The decision of forty-seven out of seventy political parties that participated in the just concluded Imo State Governorship election to challenge the victory of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha is likened to boxing a bag full of sand.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had since in Owerri declared Ihedioha of the PDP as the winner of March 9 Imo State Gubernatorial Election to the joy and satisfaction of Ndi Imo both at home and in diaspora with some citizens celebrating late in the night across the 27 Local Government Areas of the state after the declaration.
Curiously, no fewer than 47 political parties, although it has not been verified if they are indeed aspirants, have addressed a press conference in Owerri claiming that INEC erred in law to declare the former Deputy Speaker of Federal House of Representatives as the winner of the Imo guber election. But a closer look at the so called 47 political parties (aka G-47) clearly showed that many of these parties could not score even one vote throughout the 27 LGAs of Imo State in the March 9 guber election which Ihedioha clearly won. At best some political parties scored a paltry one vote each while many did not get any vote at all.
If the results released by INEC are anything to rely upon, only five parties made appreciable impact in the last Imo guber election. The front runners are PDP (Winner); Action Alliance- Runner up; APC; APGA and Accord Party in that order. The rest 65 political parties were left to hold the short end of the stick. They neither command followership nor the acceptance of the Imolites to engage in this “bad belle” politics.
Perhaps, the G-47 are acting a script or playing the same “primitive” politics of “the crabs” (‘Nshiko’ politics ) which has held Imo state down with its attendant lack of infrastructural and human development, especially in last eight years.
In fact, any person or group who would want to subvert the will of Ndi Imo who are suffocating in the present maladministration of the “Rescue Mission Government” do not have the interest of the citizens of this beleaguered state at heart.
This move by the G-47 should not arise if the members believe in Imo Unity, Equity, Brotherhood, Progress and Development as enshrined in “Imo State Charter of Equity”.
For the uptempt time the inability of the ‘Heartland State’ to adopt the time- tested Rotational Governorship Position amongst the 3 Senatorial Zones in the state better called “Imo State Charter of Equity” is the root cause of the present political thuggery, arson, ballot box snatching and outright killings.
Imo state politicians should borrow a leaf from sister states of Anambra, Abia, Ebonyi and Enugu as well as Delta, Akwa Ibom etc which rotate their Executive Governor position since 1999 with its many benefits of political stability, peace, economic and infrastructural development.
Let G- 47 have a rethink. Let’s support Imo State Governor-elect, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha to Rebuild Imo State. This is the way to go and not to head to court.
