By Tony Icheku


Barely 48 hours to the Governorship and House of Assembly elections, the various candidates have upped the tempo of their campaigns in   last minute drive for votes,  even if  facts hints that majority of the voters have already taken sides.


This article focuses on  Ikwuano State Constituency seat where several issues are heating up the politics.  This Constituency, comprising four big clans have lived peacefully for years, but politics is finally showing up the fault lines.



Issues likely to determine the outcome of the election include rotation of the House of Assembly seat among the four clans. Is the seat zoned between clans, or between a loose division of Ikwuano North and South? 


Some argue it is rotated clan by clan, and  contends that Oloko needs to complete it's second term before it moves to Ibere.


But the North versus  South school say both sides have completed three terms each, and it should now come back to North, specifically to Ibere.




There is yet another twist in the tale as  the Oboro clan now argues that  'with four wards compared to two wards of the others, it  should be taking a lion share'. Incidentally, it's the same Oboro clan that took the seat for three terms.


Furthermore,  the loss of Abia Central Senatorial seat by Col Austin Akobundu (rtd) from Oloko is being wrongly blamed on Oboro  where a large of it's vote went to Darlington Nwokocha of LP.




How would the game play out? It's definitely an Oloko versus Oboro fight, five candidates on each side.


Oloko is fielding all the heavyweights in the race including Hon Stanley Nwabuisi, the incumbent House member. He is the man to beat in the race, but the considerable disenchantment of Ikwuano with PDP casts  doubts if his second term bid may see the light of day. He has spent considerable time and resources marketing himself, but the youths do not appear to be taking him seriously.




Indeed, if each clan decides to vote their own person, Nwabuisi would share Oloko votes with John Ukattah of ADC; Boniface Isienyi, of the wave making LP; Anthony Alaribe of the considerably divided APC and Paul Nwachukwu of the little known NNPP.


 Ukattah,  supported by the broad-based Ikwuano Youth Leaders Forum appears to the favourite among a section of the youths. Soft-spoken, a community youths leader and former Leader of Ikwuano Legislative Assembly, he anchors his campaign on fairness, justice and equity, contending that Oloko deserves to complete it's second term


Nwachukwu, of NNPP,  also a community leader and International Environment Consultant is also a frontline contender, but his campaign have so far attracted a mild interest across Ikwuano 




APC's Alaribe, an outgoing political stalwart would have been a major contender, but his campaign appears lacklustre, perhaps due to the unending squabbles in the party which left the party in splinters.


Isienyi of LP recently stoked up the fire in his campaigns after the LP swept up  the National Assembly seats in Abia Central and may be a beneficiary of Peter Obi wind of change 


From Oboro, Philip Iroegbulam of SDP is definitely leading the pack of contenders. His bullish, determined campaigns across the length and breadth of Ikwuano is making waves and winning him  loyalists, especially among the teeming youths.


The youthful SDP candidate tells whoever cares to listen that he is  an Obidient, even if not Labour Party member 


Also from Oboro and  pushing hard and determined is Alozie Ajiri of YPP and Wisdom Lan Anyaragbu of YPP


 Ariam-Usaka has no candidate in the race, while Ibere has only Nduka Izuchukwu of APGA


There may be too many variable obstructing a clear cut prediction, but the quartet of Nwabuisi, Ukattah, Isienyi and Iroegbulam are leading in the race.


Isienyi's chances has been considerably brightened by the endorsement by the apex Ikwuano Development Union-Federated, IDU-F which it's President-General, Dr Charles Uzondu argues is anchored on the 'Ikwuano First' mantra with the dual vision of exiting the PDP from Ikwuano's politics and continuing the clan by clan rotation. It remains to be seen whether the IDU-F can weather the storm or not, even as the body has been slammed for taking a hypocritical position as Nwachukwu of NNPP emerged tops in its assessment of candidates


One is certain, clannish interests would feature strongly in the election, and if the trio of Nwabuisi, Ukattah and Isienyi shares Oloko votes, Iroegbulam, all things being equal with a large chunk of Oboro votes might just emerge triumphant with a slim margin, but, but if Ikwuano agrees to rotation on clan basis and if the Peter Obi magic wand plays up, then it would certainly be Isienyi's day.