The Search for Imo Governor of Owerri Zone Extraction: The Crux of the Matter – By John Mgbe
March 17, 2015
The Search for Imo Governor
of Owerri Zone Extraction: The Crux of
the Matter – By John Mgbe
5544 Views
There
is a need to amplify the fact that
if Owerri zone is really
serious to produce governor, then,
the governorship candidates from Owerri
zone must, as a matter of necessity,
be considering the need
to merge under one
candidate.They should desist from dissipating
energy on unnecessary power show
and avoidable braggadocio and recrimination. The
only way GovernorAnayo Okorocha can be defeated
in the forthcoming election is
through a process of merger of
all the governorship candidates in
Owerri zone. The elders of the zone
should hammer out a modus operandi/modus
vivendi to actualize this template.
If this approach is not accepted,
I am afraid Governor Okorocha may win
the next governorship election convincingly.
Should that happen, it will be too
late for Owerri zone to point fingers
at NDI Orlu as people who are
greedy, wily, and avaricious. If I were
to suggest, I would suggest that
NDI Owerri zone should know that there are only
two political groups in the forthcoming
governorship election in Imo State.The two
groups include the Orlu group which
is the All Progressives Congress(APC) whose
governorship candidate is from Orlu (Imo
West senatorial zone) while the other
Group includes those parties whose
governorship candidates hail from Owerri
zone.So, it is my candid advice
that if NDI Owerri zone are
genuinely interested to produce the next
governor, they must present one
governorship candidate. While I do not
have to dictate to them which
way to handle this issue, present
realities demand that the other
governorship candidates should collapse
under the PDP so that Hon Emeka
Ihedioha can fly the PDP/Owerri zone flag.
Once this major decision is taking,
they should proceed to rejig other
political slots in a manner that will
guarantee equity and egalitarianism
among the three senatorial zones. Those who
are adversely affected in this arrangement
could be compensated when the
consensus governor emerges. There is enough
to go round if they synergize
for governorship/presidential victory.This
my master plan for victory is the
only way Governor Okorocha can be
defeated with ease. In considering
Hon Emeka Ihedioha as the flag bearer, I am
of the opinion that the PDP is
the BIG BROTHER in Owerri zone
and even in the State.I feel that
such marginal political parties like the
United Peoples Party( UPP), Labour
Party(LP),Accord Party(AP) are mere distractions
which will only serve as a short
route of giving victory to
the APC.Even the APGA is not
on a stable ground because it
is embroiled in interminable
intra-party squabbles and recriminations.It is
naïve for anybody to think that
all is well with APGA, more so,after
Governor Okorocha, Chief Martin Agbaso (Ochoudo), and
former Anambra State Governor, MR. Peter Obi,
left the party.
=rs Okorocha
A
short while ago, the Governorship candidate
of the All Progressives Grand Alliance,
(APGA),Captain Emmanuel Iheanacho, caused a stir
when he asked the governorship
candidate of the Peoples Democratic
Party,(PDP), Hon. Emeka Ihedioha to step
down for him on the grounds
that he does not have the
requisite experience to govern Imo
State. This comment by Captain Iheanacho is as
lamentable as it is deplorable. Most
of us who hold Captain in
esteem are disorientated at
this outburst against Hon
Ihedioha who actually is the front
runner in he governorship election. I only
believed the story when the media
aide to Captain Iheanacho confirmed
to me that his principal, Captain
Iheanacho, made the comment. When
this news broke out ,I sent a
text message to Barrister Emperor ,the
media aide to Captain Iheanacho, in
order to confirm if actually Captain
Iheanacho made such an outburst
against HON.Emeka Ihedioha. Hear Barrister Emperor
Iwuala: ”I have just received your text
message seeking clarification on the
genuineness of what Captain Iheanacho said
about Hon Ihedioha. Yes, Captain made the
statement and it’s a statement of fact. Hon
Ihedioha has been in the legislature
for about twelve years and that
does not equip him with the
requisite experience to be effective
as governor. On the other hand, Captain
Emmanuel Ihenacho has run big
organizations for many years and
that gives him the desired
experience. So, what Captain Iheanacho said is,
in fact, a statement of fact….”.I
made it clear to him that
I was disappointed that a person
of the status of Captain Iheanacho
actually held such a pathetic
opinion to the point of placing it
in the public domain. It’s a betrayal
of the high trust and
reputation which we have
often ascribed to Captain Iheanacho.
