With the outcome of Congresses of the All Progressive Congress, APC in Imo State which titled against Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, political pundits have continued to speculate on the next political move of the Governor.
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The Imo Governor was routed at the congresses, losing the soul of the party to the “Allied Forces” a group of politicians opposed to him. This development has certainly put the Imo Governor in a fix.Losing the party structure is detrimental to his political game-plans now and in the future.
For a Governor that has continuously flaunted his real and imaginary contribution to the growth and success story of the APC in the country, it is shocking how the soul of the party was taken off from his grip. If the situation remain so, then Okorocha’s political road map now and in the future is on downward slide. His 2019 plans is also at risk. He had single handedly “allocated” the governorship seat to his son in law, Uche Nwosu, himself for Orlu senatorial seat and other elective positions to his political surrogates.
This sparked up the rage in his political opponents who moved swiftly to “cage” him by grabbing the soul of the party from his grip during the congresses. He understood the depth of his opponents action which made him go to Daura to seek the aid of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Okorocha had moved so aggressively to curtail the rampaging moves of the “Allied Forces” in Imo APC but it appears his efforts were seemingly frustrated by the national leadership of the party which on the surface appears to be giving acquiescence to the processes that produced the party leadership at the ward, LGA and State levels in the State.
Several options may be popping up on the mind of the Governor after he suffered that resounding defeat in the scramble for the soul of Imo APC.
Leaving the APC may sound so attractive but its disadvantages outweigh its advantages for Okorocha. This will lead to squandering his much obsessed presidential ambition in 2023. Nigeria’s political history has shown only political parties with a national outlook has been able to produce the nation’s President.Can he afford to embrace a political party that has limited ability to catapult his presidential dreams?
Okorocha is known to have flirted with several political parties in the past and went extra mile to form the Action Alliance, AA.His romance with APGA ended abruptly after he used the platform to become Imo State Governor.He had described the party in derogatory terms saying it is a cultural organization.
Dumping the APC will thoroughly reduce his capacity to produce a successor in 2019 and possibly lead to massive decampment of his political followers who may quickly realign with the Allied Forces to realize their political aspirations in the State.
His inability to build political goodwill outside the APC is also another major flaw of the Imo Governor. He had boasted that he will retire some top politicians in the State, a statement which did not go down well with the political elite irrespective of political leanings in the State. They seem to have congregated against him and have become die hard political opponents who have risen against his choice of his son in law, Uche Nwosu as his successor.
Okorocha may just have to wait for a new leadership of the party to emerge at the June 2 national convention. Perhaps, the leadership may be disposed to listen to his pleas and possibly “re order” things in the party in Imo State considering the manner congresses of the party were held.
This is Okorocha’s trump card but in the event such scenario does not play out, he may remain in the APC and possibly his son in law may seek political refuge elsewhere to realize his political ambition. Only time will tell.