APC CONVENTION"How Izunaso lost to Okorocha

ANALYSIS: APC convention: How Izunaso lost to Okorocha’s ally

June 25, 2018Lois Ugbede

Imo state at the APC National Convention

A major upset at the national convention of the All Progressive Congress (APC) was the fall of Osita Izunaso, who bidded to return as the party’s national organising secretary.
Mr Izunaso, a former senator, was defeated by one of his challengers, Emmanuel Ibediro, who was propped up by Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha.
In a vey close race, Mr Ibdeiro scored 1749 to defeat Mr Izunaso who scored 1459.
Ahead of the June 23 convention, the Southeast Caucus of the APC had endorsed the reelection of Mr Izunaso and two other national officials of the party from the zone. The others were the National Auditor, George Moghalu, and National Vice Chairman (South-East), Emma Eneukwu.
Other positions allocated to the zone comprising Anambra, Enugu, Imo, Ebonyi and Imo states are the deputy national financial secretary and deputy national women leader.
However, Mr Izunaso’s case had assumed a different dimension because of his role in the ward, local government and state congresses that preceded the national convention.
During the congresses, Mr Okorocha lost the party’s structure as Mr Izunaso reportedly used his influence as a national officer to facilitate the installation of the officers at the three levels of the party.
The former national organising secretary was said to have acted in concert with other political bigwigs in the state, including the deputy governor, Eze Madumere, a former senator, Ifeanyi Araraume, and the senator representing Imo North, Ben Uwajumogu.
Mr Okorocha’s alleged offence was his desire to have his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu, succeed him as governor in 2019. Mr Madumere, a long-time associate of the governor is also interested in succeeding his boss.
The governor’s move did not go down with opposing “Allied Forces”, which vowed and successfully pulled the rug from under his feet during the congresses.

The outcome was strange to Nigeria’s politics where the governors are believed to be powerful because they determine who get what in their state.
Mr Okorocha had cried to high heavens after the ward congress which was held first but that could not stop his opponents from further “disgracing” him at the local and state congresses.
He pleaded with the NWC then led by John Odigie-Oyegun to intervene but he met a brick wall because Mr Izunaso was a member of the party leadership, which interestingly appointed him Chairman of the Screening Appeal Panel.
The governor kept calling on the party to obey court orders which had favoured his camp to no avail.
Among those Mr Okorocha asked desperately to intervene were President Muhammadu Buhari whom he visited in Daura in Katsina State and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo but no help came his way.
Mr Okorocha, the lone APC governor in the Southeast, also tried to use his connection as the chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum, a union of APC governors, to get the situation reversed but no dice.
Apparently frustrated, Mr Okorocha, who will round off his governorship tenure next year, waited to have his pound of flesh.
He sponsored Mr Ibediro, a former secretary of APC in Imo, against Mr Izunaso, who insisted he would seek reelection, especially with the new party structure in the state solidly behind him and despite Mr Buhari’s interest in the position and two others.
The call by some members of the party that the position be yielded to other states in the zone did not matter to Mr Okorocha, who was the point man of the APC in the South East at the time the party was formed in 2013. He was determined not to return from the Abuja convention disgraced.
As at Friday, PREMIUM TIMES gathered that Mr Okorocha had reached out to his colleagues-governors who by now were rooting for consensus approach to scale down the number of contestants for most of the positions to minimise conflict at the convention, to support Mr Ibediro.

Indeed, this newspaper learnt that most of the governors assured him of their support and successfully came to his rescue.
With the assurance, the Imo governor was prepared to battle his opponents at the convention on Saturday, whichever way. That soon played out as both factions clashed at the Eagles Square venue.
Trouble began when the governor arrived the Imo Stand and asked loyalists of his deputy who were already seated to vacate the seats. This led to members of the two groups exchanging blows.
The security details subsequently descended on the members of the deputy governor’s faction, which included its chairman, Hillary Eke, and forced them out of the stand.
To avoid further squabble, the National Convention Committee, which intervened, barred the delegates of the two factions from voting and instead allowed only the statutory from the state to vote.
At the end of the convention, Mr Okorocha who was basking in the euphoria of victory secured by Mr Ibediro, assured that he had forgiven his political traducers.
According to a statement by Sam Onwuemeodo, his media aide on Sunday, Mr Okorocha, said all hands must now be on deck to achieve victory for the APC in Imo and the entire South East.
He also said Nigerians would see a more vibrant and result-oriented APC with the emergence of the leadership headed by Adams Oshiomhole.
To get a reaction from Mr Izunaso, PREMIUM TIMES called and sent a text message but got no response at the time of filing this report.
Information reaching our reporter at the national secretariat, however, said Mr Izunonso might go to the appeal committee.
Analysts say the battle between the two camps may not be over yet.
As it is, the party structure in Imo State is in the hands of Mr Okorocha’s deputy and his other political enemies. It is therefore most likely that during the nomination of candidate for the governorship seat in a few months, the animosity might rise once again, especially because of Mr Madumere’s desire to be governor.

Besides, although, Mr Okorocha was APC’s arrowhead in the Southeast because of his defection from the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) on whose ticket he came to power in 2011, to the APC, the party structure in the zone has been pulled out of his hands. Little wonder the zone did not back Mr Ibediro, his candidate for last Saturday’s contest.
Perhaps, the only way to avoid the potholes ahead is for the governor to commence fence-mending in the entire Southeast to avoid conflict and rancour that may further dim the chances of the APC in the zone where it lost woefully to PDP in the 2015 polls.