{"id":4371,"date":"2013-02-13T15:04:22","date_gmt":"2013-02-13T15:04:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.imotrumpeta.com\/?p=4371"},"modified":"2013-02-13T15:04:22","modified_gmt":"2013-02-13T15:04:22","slug":"okorocha-and-the-apc-tablet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.imotrumpeta.com\/?p=4371","title":{"rendered":"Okorocha And The APC Tablet"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Many years ago, before the advent of Paracetamol, APC was the medicine for headache, stomach-ache and indeed, all aches and pains.<\/p>\n

Today Nigeria has a headache, a bellyache and all known and unknown aches and pains. The good news is that we know the cause of most of these aches. Diagnosis? Corruption and the poor leadership in the past 14 years democracy returned to Nigeria.\u00a0 But it looks like the good old tablet; APC is back in Nigeria; not in chemists and pharmacies, but as a political conglomeration that promises to heal Nigeria of many of her aches and pains.<\/p>\n

In Imo State, the APC pill has been taken by Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha. Whatever political trauma or headache Owelle has, perharps he believes the APC will give him the relief he carves . For Okorocha and his political footsoldiers, the APC is the pill that will guarantee him political healing and survival. The APC is the platform that will \u00a0actualize his two political options\u00a0 in 2015.\u00a0 One of the dream is to become Nigeria\u2019s President\u00a0 or Vice. The second option is to run for a second term as governor of Imo State in the event the\u00a0 political battle for the presidency in 2015 becomes fiercer and goes beyond his reach.<\/p>\n

Pundits therefore contend that the APC pill will cure Okorocha\u2019s political headche and give him \u2018political health\u2019 that will energize him to confront enormous political forces to confront either of the two political options on his card.<\/p>\n

Last week,\u00a0 Okorocha made a bold political move to drag his faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) to the newly formed All Progressive Congress (APC). Aside the two political options on his card, I believe he\u00a0 ran to the mega party as a political survival move. His action has attracted knocks from his immedaite political family- APGA- mainly from\u00a0 the Anambra State chapter of the party propelled by his political foe,Governor Peter Obi and his followers who said that Okorocha acted alone.<\/p>\n

Last week on this page, I wrote in a piece titled \u2018Jonathan, Okorocha And Imo PDP:Matters Arising<\/em><\/strong> that Okorocha\u2019s quest to retain the Imo governorship seat in 2105 is a serious doubt considering the avalanche of external forces orchestrated by the PDP that are bent on scuttling his return to office. I enumerated that the outcome of the parley between the presidency and Imo PDP stakeholders is a dangerous political signal that may impair his desire to hold forte as governor in 2015.<\/p>\n

I also pointed out\u00a0 that it is dangerous signal for any incumbent governor if the presidency wines, dines, parley and flash smiles at each other with opposition forces in his State. I recalled in that piece that political danger looms in Owelle\u2019s political calculations if he fails to understand that Imo State is filled with political landmines.<\/p>\n

We saw how incumbent governors such as Achike Udenwa and Ikedi Ohakim took such political landmines for granted and bingo, it exploded their sucession plans. In Udenwa\u2019s case, he had to alter his plans severally before he settled for Ikedi Ohakim as his successor.\u00a0 You will agree with me that Ohakim was never in Udenwa\u2019s sucession plans. He was forced to adjust his political game plan when the forces against his sucession plans crumbled. The same fate befell Ohakim, who had to fail at the 2011 governorship election because of the combination of internal and external forces that exited him out of power despite the fact he had the political might to retain his seat!<\/p>\n

If political lessons are important factors in shaping one\u2019s political move, then\u00a0 it would have\u00a0 been\u00a0 political naivety on the part of Okorocha if he had confined himself within the APGA enclave if he was serious to realise the dream of running for the presidency or seek to be governor of Imo State again in 2015. Having understood this fact, the route of escape for the Imo governor out of the political quagmire he found himself (which he hurriedly followed) \u00a0is to take the APC pill that will heal his political headche. The headache which arose from the political blows he has consistently exchanged\u00a0 with the Anambra chapter of APGA propelled by Governor Peter Obi.<\/p>\n

He choose the latter which appears to be a platform that will not only give him a safe and secure political acomodation, but free him from the grips of APGA tingods in the State whose insatiable political lust almost made him a political hostage. For those conversant with the story of Okorocha\u2019s emergence as Imo State governor, it will not be out of place if one says he had the herculean task the massage the ego, overbearing and dominerring influence of founders of APGA in the State<\/p>\n

On the other hand, the implications of his move to APC has serious political underones for Imo State. It changes the political colouration of the State. Considering the fact he is a major actor in the State\u2019s political theatre, his political leaning goes a long way to determine the political direction of the State in the next dispensation. Further, he has put the opposition in a state of frenzy and if the APC pill\u00a0 appears to be the cure to the headache of Nigerians from inept governance we have seen in the past 14 years, then Okorocha can be said to have moved one step ahead in overtaking his political opponents in the race for 2015.<\/p>\n

However, he ought to convince Imolites and doubting Thomases that he is indeed for the merger of opposition parties.\u00a0 We have heard tales that he acted alone and never consulted anyone in the APGA fold.\u00a0 Some say he will dump the APC if he does not realise his presidential ambition This again puts a question mark on his political intergrity.\u00a0 Okorocha has to convince us that his decison to take the APC tablet is not for the sole purpose of healing his headche and forgo if after being cured. This suspicion is feuled by his political antecedents which shows that he has hobnobbed with three or four political parties before the advent of APC.<\/p>\n

It is suprising that the Imo State chapter of APGA which he controls is yet to come out to back his decison and fire warning shots to those opposing his action. One hopes Imolites are not see a politcal u-turn in the days ahead.<\/p>\n

Also, if he wants APC to heal the headache of Imolites, he ought to re examine his brand of politics which is averse to taking \u2018political prisoners\u2019\u00a0 With a Winner Take All Mentality and inability to embrace opposition politicians, one wonders how Okorocha intends to work with\u00a0 his\u00a0 supposed political foes in the State such as \u00a0former Governor Achike Udenwa, Senator Ifeanyi Araraume and Hon. Uche Onyeagocha whom by implication are now APC members.\u00a0 If politics is what we see make of it on the surface, then we can say that Okorocha and the trio do have political scores to settle. And if these leaders, Okorocha inclusive, fail to be on the same political page, then it means the gains inherent in the coming of APC in Imo State will be defeated.\u00a0 The consequnces of this action is better imagined than explained<\/p>\n

At the same time, it is pertinent to say that our dear governor must inculacte or rather moderate his political temprament, adjust his style of politicking and\u00a0 develop a good working relationship with those whom by the present political development he now finds in the same political boat in the State. A situation where he is reported to have fallen out of political friendship with those who either vied against him at the 2011 governorship election, those who worked with him to secure victory at the polls and\u00a0 those who have opposed his style or brand of governance, is a minus\u00a0 for a political leader.<\/p>\n

This is the\u00a0 time\u00a0 to move from rescue to mission. The ball is in his court. I humbly advise.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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