Hon Darlington Nwokocha


By Tony Icheku

Ahead May 12, 2022, as the PDP hold the primary for House of Representatives aspirants, the stage is already set for a battle royale for  Isiala-Ngwa  North and South Federal Constituency seat.

The battle will be intra-house - inside the PDP which controls the Federal Constituency, and between two political titans -  Hon Darlington Nwokocha and Chief ACB Agbazuere


Dailyledger.com.ng reports that sometime in 2019,  critical stakeholders and leaders in Isiala Ngwa South LGA  reportedly allowed Hon Darlington Nwokocha run  for second term to the House of Representatives, it was a violation of their own mutually endorsed agreement.

Ahead, 2023, Hon Nwokocha was expected to honourably step aside without any prodding.  As a matter of fact, sources close to his camp confirmed he actually did, and set his sights on the Senate. Then other issues cropped up.

Nwokocha's Senate  aspiration was in order as the  Abia Central Senate seat will be returning from the Umuahia/Ikwuano LGAs to the Umunneato Ngwa comprising Isiala North and South LGAs and Osisioma by 2023

It was Abia PDP's zoning of the governorship to Abia Central and Abia North zones that upset Nwokocha's calculations. Governor Okezie Ikpeazu's discretionary annointing of Professor Uche Ikonne as governor in waiting further took the sail out of his Senate hopes.

How is that so? The zoning of the governorship remains a heated debate between proponents of Old Aba and Old Bende zones. And both sides are now playing to gain an upper hand in the real field of play. While the Old Aba advocates argue they have 9 LGAs against Old Bende's 8, they are leaving nothing to chance.

Thus to firm up their governorship chances, they are yielding the  Senate seat already in their kitty to Ikwuano LGA for a buy in to their support for the governorship. It was at this point Nwokocha's Senate aspiration sailed into a storm.

Already, Chief ACB Agbazuere who stepped down his House of Representative's ambition in 2019 was warming up to step into Nwokocha's seat.

The trouble is that Nwokocha is refusing to let go - having sacrificed his Senate ambition, the powers that be urged him to battle it out with Agbazuere for the House ticket, it is on May 12, at the primary, they will slug it out

How will the battle go? Agbazuere, who resigned his Chief of Staff to the governor's appointment to contest for the legislative seat is no pushover when  it comes to the intrigues of powerplay.

From State chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, since 1999, he has been part of the 'Ruling Clique' - holding  one political appointment to the other, name it:  Local Government Chairman, Special Adviser, Commissioner, Chief of Staff....perhaps having virtually held all possible political appointments, he decided to go for an elective position.

Both Nwokocha and Agbazuere hails from the same community, where expectedly both will be evenly matched.

It is in Isiala Ngwa North, where the 'annointed governor', Prof.  Ikonne hails from that both aspirants will scramble for delegates votes during the primary, and it is the outcome that will crown the ultimate 'Strongman of Isiala Ngwa North/South politics'