As
a result of this development, I wish
to do a very tiny segment of
the profile of HON Emeka Ihedioha so
that the reader will decide whether
it was fair for Captain Emmanuel
Iheanacho to describe him as lacking
the requisite experience to be
governor of Imo State.Hon Emeka Ihedioha is indeed one of the
few Nigerians who have served three
consecutive tenures in the National
Assembly on the grounds of their
effectiveness in their constituencies. He hails from
Mbutu, AbohMbaise Local Government Area of Imo State. He began his primary
education at Town School, Mbutu in Aboh Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo
State and completed same at SDA Primary School, Abule Oja, Yaba Lagos in 1976.
He then moved on to St. Ephraim’s Secondary School, Owerrinta in present day
Abia State for his secondary education, rounding off his academic sojourn in
Nigeria with a Bachelor of Science (B. Sc.) degree in Food Technology from
the prestigious University of Lagos. This was in 1988. He has also since
taken courses at Stanford University and Harvard University, respectively, both
in the United States of America as well as Oxford University Business School
and the University of British Columbia, Canada.Prior to his
becoming a legislator in the HoR, he
had served as Press Officer to the then President of the
Senate of Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu. This appointment was
in recognition of his capacity as a publicist of immense abilities and a media
person of high effectiveness. Within three months of
this appointment, he was elevated to the position of Chief Press Secretary to
the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Albert Legogie (late).
He was
appointed Special Assistant to the Presidential Adviser on Utilities (July
1999); Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President of Senate
(November 1999); and eventually Special Assistant on Political Matters to the
Vice President (September 2001). It was from this last assignment in the Office
of Vice President Atiku Abubakar that he contested election and won a seat into
the House of Representatives as Member representing AbohMbaise/NgorOkpala
Federal Constituency of Imo State in 2003 under the platform of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP).
He was
Chairman of the ranking House Committee on Marine Transport between 2003 and
2007. After emerging victorious in the 2007 general elections, Hon Ihedioha
served first as Chairman, House Committee on Cooperation and Integration in
Africa before he was later elected Chief Whip of the House. In his capacity as
Chief Whip, Ihedioha served as Chairman of various Ad-Hoc Committees of the
House, including Chairman, Ad-hoc Committee on Constituency Projects
(2007-2008); Chairman, Ad-Hoc Committee on the Celebration of Ten Years of
Unhindered Legislative Practice in Nigeria (1999-2009); Chairman, Ad-hoc
Committee on Process and Procedure for Obtaining Local and Foreign Loans
through which he was able with his members to standardize the operational
procedure for obtaining future foreign and local loans by the Nigerian
Government; and Chairman, Sub-Committee on the Review of Police Act.
Emergence as
Deputy Speaker: On the 6th day of June, 2011, Rt. Hon. Ihedioha
was elected unopposed as the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives by
his colleagues.Rt.Hon. Ihedioha’s popular emergence as the Deputy Speaker has
continued to provide inspirational and dynamic leadership in the Green Chamber,
displaying tact, dexterity and maturity in the conduct of official business.
As Deputy Speaker of the HoR,
Hon Ihedioha has acquitted himself
creditably in the areas of lawmaking,
constituency projects and oversight functions.
Aside
the above listed offices, Hon. Ihedioha has
held other important positions which include:
- Chairman, House Ad-Hoc Committee on Legislative Agenda;
- Chairman, House Ad-Hoc Committee on Constitution Review:
- Chairman, Committee of the Whole:
As the
Chairman of the Committee of the Whole, Ihedioha presides over the
consideration of Committee reports. This makes him the House of Representatives
Chairman of Chairmen. He is always a delight to watch when he is presiding, as
he brings uncommon brilliance and political sagacity to bear on this important
legislative process.
