APGA Primaries: Why I will go on exile, if Okey Ezeh is denied ticket

I mo politics is replete with stories of people who threatened to go on exile if A or Z candidate wins or loses election. The recent story that hit newspaper headlines was when Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, governorship aspirant on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, visited a ward in Owerri Municipal Council as part of his consultation exercise.
After his address, journalists accosted Dr Josiah Odunna, one of the major political voices in the state to seek his views on the visit. Dr Odunna came in solidarity with Emeka Ihediona. For reasons, I cannot place my hands on now, Dr Odunna told the gentle men of the press that he will go on exile if Senator Samuel Anyanwu (Sammdaddy), another aspirant in the same party, wins the governorship election in Imo state. That statement got screaming headlines in the newspapers. Of course, there were follow up reactions for and against. Another issue that caught my attention happened during the 2015 governorship election. One of my friends, a professional colleague, vowed to go on exile if Governor Rochas Okorocha who was contesting for second term wins.
His reason for the extreme decision was hinged on his fore knowledge of the unbearable suffering Imo people will undergo if he wins. True to his words, immediately Rochas was declared the winner, he fled from the state. Guess to where? Ghana.
I got in-touch with him two years later through his Whatsapp line and he confirmed to me that he left for Ghana and had been there since ever. He preferred to stay away rather than share in the looming sufferings that enveloped the state. Just like his prophesy, the second coming of Governor Rochas Okorocha is a chastisement on Imo people.
When the suffering was unleashed on the people, it became too late to check out, for those who wanted to, because virtually everybody became so pauperized to afford transport fare out of the state. My friend is indeed an unclaimed prophet. He has however returned to the state to help elect a credible governor in 2019.
The same scenario has occurred again and Imolites have issued same threat. But this time around the threat is coming earlier than usual, perhaps because of the .innumerable hardship in the state. Imo people are no longer waiting for who wins at the general election, but are anxious to know who wins APGA tickets, especially the governorship. A number of them at different instances have taken time to .institute investigations on the background, competence, sincerity and managerial skills of those who have shown up for governorship in that party. I was reliably informed that the results they arrived at points towards particular candidate as best qualified base on their assessment criteria.
Also, a group of Christian faithful who felt the pang of the suffering masses also conducted opinion polls at their own cost on who among the guber aspirants in APGA is more suitable to govern Imo. Again, the result points at the same person, Sir Okey Ezeh. The results are in public domain and can be made available on demand.
Having got to this point of findings, I heard that the groups went into the quietness of their hearts to talk fervently to God to make their findings come true.
But there is unease because rumor filtered in that the leadership of the party was planning to anoint a particular new entrant into the party as their governorship candidate. It was further learnt that processes have been put in place to ensure an orchestrated primary where the favoured aspirant will emerge in a make believe scenario.
This unconfirmed information spurred some of these concerned Imolites to inadvertently decide to stage a protest march to APGA national and state headquarters against any form of imposition. While others vowed to go on self exile if the evil thing [delegates buying and imposition of candidate! that has kept Imo down for years rears its ugly head again. It is at this juncture that I choose to join later. That is, those who opted for exile.
My reasons are simple: I know so much of Sir Okey Ezeh’s .ability to deliver Imo from misery and economic penury. I am fully aware that the blue print on how to make Imo economy viable, which was a painstaking result of experts who were commissioned by Sir Okey Ezeh, is ready waiting for implementation. He committed huge resources to this study long before now. I know all these because I did my own study on him and other governorship aspirants.
With this information at my disposal, I will undergo psychological trauma of immense proportion if I remain in the state and watch the arm twisting and politics that will usher in a wrong candidate for APGA.
The best option for me will be to check out and join like minds on self imposed exile. But Thank God it was all a rumor. APGA leadership under Barr Peter Eze Obi has proven to be above board.
The question that one may wish to ask is why has APGA suddenly become the cynosure of all eyes? How come attention is more on APGA primaries? The answers are simple. Imo people earnestly yearn to change the change. The suffering is suffocating. Hunger, lack of access road, poor quality education, non payments of salaries, pensions and gratuities have become a norm. All facets of the economy have totally collapsed.
The government of the day had lost grip and is bereft of ideas. The only hope for Imo is All Progressive Grand Alliance. Peoples Democratic Party had tried and failed, APC had crumbled like a pack of cards APGA is at this time the beckon of hope.
No wonder politicians are rushing in droves to the party, all wanting to vie for one elective position or the other. Imo people are seriously concerned about how the party conducts its affairs.
The worry is, if APGA misfires in its primaries, Imo is doom. The implosion that will arise will be unmanageable and the state will move fast to the back.
That is why Imo needs a true technocrat a loyal party man with traceable positive antecedent of performance. Above all, a man whose desire to make Imo great dates back to politics. It is not surprising that Imo people clamour for Sir Okey Ezeh. He is in the class of best brains, sound technocrats, academic Excellence, humane and modest personality.
It is men in the breed of Okey Ezeh that has turned round Anambra State’s economy and working hard to sustain and improve on it.
It started with Ngige, professional medical doctor who was never a former political this or that but came in with technocratic prowess, the results are self evident. Former governor Peter Obi, a banker of repute, set unbeatable record that put the economy of Anambra on the path of steady Growth. Governor Willie Obiano is on the saddle now.
Another banker who has sustained the tempo of economic buoyancy. These men before they came on board were never former senator, former speaker, former governor, former minister etc. They simply came in as professionals who ran multi million naira companies and managed men of high expertise. That is exactly who Okey Ezeh is.
That is why I joined other well meaning Imolites to plead on APGA executives, the party members and the would-be delegates to ensure that the enabling environment is created for credible primary election in the interest of our children.
The delegates should consider all the required criteria for good governance which include sound managerial ability, listening ear, team spirit, ingenuity, broad general world view, sound academic, and fear of God. They must go for a true party man, a man who has remained with the party in its travails, a man who did not leave the party when it was convenient and fashionable to do so, but continues to render support both in. cash and kind, the man who shared the pains when it was difficult to pay party office rent and staff salaries.
No matter the arguments for joining the party, aspirant whose aim is to use APGA as vehicle to win election must be shunned. APGA delegates and executives at all levels -must not see this as opportunity to make money. They should rather see this as an opportunity to build the state by offering free and fair primaries. If they doubt the consequences of a compromised primary they should ask those who witnessed PDP primaries in 2015.