Steve NwabukoThe sudden death of the PDP gubernatorial candidate of Abia State, Prof. Eleazar Uchenna Ikonne, in the early hours of 25th January 2023 has thrown a spanner into the works and plans of the incumbent Governor Okezie Victor Ikpeazu, the G-5 Governors group, and the entire Abia state PDP chapter into a political quagmire of inestimable proportions.
The politics of Abia State gubernatorial succession since 1999 has always typified might is right; incumbency has it; PDP Abia State elders must be appeased; the Governors wish must be enforced; Abians have no choice; INEC must do the needful and Abia State must remain underdeveloped and perennially a PDP vassal state unopposed.
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It is against the backdrop of PDP “capture” of Abia State since 1999 to date and the monumental retardation of progress since then that has made the death of Prof Eleazar Uchenna Ikonne, a decent scholar by all standards, query Abia State gubernatorial succession plans from 1999 versus the hand of God to abruptly disrupt the established callous succession processes six weeks to the 2023 governorship elections.
For those who may not remember, Abia State is known as “God’s Own State” as its avowed divine slogan since its creation 31 years ago.
READ ALSO: Ikonne: Why Okey Igwe Won’t Ascend As Abia PDP Governorship Candidate
Incidentally, God’s Real estate called Abia State has not been fortunate with good governance since its creation as having been governed by kings from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, all from the Philistine stock whom king Jehoshaphat defeated four thousand years ago but reemerged in Nigeria to buffet Abia State and enslave Ndi-Abia in past twenty four years with tales of woes, misgovernance, stealing of state funds, insecurity, unaccountability and state capture.
Political Paradox
Onwubuasi is the Igbo name of the current Nigeria Political disruptor called Peter Obi, the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party and Nigeria’s version of President John F. Kennedy who is remembered with his great deposition: “Think of what you will do for America and not what America will do for you.”
Peter ONWUBUASI Obi from Anambra State, “The Light Of The Nation” says:
“Think Production and not Consumption.
“Take Back your Country.”
This light is shining into Abia State and darkness cannot comprehend it.
The gubernatorial history of Abia State is determined by Force Majeure in the sense that since 1999, only the incumbent Governor determines who succeeds him to be able to protect his gory past and continue the looting of Abia State funds.
Abia State Political Betrayals
Incumbency power being wielded in Abia State PDP has forced and checkmated the political ambitions of four young men who would have brought sanity to Abia State governance machinery namely:
Ochiagha Reagan Ufomba – 2011.
Dr Sampson Uche-Ogah – 2015.
Dr Alex oti – 2019.
Prof Gregory Ibe – 2023.
These four erudite young men have at various times offered themselves to govern Abia State through the PDP machinery but the incumbent Governors after milking them of hard earned cash in a game of thrones, will deceive, rebuff them and pick another candidate forcing them to defect to other parties.
When Governor T.A. Orji decamped from PDP to APP in 2010, it was Ochiagha Reagan Ufomba, Senator Adolphus Wabara (Senate President) and late Prince Vincent Ogbulafor (Former PDP Chairman) that re-engeneered, refunded and reignited life into Abia State PDP before T.A. Orji returned without facing PDP disciplinary committee but made sure Ochiagha Reagan Ufomba did not stop him from picking PDP gubernatorial ticket in 2011 primaries and that made him to decamp to APGA to run for election.
Dr Uche Ogah once picked the salaries and wages of Abia State university which Governor T.A. Orji could not pay and built a massive auditorium for the state university.
But T.A. Orji preferred Okezie Victor Ikpeazu to be governor ahead of Dr Uche Ogah and that made him to decamp to APC to run for election.
Dr Alex Oti as Managing Director of Diamond Bank sought and approved generous loans and advances for Abia State but when he came to contest under PDP Okezie Victor Ikpeazu was preferred ahead of him and thereafter, he decamped to Labour Party to actualise his ambition.
Prof Gregory Ibe donated trailer loads of rice, cash and other essential materials during COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 to Abia State PDP government.
But when it was time for PDP primaries in 2022, Prof Eleazar Uchenna Ikonne was preferred ahead of him and he decamped to APGA to actualise his ambition in the current election dispensation.
It may not be misplaced to say that the current gubernatorial election in Abia State in 2023 is a grudge fight between incumbency forces and young Abia political intellectual hawks to take back their state.
The G-5-group of PDP intransigent Governors protesting the consensus for zoning rift are at their wits end given the sudden passage of Prof Eleazar Uchenna Ikonne and the capacity of the PDP Chairman, Dr Iyorchia Ayu to assert party supremacy in the choice of who will replace Prof Ikonne for Abia gubernatorial ticket.
The resilient incumbency forces in Abia State gubernatorial succession process may have arrived at their final bus stop as the end justifies the means.
It is either PDP Chairman has his way against Okezie Victor Ikpeazu posturing as G-5 Governor or Abia State may not be in the gubernatorial ballot.
The Way Out
The person that may determine the next Abia State PDP gubernatorial candidate is likely to be Senator Adolphus Wabara, in his current capacity as PDP-B.O.T Chairman and his choice could be Ochiagha Reagan Ufomba, remembering that the latter (Ochiagha Reagan Ufomba) saved PDP from extinction in Abia State in 2010 with heavy funding, mobilisation, grassroots structure which stands out till today as the CHANGEABIA Organisation that has become an undeniable Special Purpose Vehicle (S.P.V), a political colossus in Abia State that can challenge the status quo in all ramifications in the Abia state political battlefield.
As events unfold in Abia State PDP in search of a new gubernatorial candidate, it is crystal clear, that it will not be business as usual in Abia State politics as the young Turks in Dr Alex Oti, Prof Gregory Ibe, Dr Uche Ogah and supposedly Ochiagha Reagan Ufomba battle for the prime position of the office of Abia State Governor in March 11, 2023 Governorship elections.
The days of godfather politics in Abia State is over and that may be the supposition of the exit of that honest and innocent citizen of Abia State in Prof Eleazar Uchenna Ikonne.
Salvation is not free, Jesus Christ paid the price.
Abia State, God’s own State, may have arrived the shores of the biblical red sea to cross over to its Canaan land filled with milk and honey.
The deliverance of Abia State from the hands of evil leadership since 1999 is close at hand.
Steve Nwabuko
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