It was akin to an American nuclear submarine stealth attack. Nobody in the polity expected it. None of the usual political analysts, commentators and permutators hand an inkling of what was about to hit the Imo political scene – the emergence of Ike C. Ibe as Captain Emmanuel Iheanacho’s running mate in APGA. All of a sudden politicians, journalists and... commentators rushed back to their drawing boards to analyse, strategise and re-strategise. Political opponents especially those who had dismissed APGA and consigned her guber interest to the back waters started having a rethink. That Captain as he is fondly called had the superior native political wisdom to choose Ike C. Ibe, beloved of the masses, totally changed the equation in favour of APGA.
The Imo political scene has been agog since the announcement of his name. APGA itself as if injected with new blood suddenly left her comfort zone and has plunged full-scale into aggressive politicking and canvassing with the total assurance that this governorship election is winnable by the party. Ike C. Ibe is a well known face in the political system of the state and he started quite early and tender having beaten all odds to take over Obowo West constituency at the state House of Assembly in 1991 a position once occupied by his regal father in 1979. Ike C. Ibe comes from a long line of politicians with a grandfather Ibezimako Daniel Okoronkwo an acknowledged local leader and one time staff of the British colonial administration, a feat on its own in those early days. At the state assembly, young Ike who won his election at a tender political age of 26 proved his mettle beyond all calculations emerging eventually as a controversial speaker of the assembly.
His long exciting fight with the incumbent governor then was an epic tale still retold by his fanatical followers. He is seen by the youths across the state and beyond as their role model. Seen as totally incorruptible not only in practice but to the extent of leading a major national anti corruption organisation. He has been a major spokesperson against corruption and has appeared in programmes organised by the World Bank, EFCC etc on corruption. His political foray did not end with his speakership of the state assembly. He was seen as the secrete hand behind the success Achike Udenwa’s administration. The major flagship of that administration was the establishment of a state of the arts international medical facility – the Imo State University Teaching Hospital Orlu. With his international network of contacts he was able to equip the hospital with resources freely donated by his friends and friendly world organisations.
That he was able to achieve this singular feat amidst so many others during an era when the name Nigeria was obnocious to the international community because of her citizen’s penchant for 419 is amazing. Yes, Ike C. Ibe enjoys such world trust and clout. With the incumbent governor losing favour and encumbered by promises made and not fulfilled, with his running a totally private government administration hinged on the filial, with the quantum of budgets accruals to the state asking to be accounted for, for a free education that has rubbished Imo’s stellar educational standing in Nigeria, that has seen Imo State University plummet from an enviable 6th position amongst Nigerian universities a few years ago to the 89th position gives cause for concern. The graduating students look forlorn as they are denied the basic minimum of national youth service while others cannot go to the law school nor be accepted by the Nigerian Medical Council because their courses had been disaccredited needs more than fervent prayers.
The governments’ treatment of old pensioners and serving civil servants is left to each to decipher. No wonder the clamour and angst by the community of the whole state to sack him from Douglas House. On the other extreme is the palpable confusion in PDP. Who is the party’s governorship candidate? One may ask. In hazarding a response, so many answers crop up. One may say Emaka Ihedioha and another Ifeanyi Araraume. Hm! What a colossal mess. But is this the first time? We are told that thunder does not strike same place twice but definitely not in PDP. We are also told that history does not repeat itself. Possibly the fine minds who crafted such lofty statements with deep reasoning did not put PDP in contention as they have vowed to repeat history over and again especially in the reverse and negative. For those in Ararume’s camp, there will not be any rest for themselves or PDP until ‘justice’ is done and that justice is giving the ticket to the ‘Distinguished Senator’.
For those on the other end, it is a no no and over their dead bodies. Of course they have all moved to the courts as usual for it to decipher and extricate the pin truth from the hays of lies. For the bulk and mass followers of PDP who have rejected the Senator over and over, they sleep with the dreaded vision of a Rotimi Amechi and his cousin Omehia. Suppose they suppose, that PDP wins in February and in June the courts declare the Senator as the legit candidate and then what? Possible political extinction and exile? No wonder the vast majority had suddenly seen APGA that once salvaged Imo from an Ohakim and PDP hara-kiri as another good option. T
hey have started looking its direction again. This quiet look and consideration has turned into a deluge of open support with the emergence of one of their own Ike C. Ibe as the Deputy Governorship candidate of APGA. Some have openly confessed that this same Ike C. Ibe who has been denied PDP guber ticket countless times over had warned as resent as September in his heart rendering withdrawal letter from the PDP guber primary race that the party will end up mired in controversies; what we are witnessing today. It was once said that what the elders see seating down, the young does not see standing up or even standing on a table.
Ike, young but a political Methuselah has seen the PDP brouhaha seating down long ago and advised them to do the needful. But as our people are wont to say – nkita onwu choro igbu ana gi ekwe ya nu ushi nshi. PDP has become deaf and dump especially in matters governorship! And so this once more becomes APGA’s and Imo’s finest moment, when for the first time since De Sam Mbakwe, a team of two men ñjuru ara nne ha afo, two sincere, humble and unassuming fellows with no atom of impunity inherent or contrived, two highly intelligent gentlemen with an unadulterated love for Igbo and their motherland has offered themselves to Ndi Imo to finally get the state back to work again. Will Imo make the usual calculated mistakes again? Chukwu ekwela...
Gerald Oluchi is a writer and publisher and an ardent believer in good governance.
You Can Find Gerald Oluchi on Facebook @ Gerald Oluchi
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