Dissenting voices as Okorocha names Nnamani South-East APC leader
The South-East zone is gradually becoming a stakeholder in the All Progressives Congress (APC) with many of its leaders, who were either members of the former ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) or the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) now trooping
At the South East APC stakeholders’ meeting held on January 28th 2017 at the International Conference Centre Owerri, Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha, made a pronouncement that henceforth Senator Ken Nnamani, a former president of the Senate, was the leader of the party in the region.
Before the stakeholders meeting, there had been a gale of defection to the APC in the SouthEast, a development that somehow kick-started vigorous political activities at a time the ruling party is yet to mark its second anniversary.
The defections therefore marked a new era of realignment in the region where only Okorocha is the governor from the ruling party. Of the five states in the South-East, APC holds sway in only Imo State, while the PDP controls Abia, Ebonyi and Enugu states, with the APGA in charge of Anambra.
At present, political chieftains in almost all the states are gradually shifting their “loyalty” to the APC.
Ordinarily, Okorocha, being the chairman of the Progressives Governors Forum, apart from being the governor of Imo State, should “seamlessly” assume the leadership of the party in the region.
However, analysts believe that his decision to “choose” Nnamani as the leader was not only meant to respect the Igbo tradition of respecting elders and giving them their due respect, but to score a big political point.
Nnamani is a new entrant to the APC and therefore many party stalwarts believe that “it would be premature” for him to wear the crown of leadership overnight without comprehensively paying his due of nurturing the party.
Other notable personalities that defected to the APC recently include a former governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu; a former governor of the old Anambra State, Jim Nwobodo; Senator Andy Uba; former Senators Ifeanyi Ararume, John Nwanunu, Nkechi Nwaogu, Fidelis Okoro, Chris Agboti and a member of the House of Representatives, Tony Nwoye.
A former Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Eugene Odo and many others have also defected to the APC alongside hundreds of their supporters.
It is therefore a season of harvest for the APC in the SouthEast, prompting series of meetings in various places with those who defected strategizing on how their voices could be heard at the centre.
Those present at the stakeholders meeting where Okorocha endorsed Nnamani also include business mogul Emeka Offor, Chiefs George Muoghalu, Tony Eze, Ebuka Onunkwo, Jombo Offor, Eze Madumere, members of the National Working Committee of APC and other prominent politicians in the zone
Okorocha, in his speech, recalled that there was a vacuum of leadership in the South-East APC, adding that he is governor, while his two brothers - Chris Ngige and Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu are ministers, hence the importance of Ken Nnamani coming at this time.
He said that with Nnamani, the question of who is the leader of the APC in the South-East has been answered.
Surprisingly, no stakeholder from the zone during the event reacted in disagreement with the pronouncement; rather, the governor’s endorsement was received with ovation by the same stakeholders in the hall, signaling that they agreed with his anointment of Nnamani.
But complains, grumbling and disenchantment erupted the following day, with many that were not comfortable with what the Imo governor said disagreeing with his choice.
The Ebonyi State chapter of the APC said Okorocha was on his own.
The party, which described the development as “a huge joke” added that Okorocha’s statement was intended not only to ridicule the status of the party in the South-East zone, but also to cause unnecessary disaffection among members.
The acting chairman of the party in the state, Nwachukwu Eze, said “For the avoidance of doubt, we state unequivocally that Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu remains the number one APC leader in Igbo land. He did not only found the APC but has remained resolute in building on the gains of the merger that brought the party into existence.
“Senator Ken Nnamani, a leader in his own right, should be wary of the likes of Okorocha who seek to destroy him. In the first place, leaders are not appointed by fiat. It is common knowledge that leaders evolve over time where their qualities become glaring that they naturally ease into the leadership role,” he said.
But a stakeholder of the party in Owerri, Prince Charles Amadi, said Okorocha’s statement on Nnamani was very clear, insisting that it was in line with the constitution of the APC.
He said that being the former No 3 citizen in the country automatically bestows on him the leader of the party in the region now that he has joined the ruling APC.
He said that by his position, Nnamani is both a member of the Board of Trustees (BoT) as well as a member of the national Caucus of the party.
“These two esteemed positions are enough to make him the leader of the APC in the South-East,” he said.
He said that presently, the former leaders of the party such as Ngige and Onu are already involved in serious national assignments, a development that would make it difficult to concentrate on nursing the party in the region.
On what the people would expect from Nnamani, he said he should carry everybody along and use his clout to bring federal presence to the zone, which would translate to gaining more votes and producing executive governors in the remaining four states of the zone.
The chairman of the APC in Imo State, Chief Hilary Eke, said there was nothing wrong with the governor’s pronouncement concerning Nnamani becoming the leader of the party.
Chief Eke regretted that people got the governor’s message wrong; adding that already Okorocha is the leader of the APC and if he says Nnamani should join him, there was nothing wrong about that.
Pundits say unless the South-East players put their acts together, it would be difficult for them to make any gain out of their “marriage” with the ruling government and if the leadership tussle continues till 2019, they would have little to tell the electorate.
Analysts believe that his decision to “choose” Nnamani as the leader was not only meant to respect the Igbo tradition of respecting elders and giving them their due respect, but to score a big political point.