From Everest Ezihe, Owerri
It seems quite certain that politicians jostling to contest the Imo State gubernatorial election in 2027 under the platform of All Progressive Congress, APC are now enmeshed in fear, anxiety and suspense following recent defection of Senator Ezenwa Onyewuchi, representing Imo East in the National Assembly from the Labour Party to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Onyewuchi’s defection is also causing a big rift among his people of Owerri Senatorial Zone – in their quest to produce the successor to Governor Hope Uzodimma as the endorsed but controversial Imo State Charter of Equity favours the zone, thus, Senator Onyewuchi’s defection came after several months of speculations and rumor that he was being packaged by the Captain Emmanuel Ihenacho-led Imo Harmony Project (IHP) as a possible consensus candidate for the Owerri zone governorship project.
There had also been the thinking in some quarters that as a two-term Honorable member and now serving a second term in the Senate, he may get a favourable mention in the event that the pendulum finally swings to Owerri zone. Hence, some of the leaders in the zone, especially within the Imo Harmony Project, are said to have persuaded him to cross over to the APC in order to position himself early enough for the political battle ahead.
However, as things may have turned out, Senator Onyewuchi’s backers probably may have miscalculated. Apart from that his defection to the ruling party has caused a lot of discomfiture for key governorship aspirants in Owerri zone, Senator Onyewuchi is seen by a vast majority of his people as a bad sell as far as their quest for the governorship seat in 2027 is concerned.
To begin with, many analysts see his latest defection as one too many, making him an unserious and unreliable politician. From their utterances, it needs no exaggeration to say that those he left behind in the Labour Party were completely shocked at his decision to defect. Even though Senator Onyewuchi is a serial defector, many, both within and outside the Labour Party, least expected him to do what he did at a time like this.
Recall that Onyewuchi was first elected into the House of Representatives in 2011 on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) but later defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on which platform he ran for the Imo East Senatorial seat and won.
In the countdown to the 2023 general elections, he fell out with the leadership of the party (PDP) and pronto, he moved over to the Labour Party, which was then enjoying a groundswell of support in the Southeast.
Another governorship aspirant in the zone that is said to be upset by Onyewuchi’s defection is Chief Alex Mbata. Mbata and Jerry Chukwueke are arche political rivals and having slugged it out for the Imo East (Owerri zone) senatorial ticket in 2022 – with Mbata emerging victorious – many are looking forward to a rematch for the APC governorship ticket in 2027.
Like Chukwueke, Mbata is also said to be upset by the entry of Onyewuchi into APC. He was also nowhere to be found during the governor’s recent outing in Lagos despite the fact that he is based there. Mbata is a close associate of Governor Uzodimma who is believed to have facilitated his emergence as a senatorial candidate in 2022 despite several odds.
