By Emmanuel Aziken
Abuja—Prominent politicians from Imo State, including Governor Ikedim Ohakim and National Assembly members from the State were yesterday locked in a meeting, designed to chart a new political direction for the Governor and his supporters.
Vanguard learnt yesterday, that the meeting was upon the full reconciliation of former Governor Achike Udenwa and Senator Ifeanyi Araraume, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial candidate in the 2007 election.
Udenwa who is presently the Minister of Commerce and Industry had as the PDP Governor of Imo State in 2007 joined former President Olusegun Obasanjo in opposing Araraume’s gubernatorial quest, leading to the victory of Ohakim of the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA).
However, with Udenwa and Araraume now fully reconciled and with the Supreme Court’s decision to consider pending issues in the 2007 Imo State gubernatorial election, supporters of the Governor were yesterday said to be meeting on how to navigate the issues ahead of them.
The meeting which was holding at the Transcorp Hilton hotel as at press time had at least one Senator from the state, the Chief Whip of the House of Representatives Mr. Emeka Ihedioha and some other House members from the state in attendance.
The meeting follows the launching in Owerri last week of the Governor’s political platform, the New Face of Imo Organisation headed by a former political soul mate of Governor Udenwa, Prince Elvis Agukwe.
The Abuja meeting Vanguard learnt was meant to appraise leading politicians from the state on the political options before the Governor in the face of the Supreme Court ruling on the petition by the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) gubernatorial candidate, Chief Martin Agbaso.
The petition it was learnt has the prospect of a fresh gubernatorial election that could see the Governor confront the joint and formidable opposition presented by Udenwa and Araraume.
WELL OHAKIM SHOULD GO AND SETLE WITH SENATOR IFEANYI ARARAUME
BECAUSE BOTH OF THEM ARE BROTHERS AND FROM THE SAME OSU ACHCRA FAMILY
AND ARARAUME SHOULD CONSIDER HIS BROTHER AND ALLOW HIM TO RULE AND IF THE POWER LIVE MBANO NOW BEFORE WE WILL GET IT BACK AGAIN IT WILL TAKE TIME PLEASE ABEG YOU MR ARARUME TO PADORN OHAKIM TO RULE FORGETH UDENWA HE HAS KEEP HIS PLACE IN ODER AND WHANT TO SCARTER MBANO BUT GOD WILL NOT LET HIM DO IT I KNOWS HIS PLANE BUT HE WILL FAIL AND IMO SHOULD TAKE A LOOK FROM FASHOLA OF LAGOS STATE
Achike Udenwa and Ararume should consider themselves loosers,Obasanjo used Ararume and dumped him,Udenwa did nothing for Ndi Imo and now they’re regrouping for what? Ohakim you better perform better,you guys (Governors)should go to lagos and copy from Fashola…..
Imo people let me ask a question, has Udenwa now assumed the kingmaker of Imo people.? He has governed without good impression duing his term of office and now in federal office because of his lick-bottom attitude he gave to then president Obasanjo. Araraume (as his name signifys should rest) and rest forever. He has no good intention to Imo state, i think we all know his anticident. If you guys give him and Udenwa another chance they will swallow Imo state treasury. Mr Ohakim has done some good job in imo state like the former statesman late Gov.Mbagwe, Imo people the ball is in your court. If you want few individual put you people in their pockets that is your decision.
I will allow God to judge the rulers of imos state… Udenwa … started money politics in imo… did some project yea…i remember the secretariat and a few road projects… owerri was not improved so much…
Ohakim started with an admirable zeal…. but that tempo soon frittered away.. he seem to have been consumed in the quagmire of politics. The clean and green project seem to be abandoned… We were expecting a more aggressive rejuvenationof owerri .. but the slow pace of work .. and the abandonment of such a worthy campaign is very disappointing. Irroma is commendable but it appears ochinawata is more interested in road projects…I wish i can write more but constrained by time….
It is only natural for people to reconcile.Afterall,there’s no permanent friend or foe in politics,but permanent interest.The puzzule is this-if the mandate lies with the masses,& Ohakim is providing unquestionable leadership to the masses,why should he waste taxpayers’money on meetings in hotels,just to discuss the fallout of 2 peoples reconciliation?Has it become a sin for people to reconcile?
Achike, Ararume and Ohakim are memders of same family and should work together for the progress of imo state. They should not mind some of their “suppoters’ whose only interest is their pocket..ohakim. Should be eternally grateful to udenwa and ararume.
let not forget one thing, that Udenwa started when telephone in imo state has no dialing tune, concord hotel was like gwongwonro (empty carton), talk of motorable roads and others. Udenwa developed politics in imo state, and still has the political control of the state.
I cant imagine what failures like udenw and araume intend to say they have to offer in 2011-going by their antecedents. The current governor should continue his work. Let the people judge in 2011 ie if these two will agree
I have for many times tried consistently to avoid any comment concerning Imo State, my own state. Whenever I see any genuine politician, who can get close to the very shoe Dee Sam Mbakwe wore, I will be happy.
All I can say is that Achike Udenwa was the worst leader Imo State has ever seen. To Ohakim, if he can stop ruling Imo State on the pages of newspapers, I will be happy. That he has at least kept Owerri clean is something to write home about. Let him initiate projects that can have meaningful impacts on the people. Youth employment is where I am concerned, and he has to be accountable, for the monthly allocation he receives from Aubuja to the people of the state.
He has to know that Araraume set a trap for him, so any mismanagement of the peoples’ treasury will land him in trouble, especially, when he has his only brother, Emma as the chief of staff. Whatever they do in Imo State, they should remember that people are watching, this to all politicians, who are privileged, and who think that they are bigger than Ndi Imo.