Igbokwe: I Expect a Level Playing Field inToday’s PDP Gov Primary in Abia
Nduka Nwosu
Abia State Peoples Democratic Party’s fresh governorship primary election comes up today in Umuahia following the death of Professor Uche Ikonne. Mayor Lucky Igbokwe is gunning for the ticket in a race that also has Bob Ogu, Eric Opa and Okey Ahiaiwe.
At the last primary election during which the PDP Abia State declared the late Professor Ikonne winner, Mayor Lucky Igbokwe came a distant second despite the perceived irregularities and arm twisting. Yet, Igbokwe ended up working with Ikonne as the youth ambassador for his campaign network.
Igbokwe wept when Ikonne’s family released a press statement confirming his demise to. Having come out of mourning he believes the same mistake that was made in the first primary should not be repeated today.
Right now, the governorship race has been zoned to the Isiala Ngwa LGA where Ikonne comes from, and new entrants are being admitted to take part in the race. Igbokwe has protested that this should not be allowed.
The question is who would succeed Professor Uche
Ikonne as Abia PDP Governorship candidate whose campaign trail was halted because of ill-health?
Prior to this, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) made an official statement asking the PDP Abia State chapter to conduct a fresh primary in 14 days. Elder Abraham Amah, Abia PDP Vice Chairman/Acting State Publicity Secretary, stated: “following the death of the Abia PDP gubernatorial candidate, Prof. Eleazar Uche Ikonne on January 25, 2022, and the subsequent directive by INEC, to conduct a fresh primary within 14 days to replace him, members of the Abia PDP State Caucus met and zoned the vacant Guber seat to Isiala Ngwa North Local Government Area, the home LGA of the late Prof. Uche Ikonne.”
Does zoning the primary to a local government meet the requirements of INEC in the electoral law? These interrogations are necessary to avoid litigations that will further downgrade the electoral value of the PDP in the run up to the March 10 governorship election.
Igbokwe thinks there was no reason for new entrants to be admitted in the ring where the earlier contestants should have the exclusive advantage of being the combatants in a fresh primary, lining up reasons he believes should have been considered by the PDP caucus.
The caucus members include the big stakeholders such as Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, former governor Theodore Orji, Abia House Speaker and House of Representatives aspirant Engineer Chinedu Orji, Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, former Defence Minister and Senatorial hopeful Col. (Rtd) Austin Akobundu, and the statutory members of the Abia State caucus.
One would argue Igbokwe is fighting the battle of his life in Abia politics especially knowing he has an opening, no matter how small, that can lead to a bigger window in this gubernatorial race. Igbokwe believes the decision of a few members of the party in choosing a replacement for the party’s governorship candidate in the fresh primary ordered by INEC is flawed, saying it was wrong to allow those who did not participate in the first primary into the current primary holding today Saturday 4th February.
The other side of the coin to the argument is that the party was properly represented across the geopolitical and Senatorial zones of the state. Again, those standing against the constituted membership of the caucus would argue to the contrary insisting everything being done is not in tandem with the electoral law and INEC directive.
Igbokwe notes the decision runs against the intention of the electoral law and the instruction of INEC as he tries to appeal to the Abia people to stay awake and take their destiny into their hands rather than allow a few people to decide it for them.
Would his clarion call suffice and bring victory to PDP especially with three other strong candidates-Ikechi Emenike of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alex Otti of the Labour Party and Greg Ibe of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), on the ballot box?
“My fellow Abians,” Igbokwe persuades the Abians with his clarion call, “let me explain. It can never be in the best interest of this state to force upon us candidates who have not been vetted and tested as our potential flag bearers from whom one person will emerge to face the other party flag bearers already on the campaign trail for months now in this all-important governorship election.”
According to him, “these are candidates that have not undergone the rigorous processes of formal and informal scrutiny by stakeholders and members of this party in the 17 LGAs,” noting that the essence of consultation before party declaration is to go round the local government areas, present them with your manifesto and interact with the people before primaries.
