By Chidi Levi
The National leadership of the All Progressives Congress, APC, is in a quagmire as to what to do with Senator Ifeanyi Araraume and Frank Ibezim who, last week, emerged candidates of the party in parallel primaries for Imo North Senatorial bye election slated for next month.
The seat became vacant following the death, last December, of the occupier, Senator Benjamin Uwajimogu.
Araraume and the state governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma, are now engaged in high voltage political brinkmanship to outwit the other.They are, reportedly, frantically lobbying critical individuals in the party in Lagos and Abuja.
Both men belong to different factions of Imo APC.
While Ibezim is the candidate of the faction loyal to Governor Uzodinma, Araraume was produced by former governor Rochas Okorocha’s faction.
In an ironic twist of fate, this magazine gathered that Okorocha and Araraume are now building a formidable opposition against Uzodinma.
Araraume was one of the prominent sons who had fought Okorocha to a standstill and scuttled his push to install, as successor, Uche Nwosu, his son inlaw.
The disqualification of Ibezim from the Senatorial race by the APC screening panel, even after victory in the primary, multiple party sources confirmed, was the product of Araraume/ Okorocha lethal deft moves.
Chairman of the Screening Panel for the party’s primary election for the senatorial district, Dr.Lawrence Chukwu, said Ibezim was actually disqualified from participating in the process.
The Governor Mai-Mala Buni-led APC National Caretaker Committee had appointed a seven-man Committee with Ajibola Bashiru (Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs) as Chairman, Samuel Ogbuku as Secretary, Jibrin Gada, Bello Kumo, Umar Gana, Mohammed Saba, and Godfrey Ejim as members to conduct the primary election for a candidate that would fly the party’s flag for Imo North Senatorial by-election, coming up in October.
However, on reaching Imo, the committee split into two factions led by Bashiru which produced Ibezim as a candidate, and Gana which declared Ifeanyi Ararume as the winner.
The APC leadership had issued a statement that it only recognised the Bashiru-led Committee, which it said has been vested with the power to announce the winner of the primary election.
However, the Screening Committee in a petition submitted at the APC National Secretariat Abuja said 11 aspirants were screened, out of which 5 were cleared and 6, including Ibezim were disqualified for not meeting basic requirements.
Dr. Chukwu: “Section 3(f) of the guidelines for the nomination of candidates stipulates that ONLY aspirants fully cleared by the party shall be eligible to stand election at the party’s primaries.
“Section 3(k) also clearly stated that all aspirants must show knowledge of the party’s manifestos and programs and must commit themselves to the full implementation of the party’s goals and objectives.
“Not losing sight of section 3(L) which states that all aspirants are to submit evidence of membership of the party for at least one year except a waiver is given.
“Therefore, in compliance with section 11 of same guideline stipulating the roles and responsibilities of the screening committee, we have done our job sincerely, honestly and diligently without fear or favour but we have observed that Mr. Frank Ibezim who is purported to be one of the possible flag bearers of our party, was not cleared to contest the Imo North Senatorial primary elections”, the petition read.
Sources close to Araraume claim that the ex-Senator and APGA’s Governorship candidate in the 2019 governorship election knew before time he was not Uzodinma’s choice for the vacant Okigwe senatorial seat and, then, took his political destiny in his own hands.
It was learnt that while the Uzodinma faction was putting finishing touches to the crowning of Ibezim as Imo North senatorial candidate, Okorocha’s faction, with a heavy war chest from Araraume, got some members of the APC team in the state for the primary to crown him.
Though this magazine could not confirm the veracity of it, a source also claim that it was the Okorocha/ Araraume faction that dug up Ibezim’s educational discrepancies which it supplied to the APC panel on which strength he (Ibezim) was disqualified.
The dilemma now facing the National leadership of APC is how to navigate out of the quagmire without jeopardizing chances of the party in the bye election.
A top notch of the party listed four options open to the party in resolving the logjam:
*Stick with Ibezim
*Adopt Ibezim’s disqualification
*Forward Araraume’s name as candidate
*Ditch both Araraume and Ibezim and settle for a neutral candidate
The party, The Source was informed is, however, mindful of possible legal backlash in settling for any of the four options.
For example, it recognises the Marcellinus Nlemigbo- led Imo APC faction which is loyal to Uzodinma and produced Ibezim against Okorocha/Araraume faction led by Daniel Nwafor.
There are concerns, within the party, therefore, that Ibezim’s candidacy could attract legal suits on the account of his alleged hazy academic qualifications and, if proven could rob the party of the senate seat even after victory.
On the other hand, Araraume’s candidacy could also be problematic to the party.Party sources say some elements within Imo APC have already vowed to approach the court should the party forward his name to INEC as candidate for the bye election.
“Senator Araraume’s faction is not recognized by the national leadership of our great party and, besides, he is not a member of the party; he is an APGA member”, an APC chieftain who didn’t want his name mentioned told this magazine in Owerri.
The Source has, however, gathered that Governor Uzodinma is not resting on his oars. The magazine has been told that the Imo state Governor is keeping a number of options close to his chest in the event that the unthinkable happens, and the party adopts Araraume.
“I can authoritatively tell you that its anybody but Araraume. Just watchout”, a loyalist of the Governor told the magazine.
Meanwhile, PDP’s candidate for the bye- election, Chief Emmanuel Okewulonu, has been dragged into the feud within APC over Imo North.
Some sources claim the PDP candidate is governor Uzodinma’s plan B, should Araraume get the APC ticket.
The governor is allegedly poised to support Okewulonu to win after which he will encourage him to defect to the APC. “Mark my words: Chief Okewulonu will represent Okigwe in the Senate if the APC eventually makes the mistake of giving Araraume the ticket”, one of the sources said.
In the same vein, a different source informed the magazine that Araraume, who represented the Senatorial district between 1999 and 2003 has, allegedly, sworn to ensure that Okewulonu wins the election to punish the APC, should Ibezim get the party’s ticket.
The Minister of state for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, is not just from Okigwe Senatorial district which is also called Imo North, but also hails from the same community as Ibezim. He is alleged to be the main energiser of Ibezim’s Senatorial ambition in preparation for his own gubernatorial ambition in 2023.
Nwajuba is reportedly primed at dismantling Araraume and installing Ibezim to clear the coast for his governorship ambition, the same ambition Araraume is also said to be nursing.
However, political analysts opine that though, Governor Uzodinma and Nwajiuba are currently in the same camp, and united in their resolve to enthrone Ibezim, both leaders may likely fall out before 2023 since they would be pursuing the same ambition (governorship) in the party.
Meanwhile, The Source has learnt that Governor Uzodinma’s main interest, for now, is to ensure that Araraume does not join Okorocha in the Senate to cause distractions to his government.
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