The gubernatorial primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party in Imo State has come and gone, but the outcome still resonates far beyond the confines of the state. In a very keenly contested election, featuring known political heavyweights from the state, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, predictably defeated all his challengers to clinch the ticket.
Ihedioha’s victory was predictable because of the unsurpassable level of efforts, resources, time and energy which he had deployed all along in the gubernatorial bid and even in the run-up to the primaries which took place at the Grasshoppers International Stadium, Owerri, Imo State on December 6, 2014.
What rather came as a surprise was the narrow margin of defeat in the race in which serial runner, Senator Ifeanyi Ararume (he has run for three times) and immediate past Governor of the state, Chief Ikedi Ohakim, were displaced to the second and third positions.
Bookmakers had earlier predicted a landslide victory for the Deputy Speaker, Ihedioha,
because of his enormous contributions to the growth of the party at all levels and the widespread goodwill he enjoys across the state due mainly to the numerous empowerment programmes he has been staging as a lawmaker to uplift the living conditions of the people.
Nevertheless, it turned out to be a nail-biting and closely fought election in which the
strongest and most viable of the aspirants emerged.
At the close of voting and the counting, Ihedioha was declared the winner having scored the highest number of lawful votes cast at the election. He polled 346 while his closest rival, Ararume scored 336. Ikedi Ohakim came third with 217 votes. The remaining 21 aspirants including Senator Chris Anyanwu, Hon. Bethel Amadi and Chief Mike Ahamba, SAN were scoring between one and five votes each.
The beauty of the election was that it was transparently conducted in the clear view of the media which gave a life telecast of the event. Also on hand to monitor the event to ensure that it complied with relevant provisions of the Electoral Act were officials from the Independent National Electoral Commission. The security agencies were also fully on ground to maintain law and order.
When the results were announced by the Returning Officer, Chief Terngu Tsegba, following the conclusion of the collation of the figures, there were no protests from any of the aspirants. And there was no basis for such because the conduct of the election was open, transparent, free and fair.
Interestingly, none of the independent agencies that monitored the conduct of the election has raised any issue with the integrity of the process. Reports from the media correspondents that covered the programme extolled the conduct of the primaries and described it as free and credible.
It is therefore shocking and surprising to learn few hours after the declaration of the results that Ararume was saying that the exercise was manipulated in favour of Ihedioha and that he (Ararume) should be declared the winner.
This strongly smacks of bad political behaviour on the part of Ararume. The defeat is stunning, no doubt. But he should be graceful enough to swallow his pride and accept the setback in good faith. He doesn’t gain anything by being a bad loser.
It is an afterthought for Ararume to begin to question the integrity of the election several hours after the exercise had been concluded and declared free and fair by all the participants.
If he had any issue with the conduct of the exercise, he should have done so before leaving the venue. The fact that he was raising his protest several hours after and outside the venue of the primaries clearly shows that he is looking for an excuse to discredit the outcome.
The majority of the PDP delegates have affirmed their choice in Emeka Ihedioha as the party’s flag-bearer in the February 2015 General Elections. Ararume should accept the popular will of the people and move on with his life.
The truth of the matter is that the primaries has come and gone and a popular candidate that would lead the party to victory in the 2015 general elections has emerged in the person of Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha.
He possesses the requisite political capacity, presence of mind, breath of vision and great reach to deliver the Douglas House to PDP. He is a shrewd and calculated politician who has what it takes to dislodge the ruling All Progressives Congress government in Imo State.
The least that is expected is for all the political forces in the PDP in Imo State, including all the aspirants that competed with him to come together and quickly unite behind him so that they can prosecute the election as one united body devoid of any distractions.
Njoku writes from Owerri, Imo State.