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From Iheanacho Nwosu,Abuja
Before dawn on Monday August 21, four middle-aged members of the Imo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had gathered at the gate of the party’s national secretariat in Wuse 11, Abuja. They looked tired and worn out.
Their reason for keeping vigil at the national secretariat of the governing party was in connection with the summon of the state chairman of the party, Hilary Eke by the national leadership. The summon, followed a petition by some members of the party in the state against the chairman.
“We came here by 4:30am, there is cold but we are ready to face it. Our party has summoned the chairman of Imo APC and his assistants. We want to watch and ascertained that he came “, a man who identified himself as Hon. Edward told Daily Sun.
Eke and his deputy, Hon. Ugoh Nzekweh did not disappoint. They were at the party’s secretariat and faced the leadership over the allegations raised in the petition.
Nzekweh explained “The truth is that the national secretariat invited the party chairman, to Abuja. I was also invited. There were some reports and petitions that some people were not allowed in the party offices anymore. The national secretariat is, of course there to look into the problems and challenges from states. So it is true that we were invited”.
Although Nzekwe tried to give the impression that the party in the state was in good shape, he however admitted that diverse interests are springing up ahead of 2019 elections.
“APC is still strong in Imo State. One thing you must know is that party is for everybody, not for one person. If people are involved, there are certain things you must see in a party. When you don’t see competition and political maneuvering, it means there is no democracy.
“These things exist in every political party. That doesn’t symbolize crisis or fight. Politics is a game of interest. Sometimes interest can be collective or individual.”
For those who have followed developments in the state chapter of the governing party, the crisis blew open at the recent local government congress where a chairman believed to be loyal to a chieftain of the party; Senator Ifeanyi Ararume was sacked by Eke and replaced with another person loyal to the governor of the state, chief Rochas Okorocha.
“The trouble in Isiala Mbano local government is that we have two chairmen, Mr. Obinna Onuegbu, who is loyal to Governor Rochas Okorocha and Julius Asagwara, who is loyal to Senator Ifeanyi Ararume”, an official of the party reportedly said.
The deputy chairman however, disagreed. He said “The issue of Ararume or Rochas has no place in the petition. I am not aware of anything like that. The petition that was sent to the national secretariat came from some people who felt that they were not being carried along. They include party chairman at the councils who quarreled with the state chairman.
“The problem we have is that not everybody in the state is supporting one particular person. And that is politics for you. Our party is not like what you see in the PDP where one person will say he is the overall leader. You saw how APC started; no one person can claim that he is all and all in the party. If other members of the party are interested in a particular person, nobody should stop them from going there. But that does not affect the party per se. In Imo State, there are certain things an individual would do and the party will deny him. Nobody can create problem for the party unnecessarily. “
But if the deputy chairman appears to be begging the issue on challenges facing the party, some chieftains of the party were forthcoming on the problems besetting the state chapter. Apart from taking the problems to the doorstep of the national chairman, they alleged that the state government’s actions or inactions are central to the crisis.
Aside from that, they insist that the 2019 governorship election is at the centre of the problem even as they submitted that the Senator Ararume’s looming figure in the party was causing a huge discomfort in the camp of the state governor.
An official of the national secretariat who does not want his name in print also noted that the national leadership was growing grey hair over some developments in the state.
He said the plan of the party was to use Imo to penetrate other South-East states. But so far the plans seem not be working . He said they must get it right by ensuring that the right person is chosen as the candidate.
Dr Vitalis Orikeze Ajumbe, Okorocha’s former commissioner on his part, told Daily Sun that the state chapter of the party was facing some challenges. He blamed his former boss for the problems.
“APC as a party has problem in Imo State; they do not call meetings, states, local government and wards. It was like the party was dead. The party members are more like people in opposition that was how APC in Imo was until the emergence of Ararume. If you are hearing about APC now it is because Ararume took a bold step last December to revive the party.
“The party members withdrew themselves to fate. You cannot use them and abandon them and also now wait for the next election to use them. Ararume came in and said’ no, this is not how a party is run.’ He brought his money, called a meeting with all the party executives at his place, addressed them, gave them home, and gave them money for Christmas. I think he gave each ward chairman N10, 000 or so and all the other people and gave them original rice while the rice given by the state was those ones from Sokoto and no other money.
“Some of them wanted to leave the party and join other parties but there was no alternative party, so they remained. If PDP did not have that problem they had, they would have all pulled out to PDP. The Sheriff issue was the saving grace. When Ararume came, they now had a new home. “As I speak with you, if you know those who are in APC sample their opinion. Those supporting Ararume from the party hierarchy are about 70 percent.”
