Imo: Tasks before Ihedioha

As the Governor-elect in Imo State, Emeka Ihedioha of the Peoples Democratic Party, prepares to take over power from the Governor Rochas Okorocha-led APC Government, Associate Editor, Sam Egburonu, reports that the in-coming governor has the task of healing a heated polity, amongst other wounds

WHEN, at the end of this month’s governorship elections, conducted under over-charged political atmosphere in Imo State, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced Hon. Emeka Ihedioha of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner, even his closest associates knew the former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives still has an Herculean task to do in order to rebuilt the traumatized political house of the Southeast state.

This is because the rivalries that trailed the campaigns and the elections had not only created sharp divisions amongst erstwhile close associates and communities but had also over- heated the polity.

“To get Imo State back, the governor-elect has the primary task of healing the wounds that have been inflicted on the polity and on the people. That must be his starting point if he expects to succeed. If you are an insider here and understand how deep the wounds are, you will appreciate the tasks before the governor-elect, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha,” said Chief Mbakwe Udodinma from Okigwe.

Following the face-off between out-going Governor Rochas Okorocha and his political party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) over who should be the governorship candidate of the party, informed observers feared that the elections would not only be hot, but that the state’s political soul could be tampered with if security operatives failed to control the charged atmosphere. One thing was certain on the eve of the election, and that was that because of the unsettled quarrels between the ruling party and the governor who contested for a senate seat on the party’s platform, the party may loss out to any of the other grounded political parties in the governorship race.

So, when INEC eventually announced that PDP’s Ihedioha polled 273,404 votes to defeat 69 other candidates, including his closest rival, Uche Nwosu of Action Alliance, who scored 190,364 votes, the result only confirmed the political revolution the disagreement engineered. It is instructive that All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate, Senator Ifeanyi Ararume, polled 114,676 to come third while the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Senator Hope Uzodimma, got 96,458 votes to emerge fourth. Observers noted that if Nwosu and Uzodinma’s votes had remained as one, it would have added up to 286,822 votes to retain the state.

As it stands, observers said the PDP governor-elect, who benefitted from the development, will need to sooth frayed nerves and heal wounds in order to calm the atmosphere enough for easy governance, sustainable development and progress.

His footsteps, opportunities

Although his first utterances when he was announced the winner of the race suggested that he may go after the out-going top officials, financial mismanagement and looting of state resources, concerned stakeholders said Ihedioha has, since he got his Certificate of Return during the week, however shown signs that he understands the need to begin by healing wounds and by assuring all that the new dawn is for the people’s good. This probably explains why, soon after receiving his certificate on Wednesday, Ihedioha promised to be fair to all irrespective of their tribal or party affiliations.

Pledging to abide by the rule of law in administering the state, the governor-elect declared, “I will be Imo governor in the real sense of the word.”

Observers have interpreted this comment to mean that Ihedioha is poised to change the narrative of governance in Imo. “His utterances and moves so far suggest that Imo is set to witness fundamental change in the way we have been governed in the last decade. Although many are yet to get concrete ideas of what that change entails, but I can confirm to you that the steps and the statements so far credited to the governor-elect have, to a large extent, renews hope for many,” said Udodinma.

One of the statements credited to Ihedioha that seems to have raised the hopes of many in the state is his announcement of a three-point agenda for his state. Briefing newsmen in Owerri, the state capital, the governor-elect had while expressing gratitude to the people of the state for their mandate called on those that contested with him to join hands in rebuilding the state. This has led to calls by stakeholders to reconcile warring political leaders so as to move the state forward.

The governor-elect, in that press briefing also said his administration will “vigorously pursue infrastructural development, quality education, and improved health care.”

He promised to make accountability his watchword, adding that he will soon set up a transition committee that will “liaise with the out-going government and ensure a smooth take-off of his administration.”

Aside these clear steps to calm frayed nerves, observers said he seems determined to arrest financial mismanagement in the state. This has been so since he openly cautioned financial institutions against engaging in last minute transactions with the out-going administration.

Already, aggrieved Imolites are piling pressure on Ihedioha to probe the out-going top government officials, including Governor Rochas Okorocha. Just early this week, five socio-political organisations under the umbrella of Imo Salvation Forum (ISF) said they have submitted a comprehensive document known as Imo Salvation Charter to the state’s Governor-elect, Ihedioha which they said contains some of the major demands of Imo people from his administration in the next four years.

