By Christian Akpunonu
As the hands of the clocks keep ticking forward to the next Imo State Governorship election come 2023, the major gladiators as well as the pristine debutants are gearing up gradually, strategizing and sensitizing the masses. As usual, this is not undermining the influence of the incumbent Governor Hope Uzodinma, whose thirst for the next turn of the second tenure should not be ruled out. Any way, that is for the general outlook outside the box of this essay which subject matter is strictly focused on the People's Democratic party PDP primaries.
Some people are of the opinion that Imo State is a PDP state, whereas the rest are persuaded that it is typical APGA state, especially from the dispensation of the former Governor Owelle Rochas Okorocha.The APC in Imo State is a child of circumstances.
Meanwhile, the Imo State now being under the APC, albeit very circumstantial, is regarded for now as mostly the APC, whereas both the PDP and APGA sequentially are the major oppositions.Of course,sooner or later the hurricane OBIDIENT blowing gale from the newly feared Labour Party LP will definitely come to play. We should be getting the feelings.
However, the topic above intends to decipher why is it,that the PDP ticket appears to be the exclusive preserve of one person RT Hon Emeka Ihedioha, soon after the APGA was used to wrestle political power from the party in favour of the former Governor Owelle Rochas Okorocha. Someone suggested that it is trite to accord the right of first refusal to Emeka Ihedioha as far as the PDP ticket is concerned in Imo State.
Those who shared the same thought line in the foregoing hinged on the claims; that Emeka Ihedioha has displayed unflinching and unmatched support for the Imo State PDP in her trial times. And so what? Consequently, the legislative icon and sacked Governor Emeka Ihedioha has over the years garnered so much support within the PDP, and even across party leanings, as to fit for the beautiful bride of any political party at all; enough to accede the flag bearer status to him. He has become so popular that his candidature could expressly translate to Victory for any political party which fields him. What a warped sense of logic! It is indeed a bum fluff of radicalism of thinking. It is neither true nor tenable.
The purveyors of such vacuity of unmerited and unwarranted eulogy, for obvious sycophantic myopic inclinations, may have to rethink. It is advisable to take such circumspect thinker dawn the memory lanes a little. Every traveler should know where actually to go (destination) from where the journey begins (port of embarkation). There is always a starting point and destination for any journey of life.Truism, is, that the man in question Emeka Ihedioha, did not come from the blues. In fact, it is an incontrovertible truth that Emeka Ihedioha began his political journey to this lofty heights recently through the vehicle of the PDP.
Of course, notwithstanding whatever experience gathered prior to the voyage of political discoveries driven in the vehicle of the PDP, Emeka Ihedioha was not as popular then as at today. Without sounding immodest and derogatory, one would infer that the PDP made Emeka Ihedioha from the political persona-nongrata to political bigwig or eagle of nowadays. From the scratch, the PDP copulated, conceived, birthed, breastfed, nurtured, groomed and sharpened Emeka Ihedioha till date. In fact, throughout the region of the Southwest, we can hardly count few other political entities of the PDP stocks that had benefited more than Emeka Ihedioha. In his Federal Constituency, none has benefited more than him from the PDP; he went to the federal house of representatives three (3) consecutive times and eventually emerged as the deputy speaker. In Imo State, you can verify it, nobody has benefited from the PDP more than him.; the PDP Guber Ticket was given to him twice which he frittered away twice. Is the PDP made for Emeka Ihedioha or Is Emeka Ihedioha made for the PDP? So, his contributions to the PDP is like giving back to the society, what the society gave to him.
Let's ponder a while.The PDP tickets launched Emeka Ihedioha to the green chambers, sustained him from the rookie stage to the pupal form, made him the deputy speaker (No 6 citizen).The same platform initiated the same man into the Governorship race,stood behind him steadfastly too from the first failed attempt to the second but botched successful statement. Is it not fastidious of anyone to think the way of abandoning the virtuous PDP ticket to the whims and caprices of just one man? If not so, then, where lies the sagacity or veracity of the popular refrain; "don't lay your eggs in one basket"? Also, the Igbo adage posited; "the arrow shot at first , missed the target, enters the hole, and the second attempt too, entered the same hole, does it mean that the arrow was carved, only for the hole? A word they say, is enough for the wise. It is apparently obvious that Emeka Ihedioha lacks the capacity to protect the PDP'S votes.
For many people of the Imo State PDP extraction, the time to look inwards is now as to not continue missing the target by making the same mistake repetitively. There is this popular American refrain; "It's not What America will do for you as a citizen, but, what you will do for America. This is the time for the minds of Rt Hon Emeka Ihedioha and acolytes to begin to think of what they can do for the PDP and not what the PDP will always do for them.
Accepted, he has been committed to the party loyalty and honestly made some profound inputs to uphold the PDP in Imo State and beyond.
There is this other popular wisdom that goes thus; "wherever one works, is where one fixes "And, we all know that the PDP has done enough for him, made him what he is today. So, it is not out of order for Emeka Ihedioha to make or keep making profound inputs for the PDP in trial times and otherwise.This is not enough to mortgage the party to him for life, as if it his private enterprise.
The consolation at this juncture, is, the admission by the self avowed proponents of the Emeka Ihedioha's life ticket bearer of the PDP that the party reserves the right of the choices of its standard bearers. Nobody should hold the PDP to ransom. Although, many people, the PDP supporters in Imo State perceived the fielding of one person so far as disgustingly monotonous.
In terms of equity fairness and good conscience principle,the lot falls in the Owerri zone still to produce the next Governor of Imo State. Any political element from Orlu, even Okigwe is definitely playing to the gallery, and is bound to be a long lonely stroll. Of course, era of the supreme court victory is now history with the advent of new electoral law. Also, within the confines of the Owerri zone, at the moment, equity demands that it shifts to the other side of the zone that has not tasted or had a chunk. On two successive occasions, the side of the Emeka Ihedioha have been fronted, leaving out the other side like the Senator Sammuel Anyanwu's side of the Owerri zone. To this end, the argument for equity which was responsible for the consensus candidacy of the zone in 2019 is no longer tenable now, because the other side of the zone should be considered as well. What is good for the goose is also good for the gander.
The circumstances of the USA Republican and Democratic parties are light years far away from the Nigerian scenerio nay Imo State. Therefore, drawing from the experiences of the advanced democracy like the USA to compare with the Nigerian nay Imo State is tantamount to the errors of improper syllogism. The political, economic and social charisma of the former American President Donald Trump is equally a far cry as far as the sky is from the earth relative to the fame of Emeka Ihedioha in Imo State. Both political personalities are not comparables And America is very different from Nigeria.
The insinuations in the foregoing are that the PDP should not tie up her fortunes on one man Emeka Ihedioha as to be fielding him in every political parlance as the Guber hopeful. The PDP has done enough, even more than enough for Emeka Ihedioha irrespective of the acclaimed war chest gimmickry, manouvreies and counter-manouvreies.
Time is now for the PDP to look inwards,turn a new leaf, if it must recover Imo State.The Owerri zone now enjoying the doctrines of equity should in turn strive to respect equity by trying the other parts of the zone, especially the Samdaddy's side of Owerri zone.
Without equivocation, it is wiser for the PDP to feature Sen Samdaddy Anyanwu this time around, as the candidate for the next Imo State Governorship election come 2023. He has what it takes to recover Imo State PDP, protect it's votes, and rescue the state generally.This is the desiderata.
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