Alternate
Chairman, Governing Council of NILS:
By virtue of
his position as Deputy Speaker of the House, Hon. Ihedioha serves as alternate
Chairman, Governing Council of the Nigerian Institute of Legislative Studies
(NILS), an intellectual think-tank and capacity-building arm of the National
Assembly.
International
Engagements:
As Deputy
Speaker, Rt. Hon. Ihedioha is the Leader of Nigeria`s parliamentary delegation
to the Third Legislative Session of the ECOWAS Parliament (2011 – date). He
also doubles as the Deputy Leader of the Nigerian delegation to the Inter Parliamentary
Union (IPU) since 2011.
In the 6th
National Assembly, Ihedioha was at the head of several delegations of the
Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) to many Commonwealth nations in
Africa, Europe, Asia and the Pacific, in his capacity as the President of the
Nigeria chapter of Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA). He was the
Leader of the Nigerian Delegation to the 6th General Assembly of the
International Parliamentary Association for Information Technology, Sofia,
Bulgaria, 2008; Member, Executive Committee of the Commonwealth Parliamentary
Association, Africa Region; and Leader, Nigerian Delegation to the 41st
Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, Mpumulangha, South Africa.
Conferment
of Honours:
Hon.Ihedioha
holds the National Honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON). He is a
Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Shipping and also received the
Distinguished Service Award of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations. He
was voted One of Nigeria’s 50 Most Outstanding Legislators (1999-2009) and
has also been conferred with the Fellowships of the Nigerian Institute of Food
Science and Technology and Institute of Chartered Mediators and Conciliators
(ICMC). The above profile is only a
tip of the iceberg of Hon
Ihedioha’s achievements.
It
rankles that in spite of the above
intimidating profile of Hon Ihedioha,
some politician still describes him
as inexperienced to govern Imo State. Pray,
what else does anybody expect from an
ideal governor that cannot be found
in the above profile. Perhaps, there is a need to amplify the
fact that of all the governorship
aspirants in the PDP, Hon Ihedioha
and Senator Chris Anyanwu are the
only ones that are now politically
active in the political soccer field.
One of the governorship aspirants was
a state governor who lost his job
in 2011; he has since shown
maturity and class by joining Hon. Emeka
Ihedioha’s team; another was a
senator who has been out of active
politics in the past eight years. One of
them is an accomplished academic and
former Vice Chancellor of a Federal
University and there are also Senior
Advocates of Nigeria in the
group.Others are very fine gentlemen
who have not held
top political briefs.Captain Iheanacho of the APGA was
a Federal Minister who had a tempestuous
tenure-having been sacked and recalled. So, if
politics were a football game, only
Hon Emeka Ihedioha is in top form to
wear the national jersey in
order to mesmerize his opponents and
score great goals for
the nation. Save Senator Chris Anyanwu
who is still active, albeit a lady, the others
would have been benched because they
are match-rusty.So, why all the hue
and cry on an issue that is
well settled?
Perhaps,
for the umpteenth time, I wish to
emphasize that all the
governorshipcandidates of Owerri extraction
must coalesce into one flag bearer.
This is the silver bullet which can deflate
Governor Okorocha’s balloon. Anything short of
this is inimical and
incompatible with the agenda of an
Imo governor of Owerri zone
extraction in 2015.Ndi Owerri zone should
learn a lesson from Okigwe zone where
the protracted fratricidal conflict between
Chief Ohakim and Senator Ararume
culminated in Ohakim’s inability
to secure a second tenure in
2011.He was a highly distracted governor.
Again, in 2011 governorship election, the two
brothers from the same Local Government(Mbano
LGA) fluffed Okigwe’s chance of
securing a second tenure. In that poll, the
votes cast for Ohakim and
Ararume far exceeded the votes cast
for Anayo Okorocha in the 2011 governorship
poll.But Okigwe lost out because of
the intransigence of her two sons.In
that 2011 governorship election, Anayo Okorocha
polled 336,809 votes to beat the two
Okigwe candidates, Chief IkediOhakim and Chief
Ararume, who polled 290,496 and 110,171
votes respectively. In the PDP governorship
primary election which held on 8th
December, 2014, the votes cast
for the two Okigwe
combatants(Ararume and Ohakim) far exceeded
the votes cast for Hon
EmekaIhedioha but Hon. Emeka Ihedioha still
emerged victorious.
