Any sincere stakeholder in the All Progressive Congress. APC, Imo State chapter, no doubt will maintain a studied and incriminating silence at the as Senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria begin official screening and confirmation of ministerial nominees presented to the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly by President Muhammad Buhari.
After premature permutations and unfounded speculations that later turned out to be mere guess work, Buhari finally met with his promise of producing ministers before the end of September this year, when his aides rushed to the Senate President to do the needful of beating the September deadline.
Interestingly, as the list is being unveiled with attendant reactions that followed the “hallowed” saints it took the President four months to select, no name of a nominee from Imo State is among the 21 names of the would be ministers made public so far. Before now, unconfirmed reports have it that the former Nigeria Breweries PLC Managing Director, Festus Odimegwu from Orsu LGA of the state had undergone security checks for possible nomination. Further reports disclosed that Emeka Nwajuba, a former House of Representatives member and governorship aspirant in the past may also snatch the chance of Imo State, considering his political affinity with Buhari during their ANPP and CPC days.
Not left out in the prediction for ministerial slot are members of the governor’s political family who were said to have been nominated to Aso Rock weeks before the release of the appointments. It was learnt that apart from making a case for his former Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Anthony Anwukah, to be made the Secretary to the Federal Government, a post believed to have been reserved for Ndigbo before Mr President gave it away to a favourite political accomplice, David Lawal, from Adamawa State, the North East, the university don and former Vice Chancellor of Imo State university, was also said to be tipped for a ministerial job including other key APC stakeholders in the state, like former Speaker, Ben Uwajumuogu, and ex Senator Osita Izunaso.
President Buhari seems to have ruffled feathers in the south east state, fondly called the Eastern Heartland, when the ministerial list appeared without an Imo person included. The new twist has however opened a fresh vista in the discussion about Buhari`s style of governance in relationship with core Imo APC change protagonists who were on his side in the events leading to the March 28, 2015 Presidential election.
After losing the chance to give Buhari an appointee for the SGF job, Imo is nowhere near the map of the 21 states that produced the first batch ministerial nominees.
One cannot help but ask why such disturbing development which has never occurred since Nigeria’s nascent democracy debuted. From the time of ex President, Olusegun Obasanjo, Imo had ministerial nominees on the first instance. From Kema Chikwe to Chinwe Obaji. OBJ’s successor, late Musa Yar adua did not fail to follow the precedent with Charles Ugwu and later Achike Udenwa making the federal cabinet. Immediate past president, Goodluck Jonathan even doubled Imo chances with two nominees when Emma Iheanacho and Chuka Odom were on the federal executive council table when he took over from late Yar adua. From 2011, Viola Onwuliri maintained the chance of Imo State till 2015.
Irrespective of the style Buhari introduced, it was expected that the Constitutional provisions for such appointments should take prominence. Though, unconfirmed reports have it that Buhari is likely to make fresh list for a second batch of ministerial nominees to capture the states like Imo without representatives in the first batch list. As at the time I am finishing this piece for press deadline, no fresh nominees has been announced yet even as the screening dates on the floor of the Senate Red Chamber have been scheduled.
As the expected grill of the nominees begins, the sealed lips of a greater per cent of Imolites who have been watching the developments with keen interest may not only this time murmur but also forced to ask questions why the state is left out in the scheme of things. Considering the role the state and governor played in Buhari`s election, Imo should not lose out in the sharing of ministerial nomination. Among the south east states, it was only Imo that gave the APC presidential candidate the highest votes notwithstanding the fact that it fought and reduced the expected jumbo votes the ousted PDP candidate, Jonathan would have gotten from the state. Recall that in 2011, Jonathan secured above one million votes while Buhari had a paltry sum of votes that could not reach ten percent. But the 2015 witnessed an impressive mark for Buhari in Imo.
Records also have it that Imo unarguably is the headquarters of APC in the South East as the only state controlled by the party in the federation. The fortune of the state is expected to blossom under APC leadership in the country if Okorocha’s Chairman of APC Governors’ Forum is anything to reckon with. Records also have it that Buhari visited Imo State a record three times more than any other South East state to seek for votes in the prelude to the last general election. It is the general belief in the state that if the infamous 97? and 5? compensation formula proposed by President Buhari is applied in sharing dividends of democracy, Imo should not miss out in getting a ministerial portfolio.
Political watchers in the state have been greatly disturbed why Imo should not be among Buhari’s first eleven in terms of reaping from the booty of office. Tongues are still wagging how come after the Imo State governor named Buhari Okechukwu, to win the heart and support of Ndigbo, especially Imolites, during the heat of the election campaign; the President seems to have quickly jettisoned his once favourite political home base in Igbo heartland as his administration set the ground running.
Speculations are high that Buhari may be uncomfortable with the towering personality of Okorocha hence his indifference approach to consideration of Nde Imo in appointments. More questions why Buhari has decided to keep arms length with the Imo governor after succeeding to become Nigeria’s President continue to arise. Reports have it that since both Buhari and Okorocha ran for the APC presidential primary last December, the elected president may have seen been nursing deep animosity against Okorocha as a potential threat hence the decision to keep a tab on the governor as a check to his future political destination.
The fact that Okorocha is ending his second tenure as governor that would likely launch him into another stage of political destination of running for his desires presidential ambition, Buhari who has constitutional rights to run for a second tenure may begin now to clip the wings of a perceived opponent ahead 2018/2019. Part of the check measures, political analysts feel Buhari has employed is the non consideration of Okorocha’s acolytes for appointments in his government. Instead of names of the governor’s nominees getting attention, those without political attachments to the governor are rumoured to be in good standing before Mr President.
More so, the home-made self destructive tendencies cannot be ruled out in the factors behind non consideration of a name from Imo for the ministerial portfolio. I am not privileged to know what is amiss between Okorocha and one of those rumoured to be getting attention in Aso Rock for ministerial position, Odimegwu, but a recent newspaper publication where the former MD of Nigeria Breweries PLC took a swipe on the governor, speaks volumes of marginal differences between them. In the Odimegwu interview as published by a national daily, the Orsu royal father cast aspersions on the governor. His verbal expression suggest in-fighting in the camp of the State for the esteemed position.
As Nigerians await the outcome of the screening exercise, Imolites are keenly interested in the unfolding drama that is like going to shape the political structure of the state.
