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Will Nzeribe run for governorship?
Kinsmen and traditional rulers from Orlu senatorial zone
of Imo were in Oguta last week to ask Senator Arthur Nzeribe to run for the
governorship of the state. Group Politics Editor, Felix Ofou was among those who witnessed
the event and provides insight on Nzeribe’s latest passion.
There
is no doubt that Senator Francis Arthur Nzeribe is the longest serving in the
upper legislative chamber of the National Assembly. At least, this is his
fourth participation in the legislative process. And by his own admission,
“I have seen it all”.
Of
course, there is a tendency to assume that Nzeribe’s claim bothers on
exaggeration. But, only an uninformed would make such banal conclusions. This
is because, from 1983 when the maverick politician was first elected to the
Senate, he has ensured that no one becomes Senate President without his vital
input. In fact, it is believed that no one has attained the leadership of the
upper legislative chamber without seeking his consent.
However,
this is not to say that he has not been credited with having a vaunted
ambition. His revelation during his 60th birthday celebrations attests to this
reality. He declared on that occasion that he was not likely to run for
presidency again, neither would he allow himself to be persuaded to run as
running mate to any presidential aspirant. According to him, the conclusion was
based on a frank assessment of Nigerians perception of him and his chances in
the political equation of the country.
While
Ogbuagu, as he is sometimes called, has steered clear of the presidential race,
he recently joined the fray to take a shot at the Senate presidency. He led a
putsch aimed at removing Senator Adolphus Wabara as number four citizen with a
view to becoming the Senate President. But, he soon changed his mind when it
dawned on him that Senator Ifeanyi Ararume had been positioned to take over in
the event that Wabara lost out. So Nzeribe turned out working against a group
he funded and mobilised to remove an incumbent senate president.
Having
also lost in his bid to become senate president, it may also be safe to
conjecture that the maverick has listed that office among others he is not
likely to occupy in his lifetime. It is against this backdrop that current
efforts to draft him to run for the governorship become instructive. The
question, therefore, is simple: Will Nzeribe run for the governorship of Imo
State?
Last
Thursday, traditional rulers from Orlu senatorial zone were in Oguta to
persuade their son, Nzeribe, to run for the governorship. And speaker after
speaker said that Ogbuagu had represented the zone effectively and that they
were convinced that having earlier been endorsed by politicians from Orlu, that
Nzeribe was the best candidate for the job.
Chairman
of Orlu Zonal Council of Traditional Rulers, Eze M. U. Osakwe, who led the
royal fathers on the solidarity visit, said former national chairman of
Association for Better Nigeria (ABN) had the support of the zone for the
governorship race. “Traditional rulers in Orlu zone would like Chief
Nzeribe to contest for the governorship stool of Imo State in 2007. We expect
him to bring the stool back to Orlu. We will give him all the support he
requires to achieve the goal”, declared the monarch
Also
in attendance were two members of the House of Representatives, Hon Osita
Izunaso and Hon Geff Ojinika who spoke in a similar vein on the need to back
the senator for the coveted ticket of governorship from the People’s
Democratic Party (PDP). Both legislators were sure that if Nzeribe ran for the
governorship, he would definitely get it. In fact, Izunaso argued that since
nobody could become president of Nigeria without the maverick’s
significant input, that the governorship ticket was no big deal that is
unachievable.
Interestingly,
the traditional rulers, the legislators, including the chairmen of Oguta and
Orlu local government councils as well as other top government functionaries in
attendance at Nzeribe’s ‘Haven of Peace’ country home, were
buoyed on by an earlier decision taken by the zone, ostensibly with Governor
Achike Udenwa present that Orlu should contest the governorship in 2007.
It
was this agreement that Ogbuagu relied on when he said: “We had agreed at
a previous meeting that Orlu senatorial zone should hold on to the governorship
seat. There is nowhere we agreed that the seat should rotate. We never got the
seat on a platter of gold. We struggled for the seat. Those from Owerri and
Okigwe senatorial zones are free to vie for the seat.
Curiously,
Governor Udenwa is from Orlu zone, and would have spent eight years as governor
by 2007, making him the longest to have stayed in office since Imo State was
created in 1976. There have understandably been agitations for the governorship
to rotate to either Okigwe or Owerri zones.
Proponents
of a likely shift to Okigwe argue that the zone should take the next shot
because it is yet to produce a governor in the current entity called and known
as Imo State. They point to the fact that Chief Sam Mbakwe, the only one to
have been governor from the area, was elected under the old state, which
included the present Abia State.
On
the other hand, Owerri zone has persistently argued that Chief Evan Enwerem was
governor for about two years, a greater part of which was spent to defend his
election at the courts. Added to the fact that Enwerem did not finish a single
term, it is the view of the zone that they should be given a chance, at least
to run a term of four years without interruptions.
But,
there have been suggestions that the idea of Orlu zone vying for the
governorship is the brainchild of the maverick. Those who hold this view insist
that Nzeribe initiated the move to raise the stakes. In which case, anyone
interested in the governorship from other zones must first negotiate with him.
There
have also been hints that the Oguta chief has galvanized his kinsmen in the
direction of the 2007 project to effectively block the chance and thereby get
even with Senator Ararume, who is believed to be a frontrunner in the race for
the governorship of Imo State.
Considering
that Ararume and Nzeribe had squared against each other in the Senate,
Nigerians should therefore expect that any hint of a likely clash in the
governorship race between the duo was bound to be exciting to behold. For one,
they are both strategists and prefer to work from behind-the-scene to the
public glare. They also have extensive connections, as far as the Presidency is
concerned.
It
would further be interesting to see both men mobilize resources to prosecute
the project, especially since they are believed to be rich to the hilt.
Definitely, the cash display would be something that people can look forward
to, as they are known to be heavy spenders once convinced that it is the best
thing to do.
Perhaps,
as a hint of what to expect, Nzeribe gave the royal fathers who paid him a
visit a cow and one million naira, ‘to eat kola’. This is aside
from money provided for ‘transport’.
The question that has remained on the lips of everyone
remains this: “Will Nzeribe run for the governorship?” Alternatively,
there are expectations that the former ABN chief may just be exhibiting the
usual bragadacio, like he did last year when he flew the governorship kite only
to run for the Senate.
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