 |
| Rochas |
 |
| Ihedioha |
Does
this topic for discourse appear abstract and sounds apt. Well, I will quickly say that the State was
drab some weeks ago as the State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha
travelled overseas. 26 Members of the
Imo State House of Assembly followed suit with a trip to South Africa. One can now imagine the lull in the executive
and legislative Arms of government in the State as our elected officers cruised
to foreign land in search of instruments that will improve the lot of the
citizenry in our dear Imo State. I believe our State will get better when they
return.
At the
same time, I develop goose pimples whenever His Excellencies and Honourable
members travel the same time. I do so because I fear they may be led into
temptation. My memory easily recalls
when over 10 State Governors and some Senators in 2006 travelled abroad under
the pretext of seeking for foreign investment for their various States only to
end up in the expansive mansion of one Nigeria’s big boys in the UK, Terry
Waya, to attend his birthday bash.
Nigerians were fed with cock and bull stories about the trip before Dele
Momodu’s Ovation Magazine revealed
glossy pictures of Waya’s bash with His Excellencies and Distinguished Senators
frolicking with women of easy virtue at the owambe.
- 'Now, to the crux of the matter. I must admit that today’s article has two dimensions. One, It is prophetic and secondly, it is based on political permutations that may influence the political direction of Imo State, nay the nation in 2015. It is purely a political exercise orchestrated by a well known political guru from the State whose predictions and postulations are anchored on the pattern the political wind is blowing in our beloved Imo State. It is the prediction of a political seer, a respected Imolite whose was a political titan in his days'.
I had a chance meet with this ‘political
seer’ at the weekend and I promised him that I will not disclose his identity
after he pleaded he will only speak to me on the condition of anonymity. We
spoke extensively on what we should expect in the political terrain in Imo
State and the nation at large. I must admit that it was a worthwhile experience
for me as I enriched my knowledge from his vast reservoir of wisdom.
‘Rochas
Okorocha will return as Imo State governor in 2015’ he fired. I was taken
aback.
‘How do
you mean sir’ was my subtle and short reply after I have carefully sipped a
glass of Baron De Val he offered me on my arrival. He continued ‘you see, you journalists in the
State find it difficult to read in between the lines. You fail to do a thorough research on issues
before you write. Have you asked
yourself which alternative the people of Imo State have after Rochas? Where are
the alternatives? …Where’.
I paused
and pondered over his question, suspecting that he is a core APGA man and a die
hard Rochas follower. I managed to reply ‘Sir, are you saying Imo State are
short of men and women that will not perform better than Owelle. Are you saying
that we are doomed if Okorocha is not re elected as governor in 2015? Do you not think he will not be better off if
he is elected President in 2015? And besides, the seat of power is like the
chair of the barber, after barbing the hair of a customer, the he leaves for
another customer’
He
roared a loud laughter and said ‘I have been in politics for decades; I will
tell you what you do not know. I will tell you that the PDP in the State is
weak and besides, the people will prefer the devil they know than the angel
they have not seen. The PDP shot itself in the foot in the last dispensation.
Remember the Imo electorate is sophisticated and it will take someone with a
magic wand to convince Imolites that they need a change of leadership. The
question is can the PDP be relied upon. Much as we know that the present
administration has made silly mistakes, if there is an election tomorrow, APGA
will win’.
‘You may
be wrong sir’ I replied him boldly. I told him that the political terrain in
the State is dynamic and who wins what in the next political dispensation is
not certain until the tape of victory is braced by the eventual winner. I recounted briefly to him how the PDP was
roundly defeated APGA after last year’s governorship election. I referred him to the re run election in
Ahiazu/Ezinihitte Federal Constituency
where Hon. Nnanna Igbokwe floored Chidi Ibe of APGA and lately, the
Oguta re run Assembly election which PDP’s Eugene Dibiagwu defeated other
contenders from other political parties.
I was not done yet, I went further. I reminded
him the political episode in 1999 when the much fancied Engr. Ezekiel Izuogu of
the then All Peoples Party (APP) was defeated by the little known Achike Udenwa
of the PDP at the elections. Besides in the PDP, I continued, one had expected
the likes of Humphrey Anumudu, Greg Mbadiwe and Rochas Okorocha to pick the PDP
guber ticket then, but the party hierarchy led by Ahiazu Mbaise born technocrat
cum politician Innocent Diala Nwoga selected Udenwa for the ticket.
‘Times
have changed my son’ The political terrain is now different and dynamic’ he cut
me short and adjusted his easy chair to gain more comfort.
He
continued ‘The PDP was embraced by Imolites in 1999. Remember no one thought
that the Abdulsalami Abubakar Transition Programme will succeed. We all thought
that it will be another experiment or contraption put in place by the military.
That was why there were a lot of political morons that came to public office
then. The masses never believed in the military guided Transition To Civil Rule
Programme and the political contest was not as fierce as it is now’.
He went on ‘Now, the electorate is suspicious
of those who govern them. If they goof, they will kick them out. This is applicable to incumbents who fail to
deliver. Democracy is all about the power of the people to elect and reject
leaders. That is the stage our democracy has attained. It is no longer nascent,
but has come to a level where the people cannot be taken for granted. It was
not so in our time. In the first
republic which I participated in under the auspices of the NCNC, it was
characterized by blood letting and violence. Now such incidents are beginning
to dwindle in the polity, though elections in the country are still fraught
with gory tales. Anyway, it is not yet uhuru’
He was
emphatic that the present Administration of Rochas Okorocha in the State has
made a lot of policy summersaults and cautioned that if he fails to take urgent
steps to address the anomalies, public confidence on his government will
dwindle.
He said
‘Despite the fact that he appears on the surface to be the only alternative for
Imolites now, if he fails to change gear
and stop some of the silly mistakes and summersaults, he will be pay dearly for
it. If the free education initiative which attracted us to his aspiration is
not effectively managed for the overall benefit of imolites, he will be shocked
to see how his government will loose acceptance. So, I caution him to be
careful’
The race
for the 2015 presidential race was not left out in our discourse as he told me
that Nigeria is on the verge of precipice if the 2015 presidential election is
not properly managed. He said ‘mark my words the political landscape will be
charged in 2015. It is going to be tough. It is going to be so because
President Jonathan will contest for a second term. His body language now
indicates he will do so. And if that happens, it will generate so much uproar
especially in the North. Igbos will backdown on their quest to get the
presidency. They will support Jonathan. Most of the South East Governors will
rally round the presidential aspiration of Jonathan and because they are leaving
office after completing their tenure, they will do the bidding of the ruling
party to avoid being probed and hounded around by the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC).
I tried to deviate from politics, but each
time I did, this political Nostradamus will redirect our discussion to
political issues. In his words he said ‘I eat and drink politics. When I was in
the NCNC, I was among those in the Think Tank group. I was among those who
brainstorm on the way forward for the party. Then, politics was politics and
not what we see today’
He
predicted that one of the opposition parties in the country will grow in leaps
and bounds, cautioning the PDP to conduct an internal surgery if it intends to
win future elections.
Published By Imo Trumpeta Newspapers
No comments:
Write comments