Challenges Facing Governor Ikpeazu
Since May 29, 2015, one Governor who has not known peace politically is Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State whose political travails has stretched for almost two years; half of his first tenure in government. Dr. Ikpeazu, from Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia South Senatorial Zone was elected under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) having survived a stiff and contest from Dr. Alex Otti who contested against him on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
Soon after he was declared the Winner of the Governorship election, his main opponent in the contest, Dr. Otti of the APGA dragged him to the election tribunal which sat in the State. Dr. Ikpeazu won at the tribunal but Dr. Alex Otti, dissatisfied with the verdict, proceeded to the Election Appeal Tribunal which sat at Owerri and on the 31st day of December 2015, the APGA candidate was declared the winner of the election.
The Governor headed to the Supreme Court where he was eventually declared the winner of the Governorship election in the State. While Ikpeazu and his supporters celebrated their victory at the Supreme Court with hope of a final reprieve of the political litigation, two members of his party, Barrister Friday Nwosu and Dr. Uche Ogah who contested and lost against him at the party’s primary election which produced him as candidate came up with a second phase of the litigation accusing the Governor of filling fake Tax Certificates and said he was incompetent to stand for the election.
Barrister Nwosu is from Obingwa, same Local Government Area with the Governor while Dr. Ogah is from Isuikwuato in Abia North Senatorial Zone of the State. The PDP had in 2015 Zoned their Governorship slot to Abia South Senatorial Zone of the State and many observers of the State politics opined that the immediate past Governor of the State, now a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria representing Abia Central Senatorial Zone at the National Assembly, Chief Theodore Orji and his son, now the majority leader of the Abia State House of Assembly, Chief Chinedum Orji (IKUKU) single handedly imposed Dr. Ikpeazu on the party and the State.
The animosity created by this impression still remains as a stigma that has continued to trail the administration of Dr. Ikpeazu as the immediate past Governor is being perceived to be hated by a section of the State which accused him of non-performance during his eight years as the Governor of the State.
While Dr. Ikpeazu battled his two party members, Barr. Nwosu and Dr. Ogah at various courts both in Owerri and Abuja, a high court presided over by Justice Okon Abang in Abuja on June 30 last year, nullified his election and declared Dr. Ogah as the winner of the election having granted the latter’s plea that Dr. Ikpeazu presented forged tax certificates to contest the governorship primary election.
Justice Abang directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue a certificate of return to Dr. Ogah and swear him in as the authentic Governor of the State. Before Dr. Ogah would arrive from Abuja to Umuahia, the Abia State Capital to be sworn-in as the Governor, Dr. Ikpeazu who had earlier scheduled a programme same day at the Abia State University, Uturu where he was supposed to deliver a special lecture abandoned everything and rushed to a High Court at Osisioma in the State to obtain an injunction restraining Dr. Ogah from being sworn-in as the Governor.
The State was thrown into a political turmoil as the State House was locked up with military Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC) stationed in all strategic positions while Dr. Ikpeazu who had been living in Aba, the commercial nerve city of the State since his election was forced to relocate to Umuahia, the State Capital.
Dr. Ogah waited in vain to be sworn-in as Governor as neither the Chief Judge of the State nor her counterpart at the Appeal Court could be found to administer the oath of office on Ogah.
Both gladiators rushed back to the Supreme Court where it is expected that a final judgment will be delivered on the matter. While both PDP contestants battled their case, Dr. Alex Otti of APGA who lost to Ikpeazu both at the election and at the Apex Court, suddenly emerged from the blues and requested to be joined in the matter.
The Supreme Court granted his plea and the trios are now awaiting their judgment which has been slated to be delivered on May 12, 2017. There is no doubt that these numerous litigations have taken its toll on the performance of the governor and development of Abia State as justified in the popular axiom “that when two elephants fight; that it is the grass that suffers”.
The setbacks occasioned by these litiga- tions and the general economic meltdown which has befallen the country are no doubt contending distractions and strong challenge facing Ikpeazu. Observers of the State politics contend that enormous resources which hitherto were meant to develop the State have been channeled into these litigations with its attendant distractions psychologically affecting performance. Analysts having weighed the current political terrain vis avis the Governor’s performance in almost two years of his administration posit that Dr. Ikpeazu remains a trail blazer who could have recorded tremendous strides had he been left alone to focus in the administration of the State.
