By Ferdinand Nnadi
Public Forum
A few days ago, a group of people brought themselves together in the house of a respected Owerri son, Captain Emmanuel Iheanacho, where they discussed and came up with a communiqué.
According to the communiqué, similar meetings have been held at different locations, including Lagos State, on the same agenda, albeit discreetly, before the one hosted by the former governorship candidate.
Signing off as Owerri Zone Stakeholders, the group puts itself forward as speaking for or on behalf of Owerri zone, thereby, perhaps, unknowingly, arrogating to itself the authority that it does not have.
Without contest, the individuals who attended the said meeting are bonafide and eminent sons and daughters of Owerri zone, and one cannot deprive them of the right to meet and interact or even choose to discuss issues concerning our zone. After all, Owerri zone is our home and anyone or group of persons with ideas on how to advance its lot in the scheme of things should be encouraged to bring such ideas forward.
What would, however, be deemed improper and, I dare say, curious is when a clique, in apparent pursuit of personal agenda, puts itstelf forward as speaking for the entire Owerri zone.
When you talk about stakeholders in Nigerian politics, what easily comes to mind are those who wield the highest influence within an area. That is to say, when you talk about Owerri zone stakeholders, it is believed you are talking about the highest-ranking political, business, academic and cultural leaders from this part of Imo State.
Stakeholders are not those pursuing their individual interests but those who have the locus standi, integrity, rich profile and mandate of a particular people, hence, should ideally work for the interest of the people.
In today’s Owerri zone, we have strategic individuals who must be in a meeting before such a meeting can qualify as a stakeholders’ meeting of Owerri people, especially when the subject deals with governance and the course of the generality of Imo State.
I will mention some of these people.
Beside his impactful influence in Igboland, nay Nigeria, over the last five decades, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu’s position as the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide makes him the paramount socio-political leader of all the Igbo, from across political cleavages.
While some may argue that his attendance at such a meeting would contradict his position as the father of all Igboland, I would rather argue that when the time is right for such a meeting, Ahaejiagamba will not only be eminently qualified to attend but should be the convener.
Recall also that Chief Iwuanyanwu is the Patron of Owerri People’s Assembly (OPA), a platform that has championed the collective interest of the zone in the last two decades.
Aside from being a misplaced priority, part of the problems with this meeting is that it is ill-timed, dangerous and has the tendency to provoke political tension that could degenerate into a full-blown political crisis, if not carefully managed.
While I do not mean to diminish the relevance of some of the persons associated with the said meeting, I am constrained to querying their contributions to the success of the administration of Governor Hope Uzodimma, since inception.
Truth is, you do not begin to convene meetings about succeeding a man who is barely two months into his second term. Such moves can discomfort, distract and even discourage him from working towards an Imo State governor of Owerri zone extraction in the next election.
Outside Chief Iwuanyanwu, some other high-ranking and critical leaders from Owerri zone whose presence at any properly convened Owerri stakeholders meeting is indispensable are the Deputy Governor of Imo State, who is the highest-ranking elected office holder from Owerri zone, the senator representing Owerri zone, the former governor of Imo State from Owerri zone, former deputy governors of Imo State from Owerri zone, the serving state chairman of the ruling party, who, incidentally, is from Owerri zone, members of the House of Representatives and their Assembly counterparts from Owerri zone.
The place of business leaders, the academia, the religious, top professionals and technocrats like Archbishop AJV Obinna, Leo Stan Eke, Pascal Dozie, Chris Asoluka, Mike Ahamba,SAN, Ken Njemanze, SAN, Stanley Amuchie, Sam Amadi, Obi Nwakamma, Comfort Obi, Henry Njoku, etc, relevant sociocultural organisations such as Dozie Mezie Owerri, Ezurezu Mbaise, Ogbako Mbaike and critical youth and women leaders from the zone.
Unfortunately, I stand to be corrected that none of these statutory stakeholders got an invitation to this meeting. Definitely, a gathering without the presence of more than 90 per cent of the real stakeholders of Owerri zone, cannot qualify by any analysis as an “Owerri stakeholders’ meeting.”
It is possible that those behind this purported meeting are actually preparing to form themselves into a coalition of opposition against the administration of His Excellency, Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma.
What marvels some of us is that there is a feeling of arrogance on the part of the “stakeholders” and their communiqué, which could pit Owerri zone against the other zones that also have the constitutional right to seek the office of the governor in 2027.
Suffice to note that there have also been speculations in high quarters that while the meeting was made to appear like one promoting an Owerri zone agenda, a prominent politician from Okigwe zone was bankrolling some of those spearheading the gathering.
As a bonafide Owerri son and one who has made, and is still making, valuable contributions to the development of Imo State, I am an unrepentant advocate of the Charter of Equity as proclaimed by Governor Uzodimma, which will ensure that power shifts to Owerri zone in 2027.
However, I also believe that the current agitation, barely two months into the second term of the incumbent, is premature and runs the risk of making us lose the support and sympathy of both the governor and other parts of the state.
The leaders of Owerri zone who are genuinely interested in the progress and political survival of the zone should, rather, invest efforts into supporting the incumbent by proffering ideas and subscribing fully to the development agenda of the Uzodimma administration to succeed in realising his programmes in this second term.
This is the way to go because it is when he succeeds in implementing those laudable initiatives that earned him the overwhelming support of the Imo electorate in the last election that he would find it easy to lead an Owerri son or daughter to victory in the 2027 governorship election.
•Dr. Nnadi is an agro-business consultant and political analyst. He writes from Ihiagwa, Owerri West LGA of Imo State