For Paul Emeziem, APC stalwart from Okigwe zone, the issue of crisis in the state chapter was over blown, but like Ajumbe he is full of praises for Sen. Ararume.
“I will say there is no problem in APC; going by what is on ground, the closest opposition is the PDP, but APC still has a very good chance if we continue to maintain our current peace. “Yes, we have peace in APC; I don’t think anything on ground can be described as a crisis. The last congress was done in a very good atmosphere. If we are expecting any problem in APC, probably it will come during the time people may want to manipulate our activities. People are already anticipating that there will be problems in APC. But for me I will say until then,” Emeziem, said.
On what he feels may upset the party in the future; he said “Like I said earlier, there may be crisis in the future if candidate is imposed on the party. If every Imo person should tell himself the truth, Ararume will be the pillar and he is the pillar of the party today. In fact APC came and stood during the coming of Rochas because of Ararume. And if APC will be in this state after 2019, it will be because of Ararume. Ararume is the only hope of APC. I am not being sentimental and I have no reason to be sentimental. He is the only hope of APC in Imo State in 2019.”
Another official of the party, chief Cletus Chidozie Anyanwu described the state of the party in the state thus “If you ask me this question four or five years ago, I would tell you we are good. Rochas came in with his populist polices which the people embraced holistically. Throughout his first tenure I happened to be one of the people who confirmed that he did well which warranted his second coming. If you ask me the same question now I would be so challenged.”
Asked what has changed? He said “Rochas has never serviced political leaders. He came in with his own definition of governance but more of his policies had what I call policies that are appealing to the downtrodden, the real people that the elite cannot associate with. Like I said, Rochas came in with his own definition of governance, no intellectual input but those things are people oriented. But he seems to have abandoned the same philosophy.
“For instance as I speak to you now he went to Ekonuwa market to campaign four years ago and they said he was the kind of person they were looking for. Today Ekonuwa market has been demolished.
“Before now, APC does not have a secretariat in Imo State. State chairman of APC perpetually resumes and lives in Government House. He answers that name state chairman nominally. And any day he says ‘your Excellency am not into that your new plot’, he knows what will happen to him. There are things we won’t say now but we know the antecedents of everyone in Imo State. What we are saying is that for APC to succeed in Imo State, a level playing ground must be provided. Ararume’s presence is helping the party, it is restoring hope.”
Two other chieftains of the party in the state, Kingsley Ufere and Emeka Iroka share similar sentiments.
Ufere, a former Director General, Consumer Protection Council, said “The truth is that APC like you know is a strong party. But the thing is that in Imo State, APC has turned out to be what you call ‘a one man show.’ The party, at a point, looked like it is non- existent in Imo, except that we have the governor from APC. APC was more or less dead. “
He was however quick to add that “the coming of key people like Senator Ararume rejuvenated and added a lot of impetus to the party.”
On whether Rochas still has a grip on the party he said “Yes,” adding that “firm grip in the sense that before Ararume came in, he has had the party chairman. You know if you have the party chairman, he will just be at your beck and call. But if we do another congress, definitely Ararume will show his strength. He was not there when the first congress was held. And the governor took the party and put in his pocket. But with Ararume coming in, the party is having a new face. People are beginning to talk. “
On the issue of zoning which has always dictated political direction in the state, he said “my dear, for me we are looking for a good leader. Again, I am a very rational person. I still will not want Orlu to come back.
“I am from Orlu Zone. I will be very greedy to want Orlu zone to come. In as much as we are looking for a very credible person, that will right the wrongs of these six years happening now, I will still not want anybody from Orlu. There is no zoning, quite alright. But I will not want Orlu to be part of the next election. We have had our time. After 16 years, it will be ridiculous if we come back. So, we are looking for a credible person that is why I have pitched my tent with Ararume. He has what it takes to govern Imo State very well.”
For Iroka, “APC has problem in the state. The problem is caused by the governor,” he stressed.
He continued: “Let me tell you, even the rumour of Rochas wanting to impose his In-law has helped Ararume in Imo State. Anybody that Rochas anoints must fail; I told Ararume that he is lucky Rochas didn’t anoint him at this point in time.
“Ararume has paid his dues. The only thing for the party is to back Ararume to be able to bring APC back. All of us must join hands to make APC strong. We must resist imposition; we must support anything that will help the party,” Iroka, declared .
