2019: Okorocha’s triple assault

                 
Hope Uzodinma Could Be A Hard Nut To Crack
By Desmond Ekwueme
In 2015 General Election, River State stole the show as the hottest battleground as then outgoing governor now Transport Minister, Chibuike Amaechi squared up with his former Commissioner for Education, Barr. Nyesom Wike. It was a battle of wits. Everything was thrown into the battle as Amaechi tried to install his godson, Peterside Dakuku. He failed and Wike then, Minister of Education against all odds bulldozed his way into Government House, Port Harcourt.


Okorocha
It appears Imo State will depose River as the centre of attraction come 2019 election. You want to know why? Incumbent governor who will be outgoing come 2019, Owelle Rochas Okorocha will be fighting from three fronts. First, he will attempt to sell the candidacy of his Chief of Staff (COS) cum son-inlaw, Uche Nwosu to Imolites as his successor.

Secondly, he will personally attempt to win election into the Senate to oil his future political ambition of wanting to be President and thirdly he wants to appreciate and compensate his deputy Prince Eze Madumere for his loyalty throughout their stay in office but above all for dropping his ambition to succeed his principal and allowing his COS (Uche Nwosu) to run for governor. Madumere is to be compensated with a seat in the Senate. Did I hear you say politicians with vaulting ambition? Okorocha has promised to employ everything humanly required to make these dreams come true.

Already, Okorocha has fired the first salvo….the first bullet by literally telling Senator Hope Uzodinma that he is not welcome in the All Progressives Congress (APC). Recall that Uzodinma recently defected from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to APC with the faction of Ali Modu Sheriff. That faction had Senator Gbemisola Saraki among others. Okorocha wondered why Uzodinma did not cross carpet from his ward to Local Government then State before being accepted and announced as an APC member at the national level.

For those who are still in the dark, Okorocha will slug it out with Senator Uzodinma at the 2019 election as both men are from Orlu (Imo West) senatorial district. In other words, Okorocha is out to grab Uzodinma’s seat at the Senate. But with both men now in the same party, it is left to be seen how Okorocha will be encouraged by the national executives of APC to unseat a serving senator who is now their member. Will there be primary for both men? Or a conscientious candidate would be picked between both men?

If Uzodinma was still with PDP, it would be understandable but with his fast move to APC, Okorocha may find things much more difficult than he thinks. More so, the body language of Orlu people suggests that Uzodinma has been doing extremely well since becoming a senator. They say he is representing them well and they are proud of him. So will Okorocha give in or attempt to muscle his way through?

As for Eze Madumere, pundits opine that he may be left alone in the battlefield when push comes to shove as Okorocha would be too busy to attend to his course. Yes, logistics arrangements may be made or provided for by Okorocha but, he may use that to placate Madumere and allow him to carry his cross. But can Madumere outclass the incumbent senator from his senatorial zone? Again, only time can tell.
Indeed, the kind of battles Okorocha will embark upon come 2019 are the ones that could leave him empty-handed at the end of the day.

Ndi Imo have a proverb which says, “a man who attempts to fill his pocket by grabbing all, ends up going home with empty pocket”. Should this happen, then, the political dynasty which Okorocha is systematically building to control Imo for as long as he wants and can would have been dismantled and destroyed. It would have crumbled like a pack of cards. We are patiently waiting and watching as events unfold ahead of the 2019 election.


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