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B N W: Biafra Nigeria World News |
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Imo and the issues of succession in 2007
THE politics of succession in Imo State has never been tested. One of the reasons is that the past elected governors of the state, never had the opportunity to hand over or pick a successor.
All that might, however, change with Udenwa. He might have set the tone of the politics of the state in 2007 by supporting the sentiment that his successor will still come from Orlu senatorial zone. The manner he does it will finally institute the concept of rotation or merit in the shift of power in the state.
The governor dismisses the issue of rotation, saying that it never influenced the emergence of any governor in the state. He is piqued that indigenes of his Orlu zone are already co-ordinating the gubernatorial pursuits of prospective aspirants from Okigwe and Owerri.
Former chairman of PDP in Imo State, Chief Alex Obi, has said that the party has not zoned the governorship in 2007. However, it needs to be agreed upon by the stakeholders whether there is an implied rotation of power in the state following the fact that the three elected governors - Mbakwe, Acholonu and Udenwa - are from Okigwe, Owerri and Orlu respectively.
The factors that would determine the senatorial zone that will produce Udenwa's successor in 2007 might be more than just rotation and merit.
The circumstances that prevailed in 1998 when the then All Peoples Party (APP) offered an alternative are not there again. The party's former big-wigs like Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu and Senator Arthur Nzeribe have decamped to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The PDP now holds sway and only it can determine who Udenwa supports.
Principle of rotation
Udenwa had told The Guardian in an interview that there was no agreement on zoning among the senatorial zones in the state. Many in the state who share the governor's view say that the issue of zoning was established by coincidence. The first elected governor of the state in the Second Republic, the late Chief Sam Mbakwe came from the Okigwe zone. During the Third Republic, Owerri produced Chief Evan Enwerem. In Fourth Republic, the circumstances made it logical for Orlu Senatorial zone to produce Udenwa as governor.
Advocates of rotation in Imo posit that President Olusegun Obasanjo's reasoning on why his successor should not come from the South West, should be applicable to the argument that Orlu zone should not produce the next governor of Imo.
Abia State Commissioner for Special Duties, Chief Chuka Odom, who hails from Imo, said the circumstances under which the three governors emerged, "could form the basis for an equitable and honest zoning of the next governorship in the state."
Mbakwe from October 1979 to December 1983 ruled for four years and was in the third month of his second term when soldiers sacked the Second Republic. Owerri zone under Chief Evan Enwerem ruled the state for less than 24 months. This is the shortest period of any elected leader in the state.
By May 2007, Udenwa and Orlu zone would have served an unprecedented eight years.
Those who argue against rotation insist that merit should be the basis for any zone producing the next governor.
In the state, opponents of the principle of zoning argue that the race should be open to attract the best candidate. Like Udenwa, they argue that in 1999 and 2003, the principle of zoning was not an issue the three zones presented candidates for the election.
Why should zoning be an issue now when political leaders in the state had never instituted the method of sharing of political power in the state? That has been left largely to political expediency.
The predominant thinking is that the zones have always contested against one another since there is no agreement among them and the victory of any zone is not a question of submission, but keen contest.
Okigwe zone
The argument in Okigwe is that the zone did not contest the election in 1999 because it felt that it had its slot under Mbakwe. However, in 2003, Udenwa could not be stopped in his re-election bid. However, in the election the zone made a show of its support for Udenwa.
Former Majority Leader of Imo State House of Assembly, Chief Stanford Onyirimba wants the gesture of 1999 reciprocated by Owerri and Orlu.
The zone has said that it is highly marginalised in the politics of the state. For example, since 1999, no minister or minister of state from the state has come from the zone. The present Minister of Education Prof. Fabian Osuji and the former Minister of Aviation Dr. Kema Chikwe are from Owerri zone.
Orlu zone
The political agenda of the Orlu Peoples Assembly (OPA) for 2007 is to return an indigene of Orlu as governor. The position of the OPA is that Udenwa's incumbency does not foreclose the interest of the zone in governing the state again.
The OPA recognises that no elected governor has ever served eight years, a feat Udenwa will achieve by 2007. They seem set to go for a record 12 or 16 years.
With its 12 local councils out of the states 27 councils, Orlu zone has the numbers to determine which zone produces the governor. The only way to upstage the zone is for Okigwe and Owerri with their 15 councils to form an alliance.
Owerri zone
Owerri zone had ruled the state for less than 24 months with Chief Evans Enwerem. This is the shortest period any elected leader had ruled the state, and this is one of the reasons Owerri is posturing for it.
He said: "We are talking of equity and fair play, there is no other superior argument than that the governorship candidate in 2007 should come from Owerri zone. It would be the most equitable and fair thing to do."
The zone argues that since Enwerem's tenure was cut short by the military, the zone should be allowed to return to the Government House for a term of at least four years. The argument is reinforced by the second terms enjoyed by Udenwa and Mbakwe, although Mbakwe's term was abridged by the military.
The elections in the state have never been a closed affair and in 2003, no party campaigned on the sentiment of any zonal structure. The primaries were open for all aspirants irrespective of their zones and party affiliation. The All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), candidate Chief Humphrey Anumudu for example, came from Owerri. The National Democratic Party (NDP) fielded Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba from Okigwe zone while the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) picked Ezekiel Izuogu from Orlu zone.
Among those speculated to be keen in the race from Owerri, are Odom, a lawyer from Okwu in the Ikeduru council, Humphrey Anumudu and Martin Agboso, who contested in 2003 on the platform of the United Nigeria Peoples Party (UNPP). Odom is seen as one of those who worked for the emergence of Kalu Uzor Kalu as governor in 1998. Odom is seen as one of those who will go into the race with a first hand experience in governance, while Anumudu will go into the race as a veteran of the campaigns.
Udenwa's position means that he might not be considering his deputy, Chief Ebere Udeagu as his successor. It is in the zone that the fight to succeed Udenwa will be tough. There are speculations that the crisis in the state House of Assembly is linked to the ambitions of some of the major players. For example, it is said that Senator Ifeanyi Ararume has plans to sponsor the impeachment of Udeagu in order to incapacitate him for run the race in 2007`.
The factors that would determine the senatorial zone that will produce Udenwa's successor in 2007 might be more than just rotation and merit.
The circumstances that prevailed in 1998 when the then All Peoples Party (APP) offered an alternative are not there again. The party's former big-wigs like Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu and Senator Arthur Nzeribe have decamped to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The PDP now holds sway and only it can determine who Udenwa supports
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