By Charles Igbo
In Imo State, the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, and other fringe parties, especially, the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, will go to war, literally, on February 26, 2022.
It is a war declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, on Friday, January 14, 2022.
The battle is to replace Tochi Okereke, a member of the Imo House of Assembly, whose seat was recently declared vacant by the Honourable Speaker, Kennedy Ibeh.
Okereke had a suprising disgraceful outing at the Assembly during tenure.
In the past two years, 2019, 2020, he was absent from duties most of the time. And in 2021 he never showed up at all. Meaning that his Constituency had no representative in the Assembly. The votes cast for him were a waste. And his tenure, useless to the people. Not a few people wondered why his Constituency did nor recall him, instead of waiting for his seat to be declared vacant.
Since Speaker Ibeh, relying on the Constitution, declared his seat vacant, there has been no reaction from either his Party, PDP, or his Constituency, Ngor-Okpala. Most disturbing, from him, a loud silence has been the reaction.
Even though nobody knows exactly why he had not shown his face at the House of Assembly premises since 2021, unconfirmed sources allege that he is in trouble with the law in the United States of America. He is said to be, allegedly, in jail, over drug-related issues. His silence, since his seat was declared vacant, gives a more than subtle confirmation that all is not well with him.
There are a couple of reasons why the bye-election fixed by INEC for February 26 will be interesting. It is already raising tension. It is because it will be a battle of supremacy in the State between the APC and the PDP. Or, more clearly put, a battle between Governor Hope Uzodinma, and the man who was removed from office for him to become Governor, the Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha.
The Constituency where the battle will be fought is Ihedioha’s maternal home – Ngor Okpala. Okereke is said to be Ihedioha’s maternal cousin. And, Ngor Okpala, is said to be mostly PDP. The Constituency is, also, under Owerri Zone, a zone where Ihedioha is from, and where his greatest strength lies.
But there is power of incumbency. And, on that, Uzodinma is a master of the game.
It will be interesting to see if Uzodinma will defeat Ihedioha in his ( Ihedioha’s) own backyard, or if Uzodinma will allow Ihedioha to defeat him in a Zone where the APC Chairman, Dr MacDonald Ebere, comes from.
Instructively, this will be the second battle between Uzodinma and Ihedioha since the Supreme Court removed Ihedioha from office in favour of Uzodinma.
Their first battle was to replace Senator Ben Uwajimogu whose sudden death created a vacancy in the Imo North Senatorial Zone. Uzodinma came out victorious as the APC candidate, who he backed, Frank Ibezim, roundly defeated the PDP candidate, Emmanuel Okewulonu.
February 26, 2022, will decide who will come out victorious between the two men. Will it be a 2-0 or a draw – 1-1?
Meanwhile, the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, is waiting in the wings, and could spring a surprise.
Written off as dead, especially, in Imo, APGA has suddenly, come a little alive since Professor Charles Soludo’s landslide victory in the November 6, 2021, Anambra Governorship election.
