Imo 2015: ‘No vacancy in Douglas House’

Patron of Okpoko Igbo, Chief Tobby Anumaka, is a chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC). In this interview with Daily Sun, he emphasised that those jostling to oust Governor Rochas Okorocha from continuing in office beyond 2015 would be disgraced. According to him, anyone nursing ambition of becoming governor in 2015 should wait till 2019. According to him: “There is no vacancy in Douglas House, Owerri, in 2015.”

He also spoke on the ongoing National Conference. Excerpts:

So far, would you say Igbo delegates have presented the agenda of the South-East zone at the ongoing national conference?

First, those selected to represent Igbo, especially the leader of the delegation, Gen. Ike Nwachukwu, were not the choice of Ndigbo, nor our first eleven. It was a political appointment by President Jonathan to appease some politicians from the zone. We are not against the conference but the composition of Igbo delegates and the recycling of the same people, who have been in the system since independence.  Of course, that is why you see them, sleeping while in session. This generation of leaders cannot decide the future of this nation. They have been in the system for over 50 years. Let me dwell a bit on Ike Nwachulwu, what qualifies him as Igbo leader?  What is his contribution in the fight against marginalisation of Igbo in Nigeria?  During the civil war, he fought against Biafra, how can he suddenly become Igbo leader?

The only period he served Ndigbo was when he was appointed military administrator of the old Imo State and his only achievement was to move Imo State University from Owerri to Uturu in the present Abia State where he hails from. Look at the South-West, when the initial list of delegates from the zone filtered out, the people rejected it and the Presidency made a u-turn and came up with the present delegates and you can see that they have represented their people well so far, unlike those from the South-East, led by Nwachukwu. I am not saying Ike Nwachukwu is not a true son of Igbo or he is not qualified to represent the South-East at the ongoing conference but he shouldn’t have led the delegation. We have the likes of Chief Ezekiel Izuogu, the former governor of Anambra State,  Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, and the former National Chairman of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Dr. Dozie Ikedife, just to mention but a few.

  How would you evaluate the conference within a month it started debate?

They have not discussed anything meaningful, rather they have spent close to one month deliberating on the Presidential speech and religion. The basic issues have not been addressed; issues, such as, true federalism, equality of state structure and resources control amongst others are yet be discussed and the confab is about to end. It is a known fact that South-East zone is short of one state against other zones. Igbo delegates should insist that one additional state must be created in the south-East to balance the state structure in Nigeria.

Why didn’t Igbo object the appointment of Nwachukwu as leader of Igbo delegation?

Ike Nwachukwu was recommended by Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State to lead the delegation to compensate him for supporting the governor to slight his benefactor the former governor of the state Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu. It started with what I call funny movement to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) headquarters in Abuja to protest Kalu’s return to PDP. When Governor Orji directed Nwachukwu to speak on behalf of the group, Ndigbo and indeed Nigerians were shocked and disappointed in Ike Nwachukwu. Many people asked if this was the General we used to know, who has now reduced himself so low to the extent of being an errand boy to Governor Orji. However, I don’t know the criteria of making him head of the Igbo delegation to the confab. I don’t want to repeat myself, he is an Igbo man. We know his antecedent; we know the side he fought for during the civil war. Like I said earlier, I am not saying he is not qualified to be a delegate but not qualify to lead Igbo delegates to the conference. So, those who selected shouldn’t have gone for someone who cannot speak Igbo fluently.

The President recent visit to Imo and Enugu States during which a lot of aggrieved members of the PDP that jumped ship returned to the ruling party and they vowed to wrestle power from Okorocha. Isn’t this a threat to APC in Imo?

The coming together of strange bed fellows in Imo is a blessing to APC in Imo. This has made the contest easier for Owelle Rochas Okorocha. He should start popping champagne and rejoicing because most of them have not won election before and some of them failed to return for second term during the 2011 general elections. Majority of them have no second address, that is, they don’t have any other business aside politics. Confusion has always engulfed PDP in the South-East especially, in Imo State. It has started already between Governor Sullivan Chime and the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu in Enugu State and Senator Ararume and the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha in Imo. By the time they are through with the in-house fighting, Okorocha would have won  and APC also would have won Enugu State. That was what happened in Imo in 2011. PDP was busy fighting and Okorocha won.

Protest greeted APC congress in some states, won’t this affect the chances of your party in 2015?

Those who just joined the party must queue behind the existing leadership of the party in the states. The governors who crossed over to APC from the PDP, ordinarily as sitting governor should be the leaders of the party in their various states. So, we are doing everything within our powers to resolve whatever misunderstanding among members of our party in those states. PDP is afraid of us. The umbrella is in tatters, hurricane has torn the umbrella. Very soon more members of the ruling party in the National Assembly and governors will decamp to APC. They are only waiting for court pronouncement.

Which of the zones would your party chose its flag bearer from in the 2015 presidential election?

 At the appropriate time you will know. Every zone is qualified to vie to be APC presidential flag bearer but whoever the party chooses, no matter the zone, would fly the party’s flag in the 2015 presidential race and we will all support him or her.