In Abia guber: The agreement that returned Mr Orji as governor.
agreement between the current Abia State Governor, Chief Dr Theodore Ahamefule Orji , who was the (PDP) candidate in the last governorship election and Chief Ikechi Emenike , parallel PDP governorship candidate, produced from a structure that was described as “authentic,” has yielded fruits through the delivery of the party by the two groups during the April governorship polls.
Political observers are of the opinion that this task would have been herculean for the party if not for the last minute agreement made by the two party chieftains, who agreed to chase away the kite before blaming the fowl.
It was for this reason, that the PDP, which hitherto, was not wanted in some areas in the state by the people was able to penetrate and had their way .
Emenike had before this time called his supporters together to inform them that if the party loses at the polls, he would have no reason to go to Court.
Government’s approach to Emenike for this co-operation and acceptance was misunderstood as throwing in the legal battle which he had engaged the governor before the PDP primaries. This even led the government towards engaging in propaganda that the Ohuhu Chief had been settled, and so would no longer continue his matter at the Court.
The state radio station aired the news which made his supporters to almost believe that their leader had sold out. As the news made the rounds, calls from news men bombarded Emenike to ascertain if really what they were hearing was right or wrong. He explained that if another party wins apart from PDP, it would not be of any benefit to him and his supporters.
He stated that he has been getting pressures from all angles to stop, “but that does not stop us from going ahead with our vision. “It was at that meeting that he made it public that he had fortified and expanded his legal team, and that nothing would make him to compromise. “If at this point I go back, I would have been misleading the people who have been following and believing in me for the past ten years,” he thundered . He said the agreement which he had with the governor, who came to his house with a Bishop, was done by the two of them to deliver PDP in the state,0 and that the governor was aware that they had a case with him in Court.
“If PDP does not win, where do I stand? It doesn’t make sense, and that is what I explained in most of the places I went to. An opposition without a solid voice is no opposition at all . Some of the things that take place in the South-East can never happen in any other part of the country. In life, we were taught that you must be able to act where you have higher comparative advantage, and I know that I have that in this case”.
He tendered a copy of the agreement to newsmen, saying, “ You can have a copy of the agreement. There is nothing there that suggests that anybody has abandoned the vision . Each and every one of you can vouch for me, that I can not at the last minute abandon what I am doing. For what? Nobody can look me in the face and tell me that, and I am sure they know that. As a member of PDP, when even others were supporting Jonathan , should I go and support another presidential candidate to win instead of Jonathan ? For the governorship position, should I go and support another party?”
He described the news that was making the rounds about the settlement as propaganda and made the six point agreement which he signed with the governor available to news men. The fourth of which stated that , “Without prejudice to any case pending in court , we believe our victory is of utmost importance and will bring Abia into the main stream of Nigerian politics”. Without any delay, Emenike quickly called a meeting of his youth supporters, mothers, and sisters, from the 184 wards, that of the local government(LGAs) and state to his country home, Umukabia, Ohuhu, Umuahia and told them the need to vote for the party at the polls.
One week before the governorship elections, 552 meetings were held in the 184 wards, LGA and state levels, where they were briefed on the need to vote PDP. To him, if PDP loses, Emenike lost at the polls. His country home was a political Mecca , where supporters were swarming like bees.
Few days to the election, he provided logistics at the ward, LGA and state levels and asked them to go and deliver PDP in their respective areas. His message was carried to all his supporters in every nook and cranny of the state, and instantly, the political atmosphere charged and changed at the same time. Areas controlled by his supporters, where ordinarily, the Government wouldn’t have gotten a single vote gave in because of the name Ikechi Emenike.
That agreement was a strong factor that made the party to pull through in all parts of the state, where Orji’s men could not penetrate, Emenike’s men did, for the same interest. This made the whole exercise simpler for the party , even though no one is talking about the modus operandi. Emenike is known to be a grass root politician, whose political prowess has even been recognized by those opposed to him.
Emenike and his supporters was a mission accomplished, which has necessitated his return to an Abuja High Court to ask for what he said belongs to him, the mandate to develop Abia State. On May 4, 2011, Emenike went back to an Abuja High Court, where he is still prosecuting his case. He insists that what he had with the governor was an agreement for co-operation, and not that he had given up on the matter.
