South-East leadership: Can Okorocha deliver?

A reception held in Lagos weekend in honour of Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, challenged the governor to provide the needed leadership for Ndigbo in the new political dispensation. However, the All Progressives Congress stalwarts in the South West, stayed away from the event.  OBINNA EZEGWU reports

At a glance, Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State appears to be the only politician among the current set of Igbo leaders who is relentlessly pushing his way into the country’s mainstream national politics. As former presidential aspirant, he is easily the most recognizable presidential material in the entire South East geopolitical zone.

The journey for Okorocha has not, nonetheless, been a smooth one. It has always been a journey of ups and downs. He had failed in his initial attempts to govern Imo State, and even when he raised his game and started gunning for presidency, his quest was met with more failures.

But in 2011, he once again ran for Imo governorship seat on the platform of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA). His luck would shine this time and in that year’s governorship election, he beat the then incumbent governor, Ikedi Ohakim in a keenly contested election to become governor.

His victory in 2011 was symbolic in a sense. The election had pitted the generality of Imo people who wanted change against the political class which was bent on maintaining the status quo with Ohakim in power. In the end, the power of the masses prevailed. Although, it has to be said, Ohakim was mainly the architect of his own destruction. He was said to have performed below expectations as governor.

“Ohakim achieved next to nothing throughout his four years in office as governor, he was only enriching himself at the expense of the people. That’s why he was voted out,” said Igbokwe Mary, an Imo resident.

There was indeed a general disaffection with the former governor at the time and when the allegations of assault on a Catholic priest by his entourage in a predominantly Roman Catholic state emerged, it was effectively to mark the end of his quest for second term. His continued stay in office was perhaps only a question of whether or not the 2011 election would be free and fair.

However, one important factor that helped Okorocha to power was his decision to join APGA which had taken Anambra State and was beginning to assume the status of an Igbo political party. One that would rival the then Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN ), which had swept almost all the states in the South West geopolitical zone in terms of regional appeal.

This emerging status of APGA was mainly boosted by the fact that it had the backing of the late Dim Emeka Ojukwu, a man the Igbo generally hold in high esteem even in death and it was largely a time when the Igbo were beginning to think that they needed a party they could identify with and APGA was fast assuming that position. Senator Osita Izunaso re-echoed this fact last week when he noted that it would have been much easier for Okorocha to win re-election if he had remained with APGA.

His victory under the party’s platform in 2011 was widely viewed as a good development. When the governor eventually dumped APGA for the All Progressive Congress (APC), following the merger of opposition parties in 2013, a lot of people who had been hoping that APGA would grow to become the dominant party in the South East were disappointed.

Nze Elvis Agukwe, the state’s former commissioner for information described the defection as betrayal of Ndigbo. “He was elected under APGA which is a symbol of Igbo strength. What did he do? He betrayed APGA,” he stated in an interview.

This disappointment was even more because the new APC was generally seen as a northern agenda to wrestle power from former President Goodluck Jonathan who, even though is not Igbo, was regarded as a cousin by the Igbo.

Okorocha by implication, instantly became the enemy of his own people, embroiled in verbal spat with Victor Umeh, he was quickly passed off as a betrayer, one who was out to work against the interest of his own people. Not surprising therefore, that even when he ran alongside President Muhammadu Buhari, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, former Kano governor; Atiku Abubakar and others for the APC presidential ticket, he was not able to attract support from the Igbo who had made up their minds to support Jonathan and clearly did not see any future for themselves in the APC.

His abysmal failure at the party’s presidential primary held last year clearly showed his lack of home support. The South East had decided it was for Jonathan with even Ohanaeze Ndigbo stating that the zone would swim or sink with the former president.

After he lost out in the party’s presidential primary, Okorocha wisely ran back to take the APC governorship ticket. And in the 2015 election, he eventually overcame PDP’s Emeka Ihedioha in a fierce and closely contested election which like in 2011went into re-run polls. This time, Okorocha’s saving grace was his record as governor. He is generally adjudged to be a performing governor, at least better than both Achike Udenwa and Ohakim before him. This saw a good number of Imo people rally behind him not minding the APC.

The victory of Buhari at the presidential election has no doubt vindicated the governor as the South East would have entirely lost out in the present political arrangement. He had notably pointed out while leaving APGA that he was joining a party that would better help him realize his ambitions.

There is now a growing assertion that his status as the only governor of the ruling APC in the South East puts him in a position to lead the zone politically. It was in this light that the South East forum of the party in collaboration with the Imo Liaison Office in Lagos organized a reception in his honour at the National Arts Theatre, Ijora Lagos on Saturday. But more importantly, the event was meant to foster understanding between the South East and South West leaders in the party.

