When the number of politicians aspiring for the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Imo State began to swell a few months back, some political analysts interpreted it as a sign of the high level of acceptance of the party in the state. Even when the number of aspirants hit 20 and counting, they said it was a vote of no confidence on the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and a sign that Imo citizens were looking to APGA for salvation in 2019.
There were, however, a few observers who saw the large number of governorship aspirants in the party as a bad sign. For this group, the concern was that the way the number of aspirants was growing, the party risked an implosion if the primary election and its outcome were not properly managed.
But some members of the party quickly dismissed these fears, arguing that since democracy was a game of numbers, the influx of new members into the party was a positive sign which, if properly harnessed, could translate into electoral victory for the party in next year’s governorship election. They also dismissed the fears that the party may have rancorous primaries owing to the large number of aspirants.
“First of all, I think it’s a good sign that everybody is interested in APGA. APGA is a huge tree that gives shelter to all shades of people,” Okey Ezeh, chief executive officer of Savvycorp Limited and a frontline governorship aspirant in the party, told this writer in an exclusive interview in June.
“The fact that people from other political parties are deserting their ships in droves and coming into APGA tells you that there is something they see in APGA; they can see a clear momentum with us and we welcome them, the more the merrier. Politics is about numbers. We have a critical mass of people swarming into APGA. With that, they bring goodwill; with it, they increase the momentum. The party leadership is also focused. They know that that particular momentum must be properly managed,” Ezeh said.
“A party like APGA is like a church. When you go to church, on a typical Sunday the doors of the church will be thrown open and you have the faithful trooping in, everybody is looking for salvation; they want to sit down, they want to come and worship, and nobody sends them away,” he said.
Enter Araraume
But the defection to APGA from APC, recently, of Ifeanyi Godwin Araraume, a two-time senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999-2007) and a federal commissioner in the National Communications Commission (NCC), has forced many to rethink their earlier permutations. Not even the entry of Ikedi Godson Ohakim, a former governor of the state, into the party created the kind of ripples that Araraume’s defection has created.
Araraume’s entry and his purchase of the party’s governorship nomination form has further swelled the number of aspirants that include Frank Nneji, chief executive officer, ABC Transport; Okey Ezeh, CEO, Savvycorp Limited; Sam Amadi, a former chairman of Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC); Chidi Okoro, a former managing director/CEO of UAC Foods; Stephen Nwoga, deputy national organising secretary of the party, among others.
Araraume, whom many have tagged a serial defector, was a PDP senator for eight years. Before then, he was the pioneer chairman of the then All People’s Party (APP) in the state, but abandoned APP a few weeks to the primary election to grab the PDP ticket for the Imo North senatorial seat.
His aspiration to the state governorship seat in 2007 was, however, truncated by powerful forces within the ranks of PDP. In the end, rather than have Araraume, the PDP leadership in the state went into an alliance with Ohakim, who had crossed over to Progressive People’s Alliance (PPA) after he failed to actualise his ambition in PDP. Ohakim was eventually elected governor of Imo State in 2007, with active support of PDP heavyweights.
In 2009, aggrieved Araraume left the PDP for the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and in 2011 ran for the governorship under the ACN platform but lost. In 2014, he rejoined the PDP and contested in the primary election but came second behind Emeka Ihedioha, a former deputy speaker of the House of Representatives.
With APC’s victory both at the state and federal levels in 2015, Araraume joined the APC, where he had hoped to fly the party’s flag in the 2019 governorship election. However, following disagreement between his camp and that of Governor Rochas Okorocha, who is desperately pushing to have his son-in-law Uche Nwosu as his successor, Araraume a few weeks back left the APC for APGA, where he has gone ahead to obtain the governorship nomination form.
Asset or liability?
Looking at the pros and cons of Araraume’s defection to APGA, some political analysts have said it is a good omen only to the extent that it gives the party the needed formidable force to battle Okorocha in 2019. In spite of losing his several bids to govern the state over the years, Araraume still has a lot of followership and is seen by many as a strong political force that can muster large votes, especially in his Okigwe Zone. But they are cautious to suggest that he should fly the APGA flag in 2019.
“Araraume is a force, no doubt, but I think it would be a terrible mistake for Imo APGA to hand the party’s governorship to him,” said an analyst who craved anonymity. “Imo people have rejected him several times before and may still reject him in 2019.”
