Araraume; Greatest beneficiary of Buhari’s directives to Imo-on “vote across party lines”,

President Muhammadu Buhari, during his last visit to Owerri, Imo State capital last Tuesday January 29, 2019, created yet another history and enriched the political jargon, vocabulary and lexicology when he admonished his great party members in the state to, “vote across party lines” for any candidate of their choice. President Buhari who was reacting to the uncompromising attribute and obdurate disposal and opposition of Governor Rochas Okorocha, to any alternative choice of a governorship candidate other than his son-inlaw, Uche Nwosu was at sea on what could better assuage the frayed and jaded nerves of the dramatis personae since Okorocha’s tenacious stance has defied logic when he ignored the majority decision of party stakeholders to choose between his aspiration into the senate and his choice of Uche Nwosu in a do or die syndrome.
Both the President Muhammadu Buhari, the National Chairman of APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and major critical stakeholders and Board of Trustees (BoT), were appalled at the hedonic stance of Governor Rochas Okorocha for insisting on his son inlaw who has served him variously as Deputy Chief of Staff, Commissioner for Lands, Housing, Survey and Urban Planning and Chief of Staff, or nothing. Even with the stiff and resolute objections of his estranged Deputy, Prince Eze Madumere, his Secretary to Government, Sir George Eche, embattled Chairman of the party, Dr. Hilary Eke, the only Senator on the platform of APC in the state, Chief Ben Uwajumogu and members of the coalition against his despotic inclination which group was initially led by Distinguished Senator Ifeanyi Godwin Araraume, Okorocha would not have anything of the idea of another governorship candidate other than his son inlaw.
The instruction of the president, among other things indicates that Buhari is an incurable democrat who believes more in the wishes of the majority against the preferences of the powers that be. Buhari has therefore demonstrated that change in the real sense of it, begins with him unlike his predecessors who believe so much in a do or die political contest. Though the warring camps such as the Okorocha/Uche Nwosu on one side, the camp hope of Senator Hope Uzodinma and the Distinguished Senator Ifeanyi Godwin Araraume/APGA, on the other, hand, are laying claims to the benefit and fall outs of the presidential amnesty, the greatest prospective beneficiary of the latest instruction, may not necessarily be the governorship flag bearer of APC in Imo State, Hope Uzodinma. At the same time, the Rochas Okorocha/Uche Nwosu Agburu camp, cannot for any iota of reason, take credit nor lay claim to the benefit from the presidential order. Instead, the APGA standard bearer and political maestro of Imo State, Senator Ifeanyi Araraume stands tall and more positioned to maximize the benefits of the new political order, vote across party lines. He too, was part of the presidential strong holds in Nigeria having repositioned APC before he left for APGA under very controversial circumstances.
Even if President Buhari had in mind, to present the candidate of his APC in Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodinma, to the members at that mega rally in Owerri, and to urge them to discountenance with and disregard the provocative meddlesomeness of the irritants, Okorocha and Uche Nwosu, the moment he was confronted by the formidable presence of the Imo APGA flag bearer, Ifeanyi Araraume at the Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport Owerri, where he joined others to receive the president, despite contesting from another political platform, that alone invariably changed all that. President Muhammadu Buhari must have been reminded instantly by that latest encounter, that he is highly indebted to Senator Araraume. Going down memory lane, if not for the swift and deft intervention of Araraume who marshaled out his machineries in assisting Rochas Okorocha to return to Government House Owerri in 2015, the APC story would be a different one today. Before he pulled his “Destiny Organization Political Structure”, behind Okorocha who had almost lost the governorship re-election bid to the enfant terrible of Mbaise politics, Emeka Ihedioha, in the 2015 bye or re-run election, the Agu Isiebu, had forced the then President Elect to witness and endorse an engrossing understanding between him and Owelle Rochas Okorocha. The understanding involved joining APC with his structure, securing political appointments for his CORE loyalists as well as his desire at eventually succeeding Rochas Okorocha, in 2019.
President Buhammadu Buhari’s, latest decision to ditch his party candidates and Okorochas son-in-law, is attributed to his unprecedented and unrivalled show and spirit of gratitude to the efforts and immense contributions of Distinguished Senator Ifeanyi Araraume in enriching-the membership and popularity of APC in Imo State. Long before his entrant into APC, only a paltry 150,000 votes out of 1.7million registered and accredited voters, reluctantly voted for Buhari in the entire Imo State. The story has since then changed, with APC becoming more of a behemoth of a party in the state. No thanks to Senator Arararume.
Besides it took the political dexterity, sagacity and exploits of Distinguished Senator Ifeanyi Arararume for APC to win the Okigwe senatorial seat presently occupied by Chief Ben Uwajumogu. APC had trailed a distant third position after the PDP candidate Athan Achonu and APGA candidate Mazi Owunna before Distinguished Senator Arararume used his formidable political machinery to deliver the APC senatorial candidate after the tribunals had ordered for a re-run-election.
Arararume also played key roles in exorcising the Imo APC from the stranglehold and firm grips or clutches of Okorocha who despite his verbose claims was unable to convince the Imo electorate to embrace whole heartedly the person and office of President Muhammadu Buhari. Moreso, with APC losing out in the three senate seats in Imo State, where Okorocha sits atop, majestically and royally as emperor, founder and owner of the party Araraumes presence turned the fortunes of the party around. Though Owelle Rochas Okorocha almost hijacked Buhari to hero square and Eze Imo’s newly commissioned palace, during the last mega rally in Owerri, whereas he was commissioning gigantic projects, elsewhere, unlike in Imo State, Buhari was still able to extricate himself from the burden of ingratitude when he advised in addition that Orlu APC members must not necessarily vote for a candidate of the party in the person of Owelle Rochas Okorocha. “Voting across party lines and candidates of your choice”, means therefore, that APC members in Orlu zone must not vote for Okorocha as APC candidate for the senate. That in itself is the greatest interpretation of Buhari’s evangelism. When the vote across party lines order is juxtaposed with President Muhammadu Buharis earlier warning that governors owing arrears of pensions and gratuities despite receiving several billions of naira as bail out and Paris Club debt relief refunds should be voted out in 2019 there is no gain saying the fact that Okorocha’s inclusive among the main targets of the vote across party lines instruction.
If they must vote, then the entire APC structure in the area must celebrate, embrace and vote for the man who gave then a lifeline with his position as the National Organizing Secretary of the party, Senator Osita Izunaso or any other. Going by the reality on ground today whereby Senator Osita Izunaso looks good to emerge as the’ next senator of Orlu zone, under the APGA platform, it automatically implies that a victory for APGA in Orlu zone is by implication, and extention a sure banker and an overlapping victory for APGA in the entire Imo State, come March 2, 2019 when the governorship election is expected to hold. With Distinguished Senator Ifeanyi Arararume now certain to win in the six LGAs of Okigwe zone massively, His Deputy, Steve Nwoga’s Ahiazu Mbaise LGA, narrowly and his pretty wife’s Orlu LGA marginally, where he enjoys mass followership as a grand, accomplished and illustrious inlaw, Senator Arararume is the most hopeful and promising to benefit from the new political jargon and gospel preached by Muhammadu Buhari. In the event Orlu APC members join other Orlu electorate, to vote against Owelle Rochas Okorocha and he is defeated on Saturday February 16, 2019, the much talked about Uche Nwosu’s governorship bid, would be dead on arrival. This is because a humiliated and defeated and demoralized Rochas Okorocha will not perform anymore magic or wonders that could win for Uche Nwosu the governorship election of March 2, 2019, because the only place APC can put up a strong showing is in Orlu zone where both the governor and his son-inlaw come from.