Imo & the Tripod of Zoning

Posted by admin Articles, Elvis J. Agukwe Friday, March 18th, 2011

By Elvis J. Agukwe, Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria – Mar 18, 2011 – At the advent of the current civilian dispensation in 1998, Imo political stakeholders met and took a decision that will guarantee equity and justice in the distribution of political offices in the state, especially the governorship. In arriving at this article of faith, they took cognizance of the fact that the unity of the state must be preserved for peace and progress to be attained. After examining the leadership of the state since its creation in 1976, the leaders agreed that Orlu must be allowed to produce the next governor in 1999.

That was what led to the emergence of an all Orlu candidates in the governorship election, especially in the two major parties i.e. PDP and APP. While Ezekiel Izuogu flew the flag of APP, Achike Udenwa contested under the banner of PDP. He won and was re-elected in 2003 even when there was a divided opinion as to his level of performance. The ruling PDP adopted that credo of Imo political office holders and urged aspirants from Okigwe zone to await their turn in 2007.

It was not surprising therefore when majority of people from Okigwe zone contested the 2007 governorship election. Accepted that people from other zones joined the fray during the primaries, the understanding was that it was the turn of Okigwe, hence the emergence of Ikedi Ohakim after PDP disowned its candidate foisted by the court, Ifeanyi Araraume. One thing that was instructive during the elections was a jingle by Ohakim shouting and pleading that Okigwe zone should not be shortchanged because it has the least local governments and population. Whereas Okigwe has six local governments, Owerri has nine and Orlu twelve. Therefore, Okigwe got the governorship, not on account of its population, but through the grace of Imo charter of equity otherwise known as zoning.

However, while the stakeholders envisaged that the three zones should take turns in producing the governor of Imo State, it never endorsed mediocrity, non performance and profligacy. Each occupant of the seat must be accountable to the people through superlative performance to merit re-election. It is on this issue that the candidature of Ohakim vis a vis his challengers should be examined.

Although Ohakim is not asking to be re-elected based on zoning since his achievements are more that merit his return, the audacity of some politicians to disrupt the zoning arrangement should attract condemnation and sanctions. It is even worrisome that those who were beneficiaries of the zoning system including Owelle Rochas Okorocha have turned round to repudiate it by daring the stakeholders and Imo people in general.

Indeed granted that Okigwe people are still the rightful custodians of the governorship till 2015, some of the candidates from the zone have also made themselves potential threats to the stability of the arrangement going by their antecedents. For instance, any Okigwe man who remotely wins the governorship would want to go for a second tenure thereby denying the Owerri people the opportunity to produce the governor in 2015, let alone an Orlu man going for the governorship when that zone has just completed its tenure from 1999 to 2007.

So the question before Imo people is this: should they allow political opportunists and power mongers to disrupt the zoning arrangement and destabilize the state, or to toe the path of equity and justice by maintaining the status quo?

For instance, what is Rochas Okorocha looking for again when he was offered the opportunity to be governor in 1999 but could not go beyond the primaries? What does a man who has contested for the presidency, senate and other elective positions but lost, be seeking to offer Imo people when it glaringly clear that beyond the razzmatazz of political showmanship, he is not on ground?

It is indeed worrisome that after his kinsmen from Orlu zone had disowned him, and urged him to withdraw from the race, Rochas is still engrossed in the fantasy of becoming governor against the wishes of Imo people. His phantom promise of free education to students even when he knows that it is not feasible is just typical of his deceptive ways. His manipulation of the psyche of motorcyclists and other artisans shows that Rochas is yet to wean himself from the restrictive politics that has consigned him to a perennial loser since 1999. But it is gratifying that Owerri people and indeed Okigwe people would not allow themselves to be deceived into selling their birthright.

It is also instructive that Chief Martin Agbaso who has more electoral value than Rochas traded off the APGA ticket because he knows that Okigwe zone must be allowed to complete its tenure to make it easier for an Owerri man to be governor in 2015. Agbaso as an Owerri man knows that the future of his people cannot be sacrificed hence the Greek gift to Rochas.

As for the Okigwe people challenging Ohakim, it is most unfortunate that they have allowed greed and vaulting ambition to becloud their sense of reasoning. What more do they want since their brother is already governor and stands a better chance of completing Okigwe’s eight years? Already stakeholders from other zones are viewing them with scorn, disdain and deep suspicion because anybody who can stab his brother would not hesitate to murder an outsider. They have no business whatsoever being in the race except to satisfy their curious thirst for power or express their hatred for Ohakim.

As earlier canvassed, nobody is saying that Ohakim should be re-elected because he hails from Okigwe zone. He has done marvelously well. In the area of environment he had won awards locally and internationally. In the area of roads, he has built more roads than all the previous administrations put together. In education, health and agriculture, excellence has been the reverberating sound.

More importantly, Ohakim has through the partnership with the federal government, opened up Imo to national politics. Projects worth more than N300 billion have been attracted by Ohakim from the federal government. The PDP umbrella has provided a good shelter for Imo State government and its people to excel. Ohakim has ensured that never again shall Nigerians be in doubt of what Imo can Offer.

So, apart from the fact that the zoning arrangement in Imo state as espoused by the elders favour the re-election of Ohakim, his faithful execution of his contract with Imo people qualifies him to return. And with the solid winning machine of PDP, those dreaming to take over from Ohakim in 2015 may have to slip into eternal political coma.
NZE Elvis Jude Agukwe is the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Imo State.wp_posts