A survey conducted by Imo Awareness Coalition, a socio political group, has revealed that majority of the people of Imo State are willing to vote for anyone they consider credible as the next Governor of the state in 2019.
According to the group in its preliminary report, showed that majority of Imolites have placed less emphasis on which political party should produce the next governor.
“There is less emphasis on which political party should produce the next governor of the state in 2019. There is noticeable growing resentment for political parties as well. They believe political parties only serve as vehicles for aspirants and politicians to realize their ambitions” part of the report stated.
The survey according to the group was conducted in the three geo political zones of the state and respondents are within the age of 18-65 years with male and female in equal proportion.
Part of the summary of the report stated “From the responses, the people are looking forward to someone they can trust and not a chip of the old block. They are fed up with the old order. But the new-breed politicians ought to work hard as there will be close attention by the electorateon their antecedents and capacity to govern. Youths are in support of generational shift at the helm of governance of the State but it has to be one who earn their confidence and support”
“Politicians are gradually losing the confidence of the masses. There is rising apprehension among the voting populace that politicians have failed as they are seen as those who come to beg for their votes during elections,do whatever they like when they succeed and abandon those who elected them thereafter”
“To be candid the survey reveal a huge apathy towards political parties and politicians in the State. A level of disinterest in politics has crept in among the people. There is a dangerous observation which showed they are after what they can get from politicians before the polls as they believe those they elect eventuallyabandon them when they get elected”
“Imo people seem to be fed up with the old names in politics and now seek for new faces and an untainted character devoid of political blemishes to take over the saddle of governance of the State in 2019. Such a character must not necessarily be a politician but one who has comprehensive grasp of the problems bedeviling the state. At the moment, none of the aspiring politicians have caught their fancy or have filled this yearning. None of the aspirants have connected with the people at the moment. May be by next year this worrisome scenario will change when more aspirants emerge. This may snowball to more apathy towards all category of politicians and political parties in the State”
The report stated “This does not mean they are oblivious of what is going in the political arena of the State. There is an unwritten consensus among the people to be vigilant during the 2019 elections. Their welfare is of great concern to them as a result of biting economic hardship in the country and the State.Their lamentations of economic hardship and reductionism have diminished their appetite for politics at the moment and increased their disdain for governance”
“At the moment, there is no clear sight of who they want to be the next governor of the State but they are determined to take part in the polls to get whom they want to be their leader. This creates room for a “mass movement” approach that may evolve before the elections depending on how convinced they are about a particular aspirant”
“It is important to state that no governorship aspirant at the moment commands mass appeal in Imo State except party members, political loyalists, hangers on and beneficiaries of such aspirants. This may change before the general elections and how political parties manage their Primary”
“Based our findings, political parties will not go a long way to influence the majority of Imolites on who become Imo State Governor in 2019. The charm, character, ability to perform and more importantly antecedents of a governorship aspirant will be huge factors that will determine who takes over in 2019”
On the quest for zoning of the governorship, the IAC report stated “The agitation is elitist. It was a binding factor among the people of Owerri zone in the past. The scenario is changing now as absence of credible leaders and the incoherence of the political elites is weakening the agitation among people of Owerrri zone. The next elections will be determined by the people who are showing determination to go to the polls and vote their choice”
“ Imposition of a candidate as governor of the state will backfire. The willpower to resist is evident.There is a rising consciousness among the populace that they will not be taken for granted again” the IAC report stated.
