By Ogu Bundu Nwadike, M.A
Come Saturday, October 31, 2020, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will be conducting a bye-election to fill the Imo North (Okigwe Zone) Senatorial District seat that became vacant following the death of the occupier of Distinguished Senator Benjamin Uwajumogu. May God continue to grant eternal rest to his soul!
From all indications, the Peoples Democratic Party is very set to win the election with a combination of moonslide and landslide wide margin.
That’s based on some very salient reasons. First and quintessentially is Imo PDP’s highly democratic processes of preparation for the election. There’s a round the clock concerted efforts by all stakeholders of the party both in Okigwe Zone in particular, and Imo State in general to ensure victora ascerta!
The anticipated sweet victory is also based on the peace and love, unity and progress that has become the true identity of the current PDP in Imo State. It’s so amazing Imo PDP now exists in an unprecedented unity, peace and progress! That’s quite critical and crucial for success in elective politics!
The fact that the current State Chairman of Imo PDP, Engr. Charles Ugwuh, is a very illustrious son of Okigwe Zone and a very experienced astute politician, is another factor that will further enhance the push and drive by PDP to win the Okigwe bye-election on October 31.
Now, let it be reminded that Okigwe Zone, just like Imo State, has always been a PDP territory since the dawn of the 4th Republic in 1999. That’s an incontrovertible truth, in spite of bad politics by bad politicians!
The imminent victory of PDP in the October 31, 2020 bye-election will, therefore, be a reclaim and regain of what rightfully belongs to the PDP. Okigwe is for PDP and PDP is for Okigwe!
Recall that it was via the worst ever sort of political brigandage and violence that the APC won the Okigwe Senate seat via Uwajumogu, and with similar duress secured a certified controversial second term.
In the 2015 general elections, PDP won Okigwe Senatorial District seat through its then member, leader, and candidate, Chief Athan Achonu. Many seem to forget that fact, especially now that “One Arm General” chose to embrace and dine with the same political devils that truncated his PDP sponsored victory in the 2015 election.
It was political “we no go gree” stance of Imo APC that saw the party hijacking the PDP victory through duress which characterizes the politics of APC at all levels so far. Yet, the evil roles of moles, traitors, conspirators, betrayers, and saboteurs in Imo PDP at the time can’t be overlooked.
Unarguably, Imo PDP, as at the time of the 2015 general elections and the subsequent political hostilities and brouhaha, was unfortunately housing some of the worst political vampires anyone can see in a nightmarish dream.
They betrayed and sabotaged Imo PDP in all ramifications. They were PDP in body but APC in soul and spirit. They were robbing Imo PDP to pay Imo APC.
But as the Supreme God would have it, those Egyptians Imo PDP saw in 2015, they don’t see in Imo PDP again. Pharaoh and his soldiers have since drowned in the Red Sea of Imo politics. They’re now neither here nor there, spoiling any party they gatecrash into!
Instructively, what emerged from the shameful departure of those Obote men was a reformed and rebranded PDP, where love and peace, unity and progress have continued to reign seamlessly supreme.
The result was the spectacular victory of PDP in guber election in 2019. Imo PDP won with a wide margin. It defeated it’s closest opponent with about 100,000 votes cast by Imo people for PDP.
And even after the same “political spoilers of PDP par excellence” did everything humanly possible to edge Imo PDP out of Douglas House on January 14, 2020, Imo people still see Imo PDP in Douglas House. It’s PDP everywhere you go in Imo State!
That can’t be unconnected with the people-oriented programmes and projects that were established by the Imo PDP RebuildImo administration in its seven-month tenure led by His Excellency, Governor Emeka Ihedioha CON.
It’s on that backdrop of continued victory with love, peace, unity and progress in Imo PDP, even since after the Supreme Court made Uzodimma governor, that Imo PDP is very optimistic that come October 31, the party will reclaim the Okigwe Zone Senatorial seat that rightfully belongs to PDP.
Besides the prevalent enviable order in Imo PDP and the orderliness in the management of its affairs, which has endeared the party to the greater majority of Ndimo, and sustained the massive support for PDP, there’s also the tested and proven good attributes of the party’s potential aspirants for the bye-election.
Instructively, Okigwe Zone has some of the most brilliant and intelligent Imolites. With very good reasons, Okigwe Zone recently produced a very good man as the State Chairman of Imo PDP, Engr. Charles Ugwuh, for which the party remains grateful to Okigwe people.
It’s also believed that in the same vein, Ndi Okigwe will give Imo PDP another very sound Okigwelite as candidate for the forthcoming bye-election. Okigwe Zone nwere madu na PDP! That’s truth based on facts and figures!
As at the time of filing in this prognosis, it’s not certain who Okigwe Zone will send from the PDP family to go and represent them in the Senate. The process and procedure are going with respect to rule of law and due process. But it’s so certain that after all said and done, the eventual candidate will be a fit as fiddle round peg in a round hole.
Above all of the above, Imo people are fed up with the bad leadership of the APC in Imo State and Nigeria. That party only came to fulfill the three-fold satanic ministry of kill, steal and destroy. Nigeria has been totally ruined by APC. That’s unarguable!
The salvation of Nigeria and Imo State now lies in the hands of PDP. Indeed, historically, everything good about Nigeria since 1999 is characteristically made in PDP. While the party is associated with building and rebuilding, APC is known for wanton destruction and deetion of human and material resources of the country.
It’s not surprising, therefore, that as I write this short essay, Imo APC is embroiled in very heated fratricidal factional war that looks set to deny it participation in the bye-election. Remember that according to the Supreme Court, Imo APC hadn’t any guber candidate in the 2019 general elections.
There are about six functional factions of Imo APC that play the crab and lepers politics against one another. And as was hinted on the front page of a pro-APC Imo-based newspaper: “The WhitePaper”, concerning the Okigwe bye-election, “Imo APC Won’t Play Any Roles As Factions Exist”! QED!
At least three “consensus” candidates have emerged, while there are indications that the war will end in direct primaries. Yet, while the Uzodimma faction, led by Chief Marcel Nlemigbo is selling nomination forms in Owerri, the Owelle Rochas Okorocha faction is holding stakeholders meeting at Westbrook Hotel, Owerri. Other four factions are simply maintaining the “siddon look” philosophy!
There’s every reason to believe that the factions of Imo APC will remain at war and miss the election. The summary of it all is that Imo State is a PDP right from Adam. APC just wanted a foothold in the Southeast geo-political zone, and unfortunately, the ot Imo State.
Yet, the victory has proved to be pyhrric and unsavoury because since January 14, 2020 when the conspiratorial gang-up against Imo State and Imo people was controversially consummated at the Supreme Court, Imo State and Imo people have simply fallen from frying pan into raging fire in the hands of Uzodimma and his pseudo-Imo APC! What a caged victory!
Based on the foregoing, therefore, the PDP will as well walkover the APC in the October 31 bye-election and reclaim the Okigwe Senate seat that was stolen by Imo APC in 2015 and 2019 general elections. All that needs to be done to win the bye-election is being done. All Imo PDP hands are on deck. And without any iota of doubt, PDP will win and win with a wide margin. Okigwe Zone has decided to return to PDP! To God be the glory!
By God’s grace, Imo State must be rebuilt!
Nwadike is the Imo State PDP publicity secretary
