By Emeka Alex Duru
With the Supreme Court’s affirmation of Hope Uzodimma of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as the duly elected governor of Imo, a new phase has opened in the politics of the state.
Until the Court’s verdict, Emeka Ihedioha of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had held sway, following his inauguration on May 29, 2019. He had earned his stay on the basis of the March 9 governorship election.
The outcome of the exercise indicated that Ihedioha polled 276,404, Uche Nwosu of the Action Alliance (AA) came second with 190,364, Ifeanyi Ararume of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) 114,676 while Uzodimma came fourth with 96,458. Ikedi Ohakim of the Accord Party came a distant fifth with 6,846 votes.
Uzodimma had contested the results and Ihedioha’s declaration, claiming that votes from 388 polling units were not credited to him. At the Tribunal and Court of Appeal, he did not record success.
In its judgement however, the Supreme Court held that the lower Courts erred in law when they rejected evidence tendered before them to the extent that votes from 388 polling units were not credited to him.
With the pronouncement, Uzodimma was declared the duly elected governor. The pronouncement has elicited several reactions. PDP, the political platform of the ousted governor, promptly faulted the verdict, describing it as “yet another very sad commentary on our nation’s democratic order.”
The party said it found it difficult to understand how Uzodimma, who came fourth with 96,458 votes will suddenly, by the judgment of the Supreme Court, defeat Ihedioha, who scored 276,404 votes.
“In fact, the PDP and indeed, most Nigerians are still at a loss as to understand the basis upon which the Supreme Court arrived at its decision. It is lamentable that the destiny of the people of Imo is being taken from the governor they chose and voted for and handed over to individuals and a political party that do not have their blessing and mandate and which they rejected at the election”, the party lamented in a release by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan.
Former Anambra governor and vice presidential candidate of the PDP, Peter Obi, expressed similar misgiving, stressing; “The Supreme Court judgment on Imo election is incredible. It questions the rationality for future elections in the country.”
APC and President Muhammadu Buhari, however hailed the judgement. The President, in fact, added that in the verdict, “it is the people of Imo State who have emerged victorious.”
The challenges ahead
Beyond the excitements and disappointments that trail the judgement however, are issues of governance and internal politics of the state. For a state that has virtually remained stagnant in terms of governance and development since the glorious era of the late Dr. Sam Mbakwe in 1983, the change in leadership comes with added challenge.
Imo has not been particularly lucky in having the right people at the helm of its affairs, many say. This verdict of poor performance profile was more pronounced in the eight years of the immediate past Rochas Okorocha administration.
Not that the earlier administrations of Achike Udenwa and the successor Ikedi Ohakim, had been more focused in delivering democracy dividends to the people. But the situation in the state, under Okorocha was rated too low to the extent of the state being mentioned among peers, more in derision.
Ihedioha, within his eight months in the saddle, seemed to have put up strategies to pull the state from that valley of despondency. The Supreme Court judgement, has however altered the entire arrangement. Thus, even with the best of intentions, Uzodimma is going to start afresh in drawing up plans and policies in administering the state.
More than that, his coming on board, is sure to widen the domain of allegation by other senatorial districts – Owerri and Okigwe on his Orlu zone, dominating the politics of the state. Aside a brief interlude of Ohakim (Okigwe) between 2007 and 2011, Orlu has been in dominance of the state’s politics since 1999. It has in the process, had three sessions of its indigenes governing the state. Achike Udenwa (1999 – 2007) and Okorocha (2011 – 2019), had taken the slot earlier. With Uzodimma, now in charge, by 2023, Orlu would have had 20 years of dominating the state’s politics.
While Orlu zone had the domineering take on the governorship, Owerri and Okigwe had not found it funny. The hope was that with Ihedioha taking the turn of Owerri, a process would have been put in place to give the other component parts of the state, a sense of belonging. This is however not to be, at least, for now. The immediate result, many fear, is further alienation of the other zones and consequent tendency of mutual suspicion among the citizens.
The man, Uzodimma
Besides, the personality of the new governor also comes into play. And this is what gives some indigenes of the state some concern. Though seen by many as of high intelligence and likeable personality, Uzodimma comes across with a carriage that is considered breezy in some quarters. His politics also tilts towards the maverick. On occasions in the past when he had run for other positions, he had always mesmerized his way in manners that had caught his opponents flat footed.
Even his attainment of his current position spoke of that tendency. How he outmaneuvered Okorocha and his son-in-law Uche Nwosu to pick the APC ticket in the March election, remains a topic in Imo politics. The fear therefore, is if he is going to import these Machiavellian dispositions in the administration of the state.
But he seems to have realised that politicking is different from governance. In an interview before the election, he had described himself as a driver with a licence, thus minimizing the danger of the vehicle of state running into crash. He said that he had put up a panel to draw a template for governing the state. Now in office, many expect him to put the strategies into action.
