With the recent signing of the Electoral Bill into law which has made it the Electoral Act 2022 (as amended), the Presidential and National Assembly elections would be held in February 2023. This means that the National Assembly election is less than one year from now. According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), party primaries for the nomination of candidates would start from April 4 and ends on June 3.
Aspirants for various elective positions are springing up on daily basis. The incumbent Senator representing Imo West Senatorial district (Orlu Zone) in the National Assembly, Senator Rochas Okorocha has indicated his interest to vacate the senatorial seat. He is representing the zone on the platform of the All progressives Congress (APC). Okorocha’s declaration for the presidency of Nigeria presupposes that a vacuum or vacancy will be created for the Orlu senatorial representation.
There are strong senatorial aspirants springing up from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the zone. The last time I checked, Hon. ThankGod Ezeani, Hon. Jones Onyereri, Hon. Jerry Alagbaoso et al, had all declared their interest to represent the Orlu zone at the red chambers on the platform of the PDP. All the aforementioned are former and current House of Representatives members with cognate political experience. The imminent exit of Senator Okorocha would create a vacuum, particularly in the APC.
Against this background, who can APC field as a candidate in Orlu Zone to confront the PDP and other political parties’ candidates? The APC, as a sitting political party in the state, must field a strong and experienced candidate in order to withstand the tsunami from other parties’ candidates. The Imo APC faithful should not be carried away by the recent Ngor-Okpala state constituency by-election victory. The Ngor-Okpala election was an isolated election where adequate logistics and security were deployed.
The general election of 2023 will be a simultaneous one where the number of security personnel deployed for the Ngor Okpala by-election will not be possible again. Logistics and security personnel would be evenly distributed across the 27 LGAs of the State. Therefore, in 2023, Ngor Okpala may not get a quarter of what it got in the recent by-election. Orlu Zone is the senatorial district of Governor Hope Uzodimma. He represented the zone for eight solid years at the Senate.
If Governor Uzodimma will lose any senatorial district in Imo State, it must not be Orlu zone where he comes from and represented for two consecutive terms. Peradventure the opposition captures Orlu zone in 2023, Governor Uzodimma re-election which will come up later in 2023 may be shaken or jeopardized. Governor Uzodimma needs to field strong candidates for the three Senatorial districts on the platform of the APC.
Imo East Senatorial district (Owerri Zone) is throwing up strong and credible aspirants. Somebody like Prince Alex Mbata (PAM) has the wherewithal to confront the PDP and other parties’ candidates for Owerri Zone. He has the financial muscle and has been campaigning albeit subtly.
Imo North Senatorial district (Okigwe Zone) has an incumbent Senator Frank Ibezim. Even if Senator Ibezim is later dropped as the APC Senatorial candidate for the zone, the district still has strong candidates that can fly the flag of the party. However, that is not the case with Orlu Zone at the moment.
No senatorial aspirant has indicated interest on the platform of the APC even when Senator Okorocha will not return to the senate. Orlu Zone 12 LGAs with four federal constituencies. Since the advent of Fourth Republic democratic dispensation that is from 1999 Ohaji/ Egbema/ Oguta, Oru West federal constituency produced Senator Arthur Nzeribe, from 1999 to 2007. Orlu, Oru East, Orsu federal constituency produced both Senators Osita Izunaso and Hope Uzodimma from 2007 to 2019 (12years).
Ideato North/ Ideato-South federal constituency has produced Senator Rochas Okorocha from 2019 till date and hopefully will terminate in 2023. Nkwere, Isu, Nwangele, Njaba (NINN) federal constituency where the incumbent Chief of Staff to the Government House, Barrister Nnamdi Anyaehie, comes from has never produced any senator. Barr. Nnamdi Anyaechie is a former chairman of the PDP in Imo State. He’s the current Chief of Staff to the Government House, Imo State. By the enviable positions he held in the past and currently holds, he has obviously acquired cognate experience in real politics. Judging from the great role he played in bringing the current government to power, his political sagacity and credentials are not in doubt. For the sake of equity, justice and fairness, his own federal constituency should be allowed to produce the next senator for Orlu Zone.
This writer believes that Barr Anyaehie will be a strong candidate that can confront the candidates of the PDP and other parties in Orlu Zone. If APC fields a very inexperienced and weak candidate for Orlu Zone, that will sing the nunc dimitis for the party in the 2023 general election.
Maduako writes from Owerri.