When the case was called up , the Judge said that he would give it accelerated hearing. If the information from the court is anything to go by, the matter would be disposed of before May 29, 2011 and then Abia would know who their governor in abia state.
Political observers are of the opinion that this task would have been herculean for the party if not for the last minute agreement made by the two party chieftains, who agreed to chase away the kite before blaming the fowl.
It was for this reason, that the PDP, which hitherto, was not wanted in some areas in the state by the people was able to penetrate and had their way .
Emenike had before this time called his supporters together to inform them that if the party loses at the polls, he would have no reason to go to Court.
Government’s approach to Emenike for this co-operation and acceptance was misunderstood as throwing in the legal battle which he had engaged the governor before the PDP primaries. This even led the government towards engaging in propaganda that the Ohuhu Chief had been settled, and so would no longer continue his matter at the Court.
The state radio station aired the news which made his supporters to almost believe that their leader had sold out. As the news made the rounds, calls from news men bombarded Emenike to ascertain if really what they were hearing was right or wrong. He explained that if another party wins apart from PDP, it would not be of any benefit to him and his supporters.
He stated that he has been getting pressures from all angles to stop, “but that does not stop us from going ahead with our vision. “It was at that meeting that he made it public that he had fortified and expanded his legal team, and that nothing would make him to compromise. “If at this point I go back, I would have been misleading the people who have been following and believing in me for the past ten years,” he thundered . He said the agreement which he had with the governor, who came to his house with a Bishop, was done by the two of them to deliver PDP in the state,0 and that the governor was aware that they had a case with him in Court.
“If PDP does not win, where do I stand? It doesn’t make sense, and that is what I explained in most of the places I went to. An opposition without a solid voice is no opposition at all . Some of the things that take place in the South-East can never happen in any other part of the country. In life, we were taught that you must be able to act where you have higher comparative advantage, and I know that I have that in this case”.
He tendered a copy of the agreement to newsmen, saying, “ You can have a copy of the agreement. There is nothing there that suggests that anybody has abandoned the vision . Each and every one of you can vouch for me, that I can not at the last minute abandon what I am doing. For what? Nobody can look me in the face and tell me that, and I am sure they know that. As a member of PDP, when even others were supporting Jonathan , should I go and support another presidential candidate to win instead of Jonathan ? For the governorship position, should I go and support another party?”
He described the news that was making the rounds about the settlement as propaganda and made the six point agreement which he signed with the governor available to news men. The fourth of which stated that , “Without prejudice to any case pending in court , we believe our victory is of utmost importance and will bring Abia into the main stream of Nigerian politics”. Without any delay, Emenike quickly called a meeting of his youth supporters, mothers, and sisters, from the 184 wards, that of the local government(LGAs) and state to his country home, Umukabia, Ohuhu, Umuahia and told them the need to vote for the party at the polls.
One week before the governorship elections, 552 meetings were held in the 184 wards, LGA and state levels, where they were briefed on the need to vote PDP. To him, if PDP loses, Emenike lost at the polls. His country home was a political Mecca , where supporters were swarming like bees.
Few days to the election, he provided logistics at the ward, LGA and state levels and asked them to go and deliver PDP in their respective areas. His message was carried to all his supporters in every nook and cranny of the state, and instantly, the political atmosphere charged and changed at the same time. Areas controlled by his supporters, where ordinarily, the Government wouldn’t have gotten a single vote gave in because of the name Ikechi Emenike.
That agreement was a strong factor that made the party to pull through in all parts of the state, where Orji’s men could not penetrate, Emenike’s men did, for the same interest. This made the whole exercise simpler for the party , even though no one is talking about the modus operandi. Emenike is known to be a grass root politician, whose political prowess has even been recognized by those opposed to him.
Emenike and his supporters was a mission accomplished, which has necessitated his return to an Abuja High Court to ask for what he said belongs to him, the mandate to develop Abia State. On May 4, 2011, Emenike went back to an Abuja High Court, where he is still prosecuting his case. He insists that what he had with the governor was an agreement for co-operation, and not that he had given up on the matter.
When the case was called up , the Judge said that he would give it accelerated hearing. If the information from the court is anything to go by, the matter would be disposed of before May 29, 2011 and then Abia would know who their governor in abia state.
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