How Rochas Okorocha’s schemes fell like pack of cards

By Odunewu Segun

Like a colossus, he dominated the politics of Imo for eight years until he decided to impose his son-in-law as his successor, a decision that has led to his suspension by the All Progressives Congress.

As a governor, he had running battles with party leaders in the state who accused him of personalizing the party structures in the state. He was said to have appointed members of his immediate family as cabinet members, with his Son-in-law as his chief of staff.

When democracy was restored in 1999, Rochas Okorocha competed in the primaries to be People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for governor of Imo State, but lost to Achike Udenwa.

He moved to the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP), and was an unsuccessful candidate for President on the ANPP platform in 2003. He returned to the PDP, and President Olusegun Obasanjo appointed him as Special Adviser on Inter-Party affairs.

Rochas Okorocha formed the Action Alliance (AA) party in 2005, planning to become a Presidential candidate for the AA in the 2007 elections. He again returned to the PDP, and in September 2007 indicated that he was interested in becoming PDP National Chairman.

Okorocha decamped from the PDP to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), to run as APGA candidate for Imo State Governor in the April 2011 national elections.

A few weeks later, in December 2010, the APGA suspended Okorocha from the party over what it described as anti-party activities pending an investigation of his conduct.

Okorocha and his companions had also threatened the Imo State Chairman and Secretary of APGA. However, Okorocha went on to campaign as APGA candidate and won subsequently. Rochas in 2013 decamped to the All Progressive Congress.

Even at APC, he was a thorn in the flesh of the party’s leadership culminating in his suspension along with Governor Ibikunle Amosun by the APC NWC for anti-party activities.

The problems started with his decision to impose his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu as the APC governorship candidate, when that failed, he handed over the Action Alliance to Nwosu while he remained in the APC and contested a senatorial seat.

He dared the directives of his party leadership to support Hope Uzodinma, the APC candidate, and instead was campaigning openly for Nwosu.

On Tuesday, INEC declared Emeka Ihedioha, candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the March 9 governorship polls in Imo, as winner of the election.

Ihedioha, a former Deputy Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives,  won in 11 of the 27 Local Government Area, polling a total 273,404 votes to defeat his closest contender, Mr Uche Nwosu of the Action Alliance (AA) who won in 10 LGAs and scored 190,364 votes.

To compound Okorocha’s woes, his name was conspicuously missing from INEC’s list of elected senators released on Monday.

Recall that after the collation of results, Innocent Ibeabuchi, INEC Returning Officer for Imo West Senatorial District, declared Okorocha winner of the election.

However, Ibeabuchi has since said he was “forced” to declare the results at the Imo West election collation centre in Orlu.

The returning officer’s account might have necessitated the omission of Okorocha’s name from INEC’s list, as the commission simply explained the omission on its website as “declaration under duress”.