Beside the psychology and the financial involvement of the various litigations coupled with the paucity of funds occasioned by the national economy meltdown, the Governor has been able to record tremendous strides especially in Aba, the commercial hub and other parts of the State. It is on record that the Governor has been able to construct over 67 roads within Aba and other parts of the State and it is generally believed that if the Governor can fix the infrastructural
decay in Aba, that the commercial city is capable of generating internal revenue that could be used to develop other sectors of the State.
Dr. Ikpeazu’s performance so far has whittled down the negative impression he inherited from his predecessor and his vocal promotion of made in Aba products has greatly improved his image and love amongst his people both those resident in the State and in the Diaspora. While it is obvious that Dr. Ikpeazu is battling to offset workers’ salaries in the State, he has however been able to prudently and judiciously ensure that both the welfare of workers and infrastructural development of the State do not suffer.
With the rate, spread and determination showed so far by the Governor in the administration of the State, it is generally believed that Dr. Ikpeazu has the capacity and vision that could bring about total transformation of the State. While Abians await the verdict of the Supreme Court, political analyst believe that any dislocation in present leadership of the State would drag the state back as the present Governor has proved critics wrong with his performance indices so far.
Dr. Ikpeazu’s administration in the State has so far brought peace and balanced the lopsided political equation in the State. Coming from Abia South Senatorial Zone of the State which has not produced the Governor right from the days of the old Imo State, it is generally believed that his emergence as the Governor of the State assuaged the marginalisation of the Ukwa/ Ngwa people of the State and instituted a strong political equity which was enshrined in the charter of equity adopted by the founding fathers of the State.
Apart from the fact that both Dr. Otti and Dr. Ogah who are from Abia North Senatorial Zones of the State are worthy sons of Abia State, political analysts are of the opinion that their continued engagement of political litigations against the incumbent Governor has so dragged on and now were needless as the incumbent Governor has proved that he has the capacity and ability to turn around the fortunes of the State.
Majority of Abians want political stability in the State and are of the view that any attempt to truncate the current leadership will not auger well for the State, as it could cause unimaginable chaos in addition to tearing the State apart. Residents of Aba which constitutes the highest population of the State with cosmopolitan setting cannot afford to allow any factor derail
the drive of the present administration to turn the city into the Japan and China of Africa.
Many Abians have condemned the continued litigations and blamed the State’s current economic woes and backwardness to the desperate desire of some politicians who have failed to accept defeats after each elections in the State. One thing that baffles residents and citizen of Abia State is the magic behind the peace and tranquility being witnessed in the state in spite of this turbulent political experience facing the Ikpeazu administration.
The magic may be simply found in Ikpeazu’s strong belief in the words of an astute leadership expert James M. Kouzes who once said “Values constitute your personal bottom line. They serve as guides to your action. They inform the priority you take and the decision you make. They tell you when to say yes and when to say No. They also help you to explain the choices and why you made them. If you believe, for instance, that diversity enriches conviction and service, then you should know what to do if people with differing views keep getting cut off when they offer fresh ideas. If you value collaboration over individualistic achievements, then you will know what to do when your best salesperson skips team meetings and refuses to share information with colleagues. If you value independence and initiatives over conformity and obedience, you will be more likely to challenge something your manager says, if you think it is wrong’’.
There is therefore no doubt that Ikpeazu’s ability to set up priorities in the governance of Abia State informed his sincere and candid decision to take economic revival of the state as a number one item in his administrative scale of preference. To him, while the nation’s economy is whittling down with high velocity, there is need for an urgent and aggressive march towards economic diversification. Hence, his unprecedented strides in the promotion of Made -in -Aba Goods.
Ikpeazu’s economic revival policy and its importance to the well-being of Abians cannot be overemphasised. This is because it is one area that will not only generate employment for the youths of Abia State but also increase the revenue base of the State for continued developmental programmes of other sectors; as according to Jack Welch “Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. But when you become a leader, success is all about growing others”.
Ikpeazu, as an ardent believer and preacher of the words of the Bible in Proverbs 29 v 18 which says that “where there is no vision the people perish”, he chose the path of vision. Ikpeazu proclaims, like Bejamin Disraeli, “I must follow the people, Am I not their leader? Abians in their response to Ikpeazu’s proclamation say, “We must follow our leader for he has the vision, is he not our leader?