* Uwajumogu

BY KINGSLEY OKEBANAMA, Owerri

 Another opportunity presents itself for the South-East geo-political zone to produce an All Progressive Congress, APC senator - the re-run election for Imo North (Okigwe) senatorial district. Already with the forces at play gathering momentum for a decisive encounter, political analysts are talking about a titanic face-off between Peoples Democratic Party, PDP's Chief Athan Achonu and APC's Hon Benjamin Uwajumogu, former Speaker of Imo State House of Assembly.

 Recall that the Independent National Electoral Commission [ INEC] had set aside February 20, 2016 for the re-run election following the annulment of PDP’s Chief Athan Achonu’s victory in the April 11, 2015 election. 

 The Court of Appeal sitting in Owerri quashed  Achonu’s election on December 11, 2015 based on the petition filed by the Accord Party candidate, Mrs Rita Ibemere, that there was no Accord party logo when the poll was held last year. A lot of water, as they say, has passed under the bridge since after that controversial election between the two politicians who were once best of pals. Many are of the opinion that this election is not just about  Hon. Uwajumogu and Chief  Achonu. 

 It is about the political future of the South-East under the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration. It is about Governor Rochas Okorocha, the Chairman of APC’s Governors Forum. South-East APC has no representative in the Senate, and thus the party sees the re-run as a seconf chance to  reverse the awful scenario.  

 There are other factors and circumstances that have changed the political trend since after the first election leading to massive realignment of political forces. Remember, prior to the 2015 elections, the big political actors in Okigwe zone were all in PDP, and they never believed that then President Goodluck Jonathan was going to lose the Presidential election to General Mohammadu Buhari. 

 Though, there were pockets of politicians in the zone drumming support for APC, their influence were more or less peripheral at the grassroots. 

 Then the PDP had all it takes. There were several billionaire businessman and contractors in their midst like erstwhile senator, Ifeanyi Araraume, ex-Governor Ikedi Ohakim,  Tony Chukwu, Prof. Maurice Iwu etc.  The influence of these godfathers are not just limited to  the six local government areas in the senatorial zone, but cut across the entire state. 

 Dramatically, a week after the presidential election which was conducted alongside the National Assembly election, Araraume hurriedly made peace with Governor Okorocha. That last minute pact, many people claimed, was what gave Okorocha the leverage to win in Isiala Mbano and the entire Okigwe zone. Arguably, Araraume’s Destiny Organisation is the most influential and effective political structure in the zone. There is no grassroots politician of note in the zone that does not belong there or trace his root to Destiny Organisation. But  all that have changed. Araraume and his Destiny Organisation are rooting for APC and Uwajumogu

  When the battle began in 2015, there were four clear candidates contesting the seat in the person including  Hon. Benjamin Uwajumogu, APC; Mazi Clement Owunna, APGA; Chief Athan Achonu, PDP; and  Mrs Rita Ibemere, AP, but today the contest appears to have been narrowed between  Uwajumogu of APC and Achonu of PDP.
Abuja  was also controlled by PDP even as there is no Jonathan vs Buhari election on the card the same day this re-run election is being held. There will also be less room for electoral manipulation   as witnesses claimed, was the order of the day last time. Interestingly, this election is also coming at a time PDP is in tatters, while the Owelle Rochas Okorocha’s administrative policies are being audaciously questioned in the state. There are six local government areas that make up this senatorial zone including Obowo, Ihitte-Uboma, Ehime-Mbano, Isiala-Mbano, Onuimo and Okigwe. Okigwe and Onuimo voted massively for Owunna in the first election. It is also instructive to note that the incumbent Speaker of Imo State House of Assembly,  Hon. Acho Ihim, hails from Okigwe. Obowo and Ihitte-Uboma voted for Uwajumogu. Achonu won in Ehime-Mbano and Isiala-Mbano. What are the chances of the two front line candidates this time around taking into consideration the afore mentioned  factors and scenarios?

 Uwajumogu
Going by the avalanche of endorsements that cut across political parties , socio-cultural organisations, and wards in the senatorial zone, one would be quick to conclude Uwajumogu has won the election even before votes are cast at the poll. There appears to be a massive turn-around  of fortune for the erstwhile Speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly. First, it was the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohaneze Ndigbo, as well as Okigwe Political Leaders Forum that endorsed Uwajumogu. Mazi Clement Owunna and Mrs. Rita Ibemere, the APGA and Accord Party candidates respectively in the election, all heeded the Ohaneze Ndigbo’s clarion call and collapsed their structure in support of the former Speaker. The apex political leader in Ehime Mbano, Chief Tony Chukwu, also made a public show of his support for Uwajumogu. Despite the gale of solidarity, the former Speaker has continued to tour the 64 wards in the senatorial zone, selling his ideas and canvassing for further support.
Achonu
Many are wondering what may have triggered the sudden erosion of support to “Agu Otu Aka” as Achonu is called by many in the zone. Political observers in the area claim the wealthy businessman squandered the goodwill with his lack of tact and obvious political arrogance. In less than six months in the senate, Achonu has stepped on powerful toes in both his senatorial zone and National Assembly leadership. Achonu’s fellow billionaire and Ehime-Mbano kinsman Tony Chukwu is now the arrowhead of the opposition against the senator. Those close to the two personalities claimed Achonu publicly insulted the businessman, alleging he was an outcast. So bitter is their relationship right now that Tony Chukwu, our sources claimed, will not spare any cost to ensure Achonu is ousted from the senate. The senator’s traducers also claim that in six months, the only achievements the man could lay claim to were the acquisition of two Rolls Royce and one Lamborghini for himself. Achonu’s critics say he neither sponsored any motion, nor bill even as they accused him of always being absent from plenary. Worst still, Achonu’s political platform, PDP, is in tatters in Okigwe senatorial zone. The party has suffered massive decampment of its key political figures since Goodluck Jonathan and Emeka Ihedioha’s electoral woes last year. Although, there are a handful of politicians who still believe in Achonu’s ability to turn the table at the last minute, but how this will be achieved is yet to be seen.