Dying Opposition In Imo State?

By CHIEDU UZODINMA

 Students of political science have a conviction that no responsible Government succeeds without the sharp and constructive criticisms of opposition political parties.   In civilized countries, the wheel of governance is oiled by the opposition. Because they constitute a check and balance on the Government in Power, those who govern the people will be compelled to see governance not as a tea party but a serious business.

Duruiheoma....Imo PDP boss

In Imo State where one has seen flagrant disregard of laws of the land by the ruling party under the guise of implementing Government policies and actions, it is disheartening to see opposition political parties turn a blind eye to such actions.

 After the last general elections, opposition political parties in Imo State went into limbo. They are now in the cooler, ostensibly waiting when the drums will start beating again for the next elections.

Ajumbe..Imo ANPP Chairman

It is so sad that political parties in Imo State see themselves as platforms rich politicians use to climb the ladder of governance. A school of thought contend that political parties in Imo state only exist in name as they wait patiently for the next political dispensation when desperate politicians with very fat bank accounts come and buy their nomination tickets.

 It is tempting to agree slightly with this line of thought considering the fact that opposition parties in the State are not living up to expectation. Even when their views on issues or policies introduced by the present Government in the State they either shy away or give incoherent answers or response.

This keeps the Imo electorate wondering if those at the helms of affairs of opposition parties in the State understand what it takes to lead an opposition party. What a pity!  Leaders of opposition political parties in Imo either murmur or complain in silence.  This manifested at the Public Presentation of an Owerri based newspaper Imo Trumpeta held on July 15, 2012 in Owerri. At the event some leaders of opposition political parties washed their dirty linens in public. Their actions showed that they have no coherent position on how to oppose constructively some of the actions of the present Administration in the State propelled by the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

At the event, the ANPP Imo State Chairman, Chief Vitalis Ajumbe fired shots at the PDP, accusing the latter of not doing much to put Governor Rochas Okorocha’s government on its toes since it was just fresh out of power after being in government for 12 years.    One is tempted to align with the Imo ANPP boss postulation to some extent on the basis that among the opposition parties in Imo State, the PDP has what it takes- the financial might and political clout- to put a check on the APGA led government in the State.

Fortunately, the PDP is not doing such. It is rather licking its wounds over the loss of the Governorship seat to APGA while majority of its members are secretly wining with agents of the ruling party seeking for political patronage.

The Imo PDP seems to have become a shadow of itself.  The party in the State is bereft of a blueprint by the party to effectively place it on the path that will enable it play a leading role in constructively opposing Government policies. Most of its big time members have relocated to Abuja, where they have gone to amass enormous resources for the sole purpose of actualizing their political ambitions in 2015. Because its members in the State wallow in the belief that since the party holds sway at the centre, it can simply cruise to power in the State again on the strength of its power and might at the federal level.

Rather than intensify efforts to re position the party in the State to enable it become virile, the PDP in Imo seems to be so much interested in ‘capturing’ Government House, Owerri again.  Much as there is nothing wrong with this intention, it is unfortunate that the party in the State is going about it the wrong way. It has failed to realize that the pattern of wining elections in Imo state has changed. The last elections in the State proved that money can no longer buy the conscience of the voter.  It is what the party and what the candidates stand for that earns the votes of the voters! 

Thus, the PDP in Imo State ought to know that it has to win the confidence of the masses and convince the electorate that the party is no longer a place where money determines who gets what . They should strive to change the perception of some Imolites who see the party as a political institution that   relish in the art of sharing money.

 For the ANPP in Imo State, It has fallen from grace to grass. It is operating what one can describe as guided opposition in the State.  The Imo ANPP seems to be afraid of its shadow.  It has lost the nerve and political willpower to assert itself as one of the leading opposition parties in the State. The vibrancy and depth of opposition exhibited by the national leadership of the party is not replicated here in the State.

As Nigeria’s third largest opposition political party, one had expected vibrant opposition from the Imo ANPP State chapter- a vibrant ANPP in Imo that will be keen to take over the mantle of leadership of the State in 2015. 

As a political party that has existing political structures across the State, though such structures are weak presently, the party has what it takes to be a major contender for the next general elections in the State. This it can achieve by re energizing or repositioning itself. As a party that paraded political titans in the State such as Chiefs Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, Arthur Nzeribe, Ifeanyi Araraume( who was one time chairman of the party), Humphrey Anumudu, the ANPP cannot be said to be a newcomer in the torrid political terrain of Imo State. If Ajumbe and co can take the party to the electorate it will certainly come out strong in the next election. 

 The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the State has shown some sparks of vibrant opposition. The party has continued to fault some policies of the state government, issuing its position on every action of the ruling party. This is commendable and should be emulated by other opposition parties.

However, the party should embark on a small campaign to convince Imolites that it is not a Yoruba political party. The ACN lost woefully in the last election in the State because it was seen as one of the sinuous tentacles of its founder and leader, Chief Bola Tinubu. It was one of the campaign weapons applied by its opponents against the party and it paid off before and after the elections. This led to the crumbling of its candidates aspiring for various political positions on the party’s platform.

 And if Imo ACN  intends to make an appreciable impact in the next elections in the State, it needs to convince Imolites that the party is a not a channel for some political tingods in the South West to sneak into the political terrain of Imo State, nay the South East. It also has to tell us that the ACN is bent on introducing good governance if it gets the nod of the masses to pilot the affairs of the State in the next political dispensation. 

Uzodinma is a freelance Journalist based in Owerri