BY NONSO NWOKEJI
A “fourth force” is likely to emerge in the political arena of Imo State on or before the 2019 governorship election.
This is the take of a socio political group, the Imo Awareness Coalition, ICA who predicted that based on the current political situation in the state, a “fourth force” might spring up before the 2019 elections and possibly “create the biggest political surprise in the state”
In a statement signed by its co- coordinator, Emmanuel Iwueze, the group claimed that it based its prediction on a recent survey it conducted across the State. It said the survey was carried out across the 27 local governments of the and provided “revealing answers to the huge socio economic burden of the people and the perception of a greater majority of Imolites ahead of the 2019 governorship elections”
It stated that its judgement flowed from the outcome of a similar survey it had conducted last year which clearly indicated that Imolites are in search of a credible governor in 2019 no matter the political party that produce such a governor.
Part of the statement reads “A Fourth Force may be embraced by the people in the 2019 elections. The Force will not be a new political party rather it will be one of the already registered political parties that will serve as a platform for the congregation of new set of politicians. It is almost the same scenario of what we have at the national level where aggrieved persons are heading to Obasanjo’s Coalition for New Nigeria”
It said those factors that aided Obasanjo’s letter to President Buhari are “somewhat obtained in Imo State though in a different manner and in a different setting”
The ICA said the three parties- APC, PDP and APGA in Imo state have been taken over by vested political interests that will lead to either implosion, intra party squabbles.
“The three major political parties in Imo State are already over charged. There may be a spill over of these unfortunate situation before the election” it stated
“The succession plan of the governor and the veiled attempt by other political forces not to allow the Governor to produce a successor are cumulative factors eroding cohesion in the party” it stated apparently referring to the political situation in Imo State APC.
“The PDP is already enmeshed in a political crisis because the party is so polarized. APGA has become a political refuge for aggrieved politicians who have left the PDP and the APC. This makes it a recipe for chaos depending on how it manage its Primaries” he said
The Coalition further predicted that only a fourth force that will serve as a rallying point for the aggrieved will make a difference in the next political dispensation in the state.
“The Fourth force in Imo has nothing to do with the one proposed by former President Olusegun Obasanjo. The Fourth Force may evolve through a process- a process that may metamorphse into a rallying point for the people” the group stated
“ We are not promoting any political party rather we envisage a mass movement of persons into a new party with a great force. This is dependent on how the three big political parties manage the crisis that may come up in their parties. If crisis overtake all the major parties, then it may be a recipe for a fourth force in Imo” the group stated