.... BEWITCHED WITH POLITICAL 'OKRO HAND' ( PART 1)
By Sunny Ndukwu
The Christian view of destiny believes there is a place for the sovereign will of God, but also, there is a place for man's personal choice.
For us to fulfil our destiny, we must make the right decisions and choices.
" Someone who's destined is fated or meant to do something. If your mom says you're destined for a life on the stage, she means that it's certain you'll
" People destined for greatness aren't considered rational or realistic by society's standards.
Chief Emeka Ihedioha wanted to divert attention from the review of his abysmal failure/outing in the past governorship election in the state ranging from the 2015-2019 which is currently gaining momentum in the political space by gathering some of his former aides who served as Commissioners and Special Advisers while he was governor for seven months, appealing to them to help him actualise his age long governorship ambition.
I thought he had something sudden, something disruptive to offer when he convened an emergency meeting with all his lieutenants in attendance at his Mbutu Mbaise residence penultimate month.
The most amusing was his pledge to retain all his aides in the respective positions they occupied in his Seven months short-lived administration as an erroneously declared winner of the 2019 Imo governorship election.
Of course, Imo has turned into a camp of many tents. "To your tent Oh tribes" is a refrain that rends our souls. But who to do that? Ihedioha?
A man whom when he was illegally declared governor of the state by INEC, was busy dishing out expulsion notices through his surrogates in then state exco of the party to perceived political opponents who supported his rival in the Party's primaries that produced him as candidate even when the primaries have now been confirmed was marred by electoral fraud, ballot stuffing and other electoral malpractices. A man who cannot bring his party together?
A physician that cannot heal himself? His candidacy in the last 2019 governorship election threw the party into a chaos of cards. In his recent public outings, he brandished himself as the people's choice and only candidate that can wrestle power from the incumbent, Gov Hope Uzodinma. He has suddenly failed to realise that same incumbent Gov Hope Uzodinma came from a distant fourth position to dislodge him from the seat of power. Ihedioha is the first governor in the history of the state to be sacked from office via a declaratory judgement by the apex Court of the land, posterity will not be fair to us if we sweep this notable information under the carpet.
Or has Ihedioha forgotten that the party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP belong to the masses and not his private business? He did not know there was a party law that allows for free contest to elective positions in the party.
The nomadic politician is playing Pharisee conveniently and bravado of guilty. He is now the founder and owner of Imo PDP. Any way, it seems peace is an illusion now.
Those he betrayed in the just concluded party primaries and the party, no pun intended, will cohabit with Ihedioha in a bed of thorns.
The difference between men like Ihedioha and his labouring associates is that they want to sell his governorship ambition based on what the Rebuild Imo Project achieved while in office but are unaware of the financial misappropriation and fraud linked with the seven months short-lived administration of Ihedioha, I will treat that in my next episode.
In 2002, when Ihedioha expressed his interest to contest the Aboh Mbaise /Ngor Okpala Federal Constituency seat, he won the election on a platter of gold. There was no resistance from the Ngor Okpala political divide.
Hon Greg Egu, Uncle Greg as we fondly call him was not a hindrance to his ambition, he enjoyed support from the people of Ngor Okpala LGA even though he betrayed the rotational arrangement between the two sister LGAs, Ngor Okpala and Aboh Mbaise, yet he got unhindered support throughout his stay in the House of Representatives.
Ihedioha's political height today is courtesy of Ngor Okpala magnanimity and support, he is indebted to the people from the area, either he likes it or not.
Ihedioha cut his litigator teeth at the 5th House (2003) in House of Representatives when he emerged as a committee chairman on Marine.
During his second term, he served as chief Whip of the house. He emerged as deputy speaker during his third term and exited the House of Representatives in capacity as ' acting' speaker. It's truism he did well at the national assembly, give that to him.
Coming back to the home front, Ihedioha was candidate of the party during the 2015 general election. The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Imo state was defeated in the guber election by the then incumbent governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha as declared by INEC.
The party through it's candidate, Emeka Ihedioha instituted a suit at the Election Petition Tribunal, of course, the party had a good case, but Ihedioha's carelessness and that of his legal team ruined the party's chances of reclaiming their victory.
The tribunal struck out the suit instituted by Ihedioha on grounds that his counsel failed to pay Administrative Filing fee of N500 ( Five hundred naira, only). It is on record that N500 ruined PDP's chances of occupying the seat of power at the Imo Douglas House in 2015.
Also, in 2019, Ihedioha manuevered his way, rigged his way in and emerged as the party's governorship candidate for the second time. This time around, he was unable to garner votes from the constitutionally required LGAs in the state. As a victim of circumstance and the resolve by Imolites against "Hegemony", who resisted Owelle Rochas Okorocha's third term by proxy Project resulting to INEC declaring Ihedioha as duly elected governor of Imo state in error as according to the verdict by the apex Court.
No wonder, Hon Damian Ogu, Pioneer Chairman and member who represented Onuimo LGA during a recent call in radio program on Boss Radio FM, described Ihedioha as a man that has " Political Okro Hand". Come to think of it, what does Damian Okebaram Ogu meant by " Political Okro Hand", Okro is likened to anything that is slippery.
Ihedioha had secured the party's Governorship tickets for two consecutive periods (2015 and 2019) and allowing it slip off his hands due to carelessness and vindictiveness proves that he is not destined to govern the state if we are to review his previous outings in governorship contest.
Ihedioha should embark on spiritual cleansing and allow Imolites choose a governor that would return the state to a peaceful and hospitable status it was known for. Imolites are not behind his political misfortunes in the past eight years. He was given a healthy platform to actualise his guber ambition.
He shouldn't question God about his present political misfortune, afterall, his present status in the country was also have a link with destiny. He mustn't be Imo governor.
Imolites won't continue to wait for one man to actualise his political ambition at the detriment of Imo governorship hopefuls.
Sunny Ndukwu, KSM is a Journalist, Public Affairs Analyst, based in Owerri
