IMO PDP CONGRESS: THE LIES, THE CRIES AND THE TRUTH BY ONWUASOANYA FCC JONES The ward congresses of the Peoples Democratic Party in Imo State have come but may not be going very soon, as the controversies surrounding it may reverberate even long after the Partys primaries. Propaganda is usual in politics, but it takes a fine political minded analyst to sieve the lies from the truth and get the public well directed and informed on the true situation of things. I do not know if I am one, but I am determined to be one. One of the biggest money bags in this contest in Imo State who is obviously disturbed that his game did not materialize, has gone ahead to feed the public with outright lies on the real situation of the delegates congress, by buying up some newspaper reporters and bloggers to spread the lie that he is on top of the race. This tactics is understood by analysts to be targeted at ensuring that whatever remains of his rapidly depleting support base is salvaged. However, if I am allowed, I will suggest that the said aspirant should invest more on tactics that will help him win the primaries, instead of these propaganda that isnt selling. As I have stated in previous analyses on this matter, the biggest headache the PDP has in its project of recovering Imo State are the returnees. These returnee contestants have obviously rejoined the Party with a skewed belief that they will have an easy sail in grabbing the Partys ticket, but the old horses have continued to show them that they cannot be pushed over. Hence, some of them have resorted to outright blackmail and other tactics that do not help the Party in anyway. Some have resorted to writing petitions, while the others are readying their litigation papers. This should get one rightly wondering what the real intentions of these people are in rejoining the Party. It should be clear to anyone who is really thinking well that these people have come to destroy the Party and give the APC an easy advantage in the upcoming general election. This, the Party must avoid. It is actually my personal argument that the Party at the national level shouldnt have granted waivers to all those who rejoined the Party after 2012. This would have gone a long way in helping the Party to eschew most if not all these problems that it is presently encountering and will still encounter in the future. However, of about the twenty two aspirants who picked forms for the governorship race, indications have clearly emerged on those who are truly in the race for the PDP governorship ticket. If what happened at the delegates congress is to be worked with, then I can comfortably tell you that the following people have really shown that they are in contention for the PDPs governorship ticket: IKEDI OHAKIM: As a former Governor of the State under the Partys platform, he has ensured in his own private capacity that the Party is steadily funded and its members motivated. In saner societies, Chief Ikedi Ohakim would have had the option of first refusal. But because we are in the part of the world, where every moneybag or those Chief Ikedi would call the moneticians seek to buy themselves into power, they are pushing it with him and fighting with everything they have to ensure that they put him at the same level with them. Being the political tactician that he is and a quintessential administrator, he has successfully pushed these rivals to their strata. They are all trailing him. The information I have is that majority of the delegates who emerged in fifteen of the twenty seven local government areas in the State are indisputably loyal to the former Governor. He also has a good chunk of supporters from among the delegates that emerged from other LGAs. Therefore, it is safer to opine that if the PDP works with the present delegates list, then Ohakim is the indisputable Party flag bearer. Let me quickly add without the slightest sentiment that the Party will be the best for it, if they give him the ticket, because he remains the most acceptable among the retinue of aspirants under the Party. EMEKA IHEDIOHA: His position as a deputy Speaker gives him some advantage, which enabled him to poach some Party leaders and stakeholders, including some of Ikedi Ohakims best men. He also has a very deep pocket, giving him some financial edge over others. No matter how you look at it, money plays an influential part in politics all over the world, and our own people do not as much as care how a politician came about his money, what they are keen on is collecting whatever they can. Another thing that worked and still works for Ihedioha is the fact that he is the first to really kick off his gubernatorial project, going on a consultation tour to at least twenty six of the twenty seven LGAs. He has a good chunk of his supporters emerging as delegates in about four LGAs of the twenty seven LGAs in the State. These LGAs are Ezinihitte Mbaise, Aboh Mbaise, Ahiazu Mbaise and Ngor-Okpala LGAs. He got a reasonable number of his supporters emerging as delegates in Mbaitoli and Ikeduru, though the stakeholders in these LGAs are still contesting the results, with serious allegations that some Party officials were compromised and made to forge results in favour of the Deputy Speaker. This much is yet to be proven. BETHEL AMADI: Taciturn, humble but tactical, he remains an enigma in this whole drama. He is the least noisy amongst the lot, but intelligence reports suggest that he will emerge a serious contender if the present delegates list are to be worked with. It is believed that while his rivals scattered their concentration in pursuing every LGA available, he concentrated his efforts in some of the least fancied wards across the twenty seven LGAs. While it cannot be convincingly stated that he has a certain number of LGAs in his kitty, it is correct to say that he secured some tactical competitive edge over his rivals. ARARUME AND CHRIS ANYANWU: These are the returnees to the Party who are most pushy about their ambition. While it is obvious that they are losing out in the race, they seem determined to fight to the end. Both were able to smuggle some of their supporters into the delegates lists in various LGAs, while their plans were frustrated by the Partys big shots in most LGAs. Permit me to say that the duo worked the hardest amongst the returnee aspirants, but are also the most frustrated, if the emerging results from the LGAs are to be worked with. THE BEAUTIFUL BRIDE: HOPE UZODIMMA: The emerging godfather of Imo politics is distinguished Senator, Hope Uzodimma. He is one person whose influence will determine who gets the PDP governorship ticket. Senator Hope Uzodimma made sure that the twelve Local Government Areas in Orlu LGA are in his kitty. He has no competition with anyone as ling as those LGAs are concerned. The incontestable truth remains that any of the aspirants that wishes to succeed in his gubernatorial ambition must secure the support of Senator Hope, else (s)he may just be wasting time. A poser: Among all these gubernatorial aspirants who does Hope Uzodimma have the longest political romance with? Keep thinking about that while the days roll by. IMO GA ADI MMA OZO!
Posted on: Mon, 03 Nov 2014 13:22:32 +0000