Recently, I undertook a study of some blue-chip companies around the world.  I discovered that most American companies that started small gradually grew to become world multi nationals. These companies operate in telecommunication industry, manufacturing, content development and other sectors of the economy.
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Further study also established a strong nexus between reward system and astronomical growth of these establishments. When real American company employs you, it owns you so that you can own it. All your entitlements are effortlessly provided. This exclude the huge prospect of rising to the top echelon of the organization, especially if you persist with the company as it struggles through its teething stages.
There is usually a payback time for hard work!
It is therefore, not surprising that such organization, which probably, started in one in one room apartment and perhaps by a single individual, such as Microsoft, rose to become leading light in their chosen sector. The staff will work out their heart to protect the company and make it grow.
But the case is different in Nigeria. Businesses are started with millions of naira only to go down the drain years later. Greed, selfishness, incompetence and twisted procedural system account for such failures. People who have no background knowledge of such organization are usually brought from nowhere to run the establishment.
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My interest in this piece is not on corporate organizations but politics. I had to refer to the above, because the behavioral pattern of Nigerian businessmen can be appropriately situated in the way political parties in Nigeria function. No wonder the great parties of yesterday have become a ghost of themselves.  It is only in Nigeria political parties that deep pocket has become the only consideration for who gets what.
Party loyalty, hard work, consistency and belief in party philosophy have been swept under the carpet. New entrants influence the party leadership at the top with unimaginably financial inducement. This influence trickles down the  party and before you say jack, the new entrants have taken over the party structure.
This has become a common occurrence in Nigeria politics and we have also seen what become of such parties. To bring this discussion down home, in Imo today, the only party that has been positioned either by destiny or circumstances to deliver the people from years of suffering and misrule is the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA). This is evident in the quality of governorship aspirants and indeed those vying for other electable positions.
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APGA has thrown up qualified technocrats, with deep knowledge of budgetary processes and quality representational acumen to give our people voices in national discourse both at the House of Representative and Senate.
It is in the light of the above, that I will not relent in calling the attention of the party to the banana peels that have caused the down fall of most political parties in Nigeria. For those who are conversant with my writings on APGA, I have been consistent with only one sermon: party delegates must ensure that party tickets do not fall into the hands of political opportunists. Those who jump into the fray to achieve their political ambitions without minding what the party becomes in the future.  I will therefore list two classes of people that should not be allowed to pick APGA ticket in the forth-coming general election.
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The first class are those known for junketing from one political party to another. They were in APGA yesterday, moved to APC today, then to PDP and may head back to APGA tomorrow. Such people are rapaciously ambitious and will certainly move to another party even if they win election under APGA.
These people will consider themselves now too big for APGA and suddenly realize that the party is a regional or cultural party. We have seen this happened in Imo. Governor Rochas Okorocha won APGA ticket in 2011 and finally became the governor in that platform.
Unexpectedly, he realized that he needed a national party and cross carpeted to APC.
His exits almost crumble Imo APGA. It is only a fool that will stumble twice the same stone.
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The party however, must be grateful to this crop of entrants for coming to uplift the party. But they must wait for their turn.
There is this second class that must not become the party flag bearers. They are those who probably have not left the party since they joined but, have remained aloof to the party’s challenges. They close their eyes to the various needs of the party but hopped into the ring to clinch the ticket for governorship, senate or whatever. They are not good party members. The delegates must use their votes to make strong statement.
For APGA to move forward, the truth must be told. I will therefore use two aspirants to explain the type of party members that should fly the party tickets. They are Mr. Okey Ezeh and Chief Mike Nwachukwu.
Mr Okey Ezeh is aspiring to become the governor of Imo state from2019. This consummate technocrat has being a true party man who remained with the party even when there was no reason to do so. He remained because the blood of APGA flows in his vein. He was not just a sit-down –dey look member; he continues to deploy his resources to support the party when almost all the so call party stalwarts couldn’t see any hope in the party and to other political parties.
Although he had terrible experience during the 2015 APGA governorship primary which he contested, yet he did not leave but choose to remain to rebuild the party.
Okey Ezeh is eminently qualified to be governor given his experience, global worldview, passion, selflessness and education. Although this piece is not aimed at campaigning but, suffice to say that Okey Ezeh’s aspiration is eloquent testimony of God’s remembrance of Imo people for transparent, effective and efficient governance. He has all it takes to deliver Imo from the ashes. I therefore wonder why any delegate will think twice in choosing Okey Ezeh.  .
Those who just came from one party or the other and are contesting for the said position are welcome but should wait to learn the party’s philosophy.
The onus is therefore on the delegates to decide what they want. Collect money and enjoy for a while but suffer all the way, or, vote their own and build for posterity.
