No Known Party Has Ruled Imo
The story of electoral politics and its final outcome in Imo State since its first democratic regime in 1979 has always been the same and destined to ever remain same hieri, hodie et semper (yesterday, today and always). It has been a verifiable fact that no known party has ruled Imo State, or simply put, Imolites have always been disappointed that the parties all hopes and eyes cast upon with certainty to win gubernatorial elections since 1979 has always failed.
It happened with Dee Sam Mbakwe (of the NPP) who was of lesser possibility of winning the 1979 polls. People thought it was going to be Ozoigbondu- Collins Obi (of the NPN) but were later disappointed. Similarly, in the 1992 gubernatorial polls, it happened with Chief Evan Enwerem (of the NRC), while the masses were expecting the Abiola-led SDP to win the election in Imo State. Even in the then SDP, the well known Dr Sylvester Ugo of the CBN was disqualified and the lesser known Dr Ogbuokiri from Orlu was taken to be the gubernatorial candidate, and the party failed at last.
At the return of democracy in Nigeria in 1999 after the Junta 14 year's interregnum, many political heavy weights were disappointed both in their party primaries and in the gubernatorial poll proper, and thus the little known Achike Udenwa from Orlu became the Governor with landslide victory, winning the great and mighty that flaunted themselves in other political parties, therein making such parties great and known.
In 2007 also, many gubernatorial regulars and political heavy-weights marshalled out their political arsenals and were defeated by the little known Ikedi Ohakim of the PPA, whom many said, did not even put up campaign posters. He later won the election, slamming the known parties- PDP, ANPP, APGA, etc in the State. Same happened four years ago, when PDP was a comprador bourgeoisie's political party. Rochas whose political annals were replete with defections and failures in gubernatorial and presidential bids, than the mighty Martin Agbaso, emerged at the wee-hours of the polls from APGA that was weaker than the PDP and ACN then, and finally whisked off the incumbent and became the Governor till today.
Today again, Imo State has several popular, great and known political parties that have certified 80% possibilities of one of them winning the April 11 polls, but I am very sure that none of them will succeed. Instead, a less known political party will, and as a the biblical lowly servant, will be raised up, and that is why many Imolites, especially those with superhuman insights have tilted to either the Accord Party or the United Progressive Party, in wait for the sure result of the about to be conducted April polls.
These annals of the rise of the less known and fall of the mighty are certainly biblical and divinely ordained in Imo State. The little virgin, Mary, sang this story in her Magnificant (I glorify in the Gospel of Luke) and noted that the Lord 'looks on his servant in her loneliness' and 'casts the mighty from their thrones and raises the lowly. He fills the starving with good things; sends the rich away empty.' This song startles me whenever I reflect on the gubernatorial history of Imo State and how the fate has come to stay, and even will resurge still this 2015.
Same story has come up again and the mighty in their greatness would not like the other to get greater than them, and their embittered politics gives the weak and less known political parties the apple opportunity to win elections. Certainly too, when big parties rave in internal discord, with two candidates contesting and campaigning for electoral polls, the dispute favours the distressed party and makes the next in rank opposition party that ought to win the election to either loose it to a less known party or the self-altercated party winning the election (since parties are voted than disputing candidates), and then Court declares who will rule among them or worse still, embarking on internal arrangement on how to take over the State power in their riotous situation than allowing their closest rival to take it over, thereby become inferior to it. The simple reason is that in its internal discord, the closest opposition party is discredited as a weak party to win the polls, and no one great party accepts inferiority-subjections.
This reminds me of an Indian fable on the Kites, the crows and the fox. The fable has it that, on a certain occasion, “The kites and crows made an agreement among themselves that they should go halves in everything obtained in the forest. One day, they saw a fox that had been wounded by hunters lying helpless under a tree, and gathered round it. The crows said, “We will take the upper half of the fox.” “Then we will take the lower half,” said the kites. The fox laughed at this, and said, “I always thought the kites were superior in creation to the crows; as such they must get the upper half of my body, of which my head, with the brain and other delicate things in it, forms a portion.” '”Oh yes, that is right,” said the kites, “we will have that part of the fox.” “Not at all,” said the crows, “we must have it, as already agreed.” Then a war arose between the rival parties, and a great many fell on both sides, and the remaining few escaped with difficulty. The fox continued there for some days, leisurely feeding on the dead kites and crows, and then left the place hale and hearty.” The fable ends with the moral teaching that, “The weak benefit by the quarrels of the mighty.”
As the date for the April 2015 polls draws closer, and the kites and crows political parties have already planned and reached agreements on how to take the halves of every goody in the electoral and appointive political positions in the State. Like the kites and crows in the fable above, the known parties are now still discussing and planning before the sick fox, how to share its bodies as bounty at halves among them. Certainly a mighty quarrel will rise and they will brutally slay themselves, wounding many and leaving their cadavers lither round the weak party to feed bountifully and have quick recuperation, and returning triumphant hale and hearty.
Let me go back to my initial thesis that no known political party has ruled Imo before and will ever rule Imo. This as I said in the beginning is a divine ordination and as such, the kites and crows parties that are in the harmonious political food-web mere natural anarchical order put by eternal law, will remain in their altercations and their efforts will all come to null.
It is not the swiftest that makes it by he that has the grace of God upon him. Everything that happens in this world has been ordained by the invisible Forces that keep creation and events on motion and these Forces have already re-echoed same story and reaffirmed its tale end. To this effect, the April 11 2015 gubernatorial polls have been conducted and won, and thrown down to the poor and lowly to take and mount the thrones. This act is divine grace, which alone, and only it can take a man out of the ash heaps of the dustbin and raise him high, ascending to a seat of high authority.
The great and well known parties are proud and do not accept humiliations, but the weak and little known parties stoop to conquer. Oliver Goldsmith was right in his She Stoops to Conquer when he noted that “having stooped to conquer with success, and gained a husband without aid from dress, still as a barmaid, I could wish it too, as I have conquered him to conquer you: [the great and known parties in the April 11 polls].” And this wish has been confirmed and certified real and obtainable by the Father. Thus, none of the known political parties that we know in the State will win the forthcoming gubernatorial election.
A lot of surprises will rise, both in the federal and States elections, the unknown parties will silence the mighty and go home smiling. The masses and Imolites indeed now have aversions for the proud and self-conceited, the bourgeoisies and catholic parties, and thus look for any political party that has their better general welfare in their manifestoes and campaign promises, as well as credible and deliverable candidates. This last discovery made me join the United Progressive Party (the UPP) and I am certain that that which has been ordained and thrown to the poor and lowly must attain the Party, which labours assiduously, bearing the welfare of the masses, their enduring benefits and ameliorated existence in view.
It is also with these discoveries that as the Mayor of Imo Youths I have unceasingly urged every Imo youth that is still wallowing in the big and known parties, seeking for emancipation, to come out now and follow the new King after God's own heart- The UPP. They need to know that Saul is no more King for Israel in the eyes of God and for His people, and that David, the less known and lowly fellow in the field, who has been taking care of the flock has been chosen and ordained King for Israel. History will prove itself right that the Father never lies nor falters.
Prof. Protus Nathan Uzorma