The organizer and the Imo liaison officer in the state, Alfred Onobugbo explained that it is was an opportunity to celebrate APC leaders in the South East as well as interact with those in the South West.

“We as Ndigbo have deemed it necessary to use this opportunity to celebrate our leaders and those we look up to politically. Our party’s victory has proven that the decision of our leaders to embrace the coalition at the point they did was well informed and thoroughly thought out.” Onobugbo said.

“So we have decided to celebrate our victory and also use it to interact with our leaders in the South West whose sacrifices ensured that the APC become the ruling party in the country.”

At the event held on Saturday, various speakers such as Senator Osita Izunaso; Anselm Njoku, leader of Igbo APC Lagos and foremost economist, Prof Pat Utomi extolled the leadership qualities of Okorocha and praised his foresight in joining the APC at the time he did. Utomi particularly charged him to provide the needed leadership that is presently lacking in Igbo land.

“We live in remarkable times, we live in times of change and a great nation, the Igbo nation is a nation that has an identity that can be affirmed even in the time of change. The challenge for anyone who has the challenge of leadership in Igbo land at this time in our history is to rise to be part of that change,” Utomi said.

“The Igbo people have been known for hard work and brother-loving. The Igbo people have been known to be resilient; we overcome circumstances. It is time for change, and this change is rooted in the fact that the Igbo people are a justice seeking people.

“In the age of impunity, the Igbo people were not making the kind of progress that we would have made. Therefore, the Igbo were for change,” he said.

“The consequence of this is that we must go back to find role models. Models like Dr. Michael Okpara. Dr. Okpara personified integrity, he personified the hard work of the Igbo people and a vision that Igbo can overcome everything and in 1964, he could boast that if you cut out Eastern Region from Nigeria, it would be the fastest developing economy in the world. So I challenge you (Okorocha ), talk time has passed. It is time for action.”

The question however is whether the governor appreciates this role, but even more importantly, if he can indeed play it. Speaking at the same event, he affirmed his readiness to lead the Igbo nation politically. “We have to resolve to open a new chapter in the political life of Ndigbo, and if there be a worthy partner in that new chapter, I volunteer myself as a worthy champion,” Okorocha said.

But has he been acting as one who could lead the Igbo in this regard?  What seems obvious now is that a good number of Igbo people still see him as a betrayer. This probably explains why he is often the subject of abuse among the Igbo on various online platforms. He has been the most ridiculed governor by Radio Biafra and the governor himself has not, in the opinion of many made efforts to endear himself to his people.

Throughout his first tenure, he was said to have attended meeting of South East governors’ forum only twice. He was also said to be having a rift with former governor of the old Abia State, Ogbonnaya Onu over nomination for the post of Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, which might have explained why he sacked former Imo State University Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ukachukwu Awuzie shortly after he sponsored a full page advertorial congratulating Onu on his doctorate degree award. Not surprising therefore that the former Abia governor snubbed the Saturday’s event despite being one of those expected.

In his home state of Imo, Okorocha has been locked in a long battle with several traditional rulers. He generally doesn’t seem to have understood the importance of having strong support from the home front in politics. Interestingly, if any development would help the governor understand this, then the same event held at the national theatre would do it.

While it was supposed to be an avenue for Okorocha to establish goodwill with individuals like former Lagos governor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu; Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo; Governor Akinwumi Ambode of Lagos as well as his Ogun State counterpart, Ibikunle Amosun, who were all duly invited for the occasion, none of the personalities deemed it necessary to attend even though it was held at their backyard.

Amosun sent his state’s deputy governor, Mrs. Yetunde Onanuga who stayed briefly and left. Neither Ambode nor Osinbajo sent any representatives. And Tinubu could only send Okorocha’s own brother. This perhaps shows that he is not regarded highly by these leaders which can probably be related to the fact that he has not attracted much support from the home front.

Utomi had remarked, perhaps in view of the above that there was trouble and consequently charged Okorocha to up his game. And in what seemed like the governor has begun to understand the importance of working with his people, he explained that he was already partnering with other South East governors.

“The good news today is that I am working with my brothers, the governors of Abia, Enugu, Ebonyi and Anambra states. We are working together for the first time in history of Igbo politics, devoid of party affiliations. We have seen a reason to work together,” he said.

“I want to announce to you that we are planning to build the first economic hub in the South East. We are commercial people; we are a people who stay under the sun and in the rain day and night. We are a people who have refused to beg for bread in this nation. Mostly misunderstood but you can’t do without us.”