By Charles Igbo
It is going to be an epic battle in Imo State, but the people are having a good time and are, at once, happy and excited.
The battle is between two elephants – the incumbent Governor of the State, Senator Hope Uzodimma, and former Governor of the State, Senator Rochas Okorocha.
The battle has long been simmering, and gradually being fought over who, between the two of them, would have an upper hand in the affairs of the party in the state. But in the past two weeks it has become more fierce than ever. And for, now, the winner is obvious.
Governor Uzodinma raised the ante by beginning to do what not a few Imo people have been praying for. He began to retrieve a couple of properties, acquired by Okorocha when he was the Governor, but which from all accounts, allegedly belong to the state.
The start-off point, about two weeks ago, is the sprawling Eastern Palm University, located in Okorocha’s village, Ogboko, Orlu. Spread on a 210 acres of land, Okorocha claimed it as his own privately owned University. He said his Foundation, Rochas Okorocha Foundation, entered into a PPP agreement with the Imo State Government, while he was Governor.
Okorocha’s Foundation was given a 90 per cent stake, while the Imo State Government was given a 10 percent stake.
However, the University was approved for the Imo State Government by the NUC.The questions not a few people asked were: How did Okorocha take over a University approved for the State? How did he, as a Governor, use his Foundation, to enter into a partnership with his own Government? How tidy and morally right was that?
Two weeks ago, the Imo State Government recovered the University from him, alleging that Okorocha built the University with over N20 billion from Imo State Treasury.
And, last week, Uzodinma dug in the more when he renamed the University K.O. Mbadiwe University, in honour of one of the State’s late foremost politicians.
While Okorocha was yet to recover from that, and prepare, perhaps, for a legal firework, as he threatened, the Imo State Government hit him a second time. On Friday, the Government retrieved an eye-popping Housing Estate, owned by Okorocha’s wife, Nkechi.
The Royal Palm Estate, a multi-billion Naira concern, arguably, the best estate in the State, was built on acres of land, allegedly, forcefully taken from Owerri indegenes, without any compensation. Questions were also asked about the funding.
Announcing the seizure of the Estate from the Okorochas in a statement on Friday, the Imo State Commissioner for Lands, Survey and Physical Planning, Barr, Enyinna Onuegbu, who led a team which included the Media, said he did that based on the recommendation of a Judicial Panel of Inquiry on Lands and Other Matters which report has been gazetted by the Government, after the release of the White Paper.
The Statement by the Cmmissioner reads:
“Today, I led a team from theImo State Ministry of Lands Survey and Physical Planning, other government officials and the media to the enforcement of the order from the gazetted white paper detailing the reports from the judicial panel of enquiry on land matters within the state.
“On that note, the Royal Spring Palm Estate located at akachi road was recovered and sealed from private / individual trespassing pending when the state government announces an appropriate usage in the interest of the public.
“The judicial panel recommended the recovery of all properties of the state illegally acquired in violation of the state master plan and extant laws. One of the cardinal points of the 3R-mantra of the Shared Prosperity administration of His Excellency the Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma is on Recovery.
“This administration is committed towards recovering all state properties in the possession of private individuals or / and group of persons. Imo State belongs to us all and to no individual.”
The foundation for these two great recoveries was laid by former Governor of the State, the Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha. Succeeding Okorocha in office on May 29, 2019, as Imo Governor, he set up a couple of Judicial Commissions and Panels of Inquiry to look into a number of the deluge of complaints which confronted his administration. He was removed from office before the Commissions and Panels completed their job.
When Uzodinma came on board, after the Supreme Court removed Ihedioha from office, he decided not to disband the Judicial Commissions and Panels, the pressure put on him, notwithstanding. It is the gazzetted Whitepaper from one of those Panels – Land and Other Related Matters – that the Uzodinma Government is implementing to the delight of most Imo people. The people say they are expecting more of such seizures, including, they say, the sprawling acres of land along Owerri-Orji road, meant for the staff quarters of the old Imo Broadcasting Corporation, but which the former Governor took, and relocated his Foundation to.
Imo people say that the appreciation for these recoveries go to former Governor Ihedioha who had the foresight to set the Panels and Commissions up, and Governor Uzodinma who had the courage not only not to disband the Panels, but to implement its findings.
Okorocha, obviously will go to Court to challenge the State Government. While many think it will be a waste of time, given the circumstances, some of his pronouncements do not endear to the people. Last week a viral video showed Okorocha, boasting that he is richer than the state, while addressing his supporters.
For now, he seems to be on the losing side. In the State APC, he is gradually, but surely, becoming inconsequential. He has lost a number of supporters to Uzodinma who has enough patronage to give.
In the on-going APC revalidation and registration exercise for old and new members, Okorocha has not revalidated his membership, along with a few of his ardent supporters. If the exercise closes without him doing so, he has effectively seized to be a member of the APC.
The former Governor has three options open for him.
*The first option is to swallow his pride and go and make up with Uzodinma. In doing so, he also needs to make up with a number of people in the state, especially, those in his party, who he deliberately hurt, including, his two former Deputy Governors, Sir Jude Agbaso and Prince Eze Madumere.
*The second option is for him to defect either to the PDP or APGA. He had actually been members of both parties at one time or the other. He became Imo Governor on the ticket of APGA, but dumped it for the APC. He would have a problem only if any of the parties reject his membership over one thing or the other. But, with the cash he boasts that he has, he may be quite attractive to them.
*The third option is to become a foundation member of any other new party that may be formed before 2023. While in Rivers State as a guest to Governor Nyesom Wike, he had broached the idea of a new party, and had repeated same at another fora.
Even then, the Action Alliance, AA, the party to which he pushed his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu, to contest the Imo Governorship under, after the APC denied Nwosu the ticket, is available to him.
Okorocha is allegedly the founder, and financier of the party.
Whichever way, Okorocha’s political influence and future in the State are under threat.
He is from the same Orlu Zone as Uzodinma, and is Uzodinma’s Senator. Given the Nigerian political situation, he is not likely to pick that Senatorial seat again, unless he makes up with Uzodinma and a number of other stakeholders both in the zone and in the state.
He has his eyes on the Presidential seat. That is also a long shot, given the political problems in his backyard.
Not a few people think it is a sad situation for the former Governor. Under APGA, he swept into office as a Governor by popular votes. The people adored him. Five years down the road, things began to fall apart. The same thing is happening to him in APC. He was a foundation member of the party, the first APC Governor in the South-east. He will soon become irrelevant, his party men and women say, if he does not repackage.
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