Cliff Njoku, an Owerri, Imo State-based professor, in a recent article raised the alarm that Araraume’s defection to APGA had the capacity to plunge the party into crisis. That was even before the former senator formally declared for APGA.
“To be sure, Araraume would be more of an asset to any other party right now but in the current circumstances, handing the APGA’s governorship ticket to him will undoubtedly cause a reversal of fortunes for the party in the forthcoming elections,” Njoku said.
“First, the generality of the leaders of the party in the state, together with the numerous governorship aspirants in the party, will feel both insulted and short-changed. Apart from that, many of them have never seen Araraume eye-to-eye in the politics of the state; they will resist a situation whereby the obvious interpretation would be that he came and purchased them with his money,” Njoku said in the article ‘Red alert: Araraume in APGA’.
He further contended that Araraume, besides being seen by the generality of Imo people as part and parcel of the Okorocha administration which they are up in arms against on account of its abysmal performance, is “a beneficiary of the governor’s perfidy and subterfuge against the people”. Indeed, Araraume was said to have been very instrumental to Okorocha’s re-election in 2015 against the wish of the people. As such, Njoku said, Imo people would not trust him to be their governor in 2019.
“Even so, many fear that in the event that he fails to grab the APGA ticket, Senator Araraume may plunge the party into crisis, a thing he is known for. Observers believe that because of his orientation, the senator will feel very uncomfortable to remain in APGA once he fails in getting the governorship ticket and will certainly move,” he said.
With both Araraume and Ohakim, two longstanding political rivals, now in APGA and coveting the party’s governorship ticket, some also fear that the party may turn out to be a battleground between the two that may tear down the walls of Imo APGA.
But Peter Ezeobi, chairman of APGA in the state, reportedly said Araraume’s entry into the party was a welcome development that the party wished it had happened long ago.
“I am very impressed by the formidable structure of Senator Ifeanyi Araraume and I believe that with such a structure coming into our great party, APGA’s victory is assured,” he was quoted to have said.
Fear of hijack
Araraume’s entry into APGA has also rattled some governorship aspirants in the party who raised the alarm that the party has been hijacked. Araraume is believed to have the financial strength to push his way through. For instance, following reports of complaints of insufficient party membership cards after he and his Destiny Organisation members moved into APGA, Araraume was said to have donated N10 million for the printing of more cards and additional N12.6 million for sundry expenses towards the primary election.
“The moneybags are all in APGA right now. Araraume and group are taking over the space. It’s a very hard climb for us,” a top governorship aspirant in the party told BDSUNDAY in a chat.
“APGA has ceded the governorship ticket to Araraume, a moneybag from Okigwe zone. This individual, who has just dumped APC for APGA, has always contested for Imo governorship since 2007. The story around Imo State right now is that APGA is the same as APC/PDP and will bring nothing new,” the aspirant, who pleaded anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information, claimed.
Okey Ezeh, another top aspirant, however, dismissed the claim as “completely unfounded and without substance”.
“We have absolute confidence in the leadership of our party. APGA is blessed with some of the highest crop of individuals. When I say highest crop, I’m talking about in terms of integrity, in terms of patriotism, in terms of vision. The national chairman of the party, Ozonkpu Dr. Victor Ike Oye, is a fine gentleman of the highest order. He understands the principle of inclusive democracy. He is a stickler for due process,” Ezeh told BDSUNDAY in a telephone chat on Tuesday.
“There is nothing on the ground that suggests that the party has been hijacked by anybody. The short-sighted would want a situation where the door will be slammed restricting some people. Don’t forget, APGA is a political party. We want to uphold an all-inclusive policy where the party will be home to any well-meaning compatriot who wants to pursue his ambition or his philosophy with us, because we are not just a political party; we are a movement. That’s what Victor Oye’s vision is. APGA is not a political vehicle that people can just use to win election. I can assure you there is nothing like that. APGA is alive and well,” he said.
Nothing to fear, says Araraume
But contrary to fears that he would brew trouble, reports have it that Araraume has promised that even if he does not get the party’s ticket, he would support whoever emerges the party’s candidate provided the primary election process was credible.
Araraume, it was reported, also urged the leadership of APGA to ensure a level-playing ground in the selection of candidates as it would make the party come out stronger to win elections without rancour or acrimony.
As the October 4 date of party’s governorship primary election draws close, political observers are watching with keen interest to see how things will play out.
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