that Ohakim has become the symbol of the general resentment of the Okorocha style, although this may have to do that with the fact that as the immediate past governor and the candidate of the PDP in the last election, he may return to office if the party’s appeal of the Supreme Court succeeds.
But this expectation was rubbished on Friday when the Supreme Court upheld the election of governor Okorocha. This represents a major setback for Ohakim who may now have to wait for some three more years before having a shot at retaking political power in Imo State.
At the moment, the former governor has reconciled with all the key political heavy weights with who had one grouse or the other. Notable among them are Senator Ifeanyi Araraume and Dr. Alex Obi who broke away from the PDP in the heat of the their quarrel with Ohakim to join the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) under whose platform Araraume contested the last governorship election.
In the state, there is a general feeling that the political class has been completely alienated from the Okorocha administration. They accuse him of taking advantage of the vulnerability of the people to make unreasonable promises.? For example, Okorocha’s recent promises at his “state of Imo” address that he will build three brand new Universities, three five star hotels and give scholarship from primary to University level has incurred the anger of many prominent citizens of the state who believe they are unachievable.
Investigations reveal that whereas it will cost about N25 billion per annum to execute the proposed scholarship programme, the state average annual income is about N32 billion. Although critics agree that there is nothing wrong in thinking big, they insist that arbitrariness must be avoided.
Perhaps, the complete alienation of the political class in the state from the Okorocha administration found its greatest expression during the funeral reception of the late icon, Chief Emeka Ojukwu in Owerri, the Imo state capital. At the ceremony, most prominent personalities in the state were absent, save a one time governor, Chief Achike Udenwa.
Even so, observers believe that Udenwa came more as a former Biafran soldier than as a mark of solidarity with Governor Okorocha. According to reports, several Imo politicians preferred to go to Aba in Abia State the next day where Ojukwu’s body was taken to. With things looking up once more for the PDP in Imo state, observers believe that APGA will find its strongest challenge in the erstwhile ruling party.