If
it were youthful Hon EmekaIhedioha
who made insulting and toxic comments on
Captain Iheanacho, we would swiftly
describe it as the ranting of an
impetuous youth or a case of youthful
exuberance/juvenile delinquency but now that
the elder Captain Iheanacho is the
person making unguarded outbursts against
youthful Emeka Ihedioha, is it now a case of
adult delinquency/adult exuberance or what? After all,
what does Captain Iheanacho really want? Can he say in
conscience that he will remain in
APGA after the elections? Whether Captain
Iheanacho wins or loses, he will
still defect to the PDP in the
long run.If so, why not join
forces with Hon Emeka Ihedioha now in
order to actualize the agenda of an Imo
governor of Owerri zone extraction? So, Ndi
Owerri zone should strategize and put their
house in order or the much –
trumpeted agenda of producing an Imo
Governor of Owerri extraction will be
a sham, a classic case of
chasing after the wind. In spite of
everything, we still hold Captain Iheanacho
in esteem in the belief that his
unguarded outburst against his kinsman, HON,
Emeka Ihedioha, was a mistake of the
head and not of the mind.As both
PDP and APGA expect their days
in the court, the relationship among
the governorship candidates in Owerri zone
should be a symbiotic one. The Owerri
governorship candidates must pool resources, more
so, since we can’t predict the
judgment of court in the PDP and APGA
governorship saga and the concomitant political
Arithmetic thereafter, more so, since the
probability of another supplementary
election in the forthcoming Imo
Governorship poll is very high.
Personally,
my reason for supporting Owerri zone
for the next governor is anchored on
the fact that Governor Okorocha actually
pledged to serve one tenure and hand
over to Owerri zone.Again, it was
Owerri zone who played a great role
in the emergence of an Orlu
governor in 2011 so soon after Chief Achike
Udenwa from Orlu zone served as governor
from 1999-2007.Without the support of
Owerri zone in the supplementary polls in
Ikeduru, Orji and Ngor-Okpala(all in Owerri
zone), Okorocha who hails from my
Orlu zone would not have won the 2011
election. Again, Governor Okorocha vowed to
serve just one tenure and hand over
to Owerri zone. This promise was made
before a global audience at Rosy
Arts Theatre, Ikenegbu Owerri on the day
OwelleOkorocha reconciled with Chief
Martin Agbaso.
Furthermore,
when Dee Sam Mbakwe’s governorship tenure
was truncated by the Gen.Muhammadu
Buhari(retd)-led coup of December 31st,
1983,Dee Sam Mbakwe (PHD), the most
celebrated and effective Governor we
ever had, did not ask to complete
his second tenure when democracy returned
in 1999.Similarly, when the governorship
tenure of the Late Senator Evan
Enwerem was scuttled in
mid-projectile after just about 18 months,
Senator Enwerem did not ask to
be allowed to complete his tenure
when democracy returned in 1999.These great
men set a precedent which must guide
our future actions /inactions on
issues that border on governorship
incumbency and the like. So, by extrapolation,
Okigwe zone whose son, Ikedi Ohakim,
could not complete a second tenure
should emulate the precedent laid
down by DEE Sam Mbakwe(PHD) and
Senator Evan Enwerem.
For
the umpteenth time, may I emphasize
that the only silver bullet to
defeat Governor Okorocha in the
forthcoming election is for the Owerri
candidates and their political elders from
all the political parties to be
locked up in one big hall for a
day to enable them take a decision on
a common flag bearer for Owerri zone
in the 2015 Governorship election.
JOHN
MGBE
johnmgbe@yahoo.com
CULLED FROM 247UREPORTS.COM OF MARCH 17TH,2015
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