By Emeka Alex Duru
(08054103327)
No matter how anyone looks at the outcome of the March 9 governorship election in Imo State, it pointed at one direction – a referendum; a choice between the old order and a new deal. The outgoing governor, Rochas Okorocha, and his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu, who ran on the platform of the Action Alliance (AA), represented the former, while Emeka Ihedioha, the governor-elect, signifies the new order. The remaining 63 candidates lined behind the two or stood for other tendencies.
At the height of the campaigns, permutations were made. On the day of the election, various manipulation templates were evolved – money exchanged hands, figures were suppressed and/or sexed up in some instances, depending on capacities and influences. But the people made their choice, which some liken to the Biblical Israelites leaving Egypt, after 40 years of servitude.
This is curious. In 2011 when Okorocha trumped the then Governor Ikedi Ohakim who was seeking a second term, his banner was flown around major streets of Owerri, the state capital. But this time around, his anointed son had his nose bloodied by the same voters that handed him their mandate eight years ago. Even his Imo West (Orlu) Senatorial ambition, is seriously hanging on the balance. What happened to the once poster boy of Imo politics, many are wont to ask. It is not that Rochas has lost his swagger or entertainment value. He can still engage the people with his jokes, even when they do not serve much purpose. But the people have left that bus station, as they say. They are in for action; a new deal of sort.
Make no mistake about the Imo electorate. They are not flirtatious. They are not political prostitutes. They are also not bound by the porous sentiments of loyalty to a particular political party. Imo is in fact, about the only state in the country that has been ruled by the major political parties in the land, since the onset of the current civilian dispensation, in 1999. Check out the roll: Between 1999 and 2007, the voters stood with the PDP, represented by Achike Udenwa. Following the inability of the PDP to put its house in order in the run-up to the 2007 polls, the people went for Ohakim of the Progressive Peoples Alliance. It however did not take long for them to realise that the trust they invested in Ohakim, was misplaced. He was simply overwhelmed by the demands of the job. Thus, when he sought re-election, then on the ticket of the PDP which he had defected to, the people dumped him for Okorocha, then of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). Okorocha was returned for a second term on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), which he had crossed to. APC wanted to retain power in the state through Senator Hope Uzodinma, while Okorocha sought to consolidate the position as a family affair via Nwosu of the AA. The voters saw through the lot and settled for Ihedioha of PDP.
In that case, they owe no particular allegiance to any party for the top post. It is rather a matter of a person who they think can serve them. Of course, on account of the poor performance profile of the successive governors, there is the question on whether the voters had actually made informed judgement before settling for them. The jury is out on that. But you must give it to them that they do not suffer fools gladly. For them, governance is a serious business and a matter of results. They see it as a social contract in which the leader is expected to show cause, at the end of the day why he or his anointed candidate should be given another chance.
The ululation that accompanied Ihedioha’s election is therefore understandable. While it may and should excite the governor-elect, it is also a reminder that the same treatment which had been dished out to his predecessors, awaits him if he fails to deliver in his first term. On the other hand, he will always count on them if he keeps his eyes on the ball. Till date, there is no resident or indigene of the state that calls out late Sam Mbakwe, the first civilian governor of the state. At creation in 1976, Imo was completely bare and bereft of infrastructure, on account of the 1967 – 1970 Civil War, which affected most communities in the old Eastern Region. But with Mbakwe’s election in 1979, in a period of four years, the state had outpaced even the older counterparts, including those that did not witness the war in terms of development. That deployment of energy and exhibition of committed leadership in piloting the affairs of the state by Mbakwe, is still celebrated by the people, years after his demise. That has also formed the benchmark for assessing successive administrations in the state.
Thus, for Ihedioha, the race has commenced, in a way. Yes, he is yet to be sworn in. But this is the time for reflection and strategic thinking, especially as the elections are over. By now, the partying and chest-thumbing celebration of the electoral victory should be over. In the Bible, when Christ realized that His disciples did not understand His telling them that Lazarus was asleep, to mean that he was dead, He came down to their level and told them – ‘Lazarus is dead’.
In metaphorical term, Imo state, as it is, is dead. It is dead on all fronts where it had shone brilliantly, before. Imo, had before now, taken commanding position in education through communal efforts leading to exponential increase in student population at all levels of academic pursuit. It had latched on to the famed Michael Iheonukara (M.I) Okpara agricultural revolution to set the pace in that sector. In rural electrification, the Amaraku Power Station, had responded to the needs of the residents, adequately. These were aside the retinue of industries in the then five senatorial districts of the state – Owerri, Orlu, Afikpo (currently, in Ebonyi) Aba and Umuahia (presently in Abia). Not to be left out, were the state’s pioneering efforts in Aviation (Imo Airport) and state university education. That a state which had set off with these impressive development initiatives, would drop from its high ground to the present level of being merely mentioned in derision among its peers, remains the major irony confronting Imo. How did the Eastern Heartland, descend to this piteous point? How can it regain its lost glory?
These are questions that should engage the attention of the governor-elect. How he addresses them, will go a long way in determining the direction the state goes in the next four years. One thing that readily goes for him, is that he is home-grown and should know the challenges of the state. Also, unlike his predecessors who had claimed to have been prodded to run for the office, his aspiration was inspired by his personal desire. It came from him. In that case, it will not be like that of an assisted he-goat, which fires blank. The voters will not take this.