“Will seven days be enough for this consultation and campaign by these new aspirants?” Igbokwe asks.
He reminds us that the first primary was marred by irregularities which led many to withdraw from participation while some left the party. This should not be allowed to happen again, he advises. Why would the modalities for a new primary be discussed without involving the earlier participants? he asks.
The decision to zone the governorship to the Isiala Ngwa LGA is wrong, Igbokwe insists. Some have asked the question if there was any illegality or electoral infraction committed in zoning the primary to the Isiala Ngwa LGA and allowing the party caucus to take this decision on behalf of the members of the party in the 17 LGAs, considering the time lag allowed for a more comprehensive electoral exercise.
Igbokwe says due process is the necessary rule to follow and that those who have laboured to bring the Abia PDP to where it is today should not be ignored: “We invested in the party and cannot just be ignored. PDP must create room for growth and not recruit unwilling horses who did not aspire to lead in the first place
“You do not force a child who did not do well in the sciences to read medicine, otherwise he would flunk his exams. This is why Abia State has failed woefully and keeps failing. Why must it be left open for those who were not participants in the first primary?” Igbokwe notes the idea of calling for fresh candidates coming in for the primary as well as choosing some anointed candidate from Isiala Ngwa LGA is unacceptable to the majority of PDP party stakeholders
He stresses that many people might wonder why it is gravely important that the party should not be allowed to present new aspirants to this runoff election.
Igbokwe said: “Among those who either left the party for another party or withdrew from the primary contest out of frustration are Dr. Desmond Chima-Anyaso, His Excellency Right Hon. Udo Oko-Chukwu, the Deputy governor, Emma Nwaka, Professor Greg Ibe, Chief Ncheta Omeremkpe, Chief Mrs. Ezenwanyi Jonah, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, Dr Sampson Orji, Engineer Enyinnaya Nana-Nwafor. Three of us participated in the primaries – myself, Chief (Mrs.) Ezenwanyi Jonah and Professor Uche Ikonne who persuaded me not to drag the governor to court.”
Igbokwe said he would contest the idea of calling for fresh candidates coming in for the primary as well as choosing some anointed candidate from Isiala Ngwa LGA.
Igbokwe criticised the decision of a few members of the party to choose a replacement for the party’s governorship candidate as well as allowing new contestants to join those who took part in the first primary. As the governorship aspirant put it, the decision runs against the intention of the electoral law and the instruction of INEC that the election should be conducted in 14 days.
According to him: “Festus Okoye the INEC National Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education Committee has stated, the election is still one month away, and the State’s ruling party PDP has a window to conduct a fresh primary within 14 days of Ikonne’s death. This call is for due process to be followed by conducting a rancour free fresh primary as INEC has instructed. I urge the governor to do the needful so that there would be minimum reason for any kind of objection to the outcome of the primary.”
He is sad that, the previous primary was marred by irregularities and many people withdrew from the contest.
“The few who voted for me despite the obstacles placed on my part, gave me a second place. Ikonne and I had a good chemistry that brought us together. My mobilsation skills came to the fore and it was a beautiful work experience though very short. This fresh primary ideally should have been restricted to the earlier participants, not new ones.”
Why would a fresh primary be discussed without involving the earlier participants? He asks.
The important question in the minds of the many who still love PDP is whether the ordeals the party has gone through currently and in the past, would put it in good stead winning the governorship race come March 10, 2023? All that the party has as an advantage is incumbency over the opposition and a possible numerical strength from the Ngwa clan over the other Senatorial zones.
The long-awaited future is here and the question in the lips of Abia citizens is: will the PDP be allowed to continue with more than two decades of non-performance, or will the citizens rise and give it a sack notice?
Can Igbokwe and the new generation of PDP aspirants in today’s election continue from where Ikpeazu and the others left it, in an inevitable rescue mission? Their manifesto will speak volumes and Igbokwe has promised he has so much to offer when the chips are down.