In the communiqué read by the National Coordinator of the Forum, Chief Finbar Chidubem A, who is also the President General of Imo Prosperity Network (IPN) after a meeting that took place on Chidi Akurunwa Street, Port Harcourt Road, Owerri, the stakeholders said their first line charge in the 10-point document submitted to the Governor-elect, is a probe of the out-going governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha which they insisted must begin as soon as he takes over Douglas House.

“We are here to inform you, gentlemen of the press, that we have formally submitted a 10-point document known as Imo Salvation Charter to the governor-elect. In the first place, we drew the attention of His Excellency to the fact that the election of March 9, 2019 that overthrew Rochas Okorocha was a massive revolution in which the people were determined to make whatever sacrifice that was necessary to bring an end to the primitive dynasty that he wanted to entrench in Imo.

“Having succeeded in overthrowing the evil rule, it is now time to take stock of what happened in the state in the past eight years which led to the brutalisation of our people physically, mentally and psychologically. This is because, not doing so would amount to the greatest disservice to Imo people,” the communiqué stated.

“We have gone round all the communities in Imo State. What everybody in Imo is demanding first and foremost is that Rochas be made to account to the people what he used the hundreds of billions of Naira that was entrusted to him on the behalf of our people for eight years.

“In our submission to the in-coming governor, we drew his attention to the fact that Imo State public service is in shambles, destroyed by Rochas Okorocha and his co-travelers. Today there is no laid down rules governing issues like recruitment, dismissal, staff placement, promotion, leave matters, everything. There is therefore the need to

reform the public service in Imo and bring sanity to the system,” it said.

“We also drew the attention of the Governor-elect to the need to review the huge salary deficit and the irrationality of workers welfare in the state. Currently, Imo State workers cannot even say how much they have been paid since Rochas became governor eight years ago as they are paid anytime the governor wants. Sometimes they are paid half salary, at other times they are paid in percentage while most times they are not paid at all. All these, we want the governor-elect to sit down and review as soon as he is sworn in a few weeks from now.”

Imo Salvation Forum is not the only organization that has given the incoming state government its idea of what the next agenda should be. Some stakeholders had made cases for their areas.

Ohaji/Egbema/Oguta/Oru West Professionals Forum for example said there is need to set an agenda for the in-coming state government for the development of the Federal Constituency.

Commending Ihedioha for picking his Deputy, Hon. Gerald Irona, from the Constituency, Chairman of the Forum, Dr. Walter Duru, in a statement made available to The Nation on Friday said, “this is the first time someone from Ohaji/Egbema/Oguta/Oru West Federal Constituency is emerging Deputy Governor of Imo State.”

“Ohaji/Egbema/Oguta/Oru West federal constituency is the most-marginalised in Imo State. In spite of contributing over 80 percent of Imo crude oil earnings, as well as being the food basket of the state, our federal constituency remains the most marginalised in the state. This is the only oil producing federal constituency in the state. It is the same area that Adapalm is situated. Sadly also, it is usually ravaged by flood, with the attendant oil pollution. The federal constituency has neither produced a governor nor a deputy since the creation of the state. Now that we have Deputy-Governor-elect, there is need for a Summit to set an agenda for the strategic development of the area.”

Secretary of the Forum, Nwando Ethel Anyasinti Esq, supporting the need to set agenda for the in-coming governor said, “it is time for critical stakeholders in the federal constituency to come together to discuss issues that will help develop the area.

She called on the incoming administration in the state to support same, in order to have a roadmap for development of the area, even as she made a case for sustained citizens’ engagement by the government of the state.

Aside the likely support Ihedioha-led state government would get from the oil-rich Ohaji/Egbema/Oguta/Oru West federal constituency, it is being acknowledged that his emergence has in a way resolved the rather naughty issue of zoning arrangement in Imo, especially the call of the Owerri zone to produce the next governor after Okorocha.  Some proponents of the Imo Charter of Equity in respect of the office of the governor of the state, had demanded that it was the turn of Owerri to produce Imo governor. At the onset of the electioneering maneuvering ahead of the governorship race in Imo, when many aspirants and candidates came from Owerri zone, some analysts had said they may only share the votes, leaving none of them as the winner. But shortly before the elections, according to some insider sources, the leaders of the zone, held underground meetings and negotiations that facilitated massive support for PDP’s Ihedioha. Now that this last minutes efforts had yielded results, observers said Ihedioha’s government will be better off for it because, according to one of them, the pressure of zoning and of Imo Charter of Equity would not be one of the mines the new government would have to escape from.