By Prince Ejeh Josh
The unfolding realities trailing the recent moves by the former Deputy Senate President, Mr. Ike Ekweremadu, in Enugu state has, bluntly, presented him in a clear term as one of the political strategists in the state. Whether one is ready to accept the fact staring menacingly or not, it’ll remain a self-denial to write the Senator from Enugu West Senatorial District off. His plans appear to be working for him. He is building up a cult-like followers, carrying along loyalists, working closely with allies, wooing bystanders and winning perceived foes to his camp. The senator has a clear-cut agenda for his target. Swiftly, he has been navigating through the rough terrain of the state’s political tracks, cleverly avoiding political landmines, and craftily calibrating his canon lenses to weigh the magnitude of the foggy political atmosphere that might blur his path to Lion Building in 2023.
Senator Ike’s surreptitious political exploration in the state over the past years left no one in doubt about his gubernatorial ambition. However, he has consistently denied it in words but frequently affirms it in actions. Instances are rife where he utterly dismissed nursing ambition for the seat of governor. Notwithstanding that, his actions keep giving him away. This work is not in anyway implying that the senator has no right to contest or pursue his political ambition as that’s within his right as a citizen. Howbeit, there’s a struggle to reconcile his actions and his words. In a recent outing, the senator made it clear that “pressure” was on him to vie for the position of governor in 2023. Will the senator yield to the alleged “pressure”? Who is pressurizing the senator to swim against the tide? Was the pressure a result of imagination and thirst for power? Political developments in his camp in recent times are remarkably pointing towards that direction. Will the senator pursue his interest under the umbrella of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP)? Insiders are divided, however feelers maintain that the paddles with which to cross the bridges are already set in motion. One thing is indisputable; Mr. Ike is coming! Whether he will be able to cross the Presidential Lodge before accessing the Lion Building or he will be humiliated enroute Okpara Square that will crash him into political oblivion and lead to his political extinction is entirely the unfolding political intrigues we are anxiously awaiting.
Without mincing words, Mr. Ike’s political activities in the state is a direct affront on the Governor of the state who is not just the political leader of Enugu state but the entire Southeast zone. Setting up structures and stepping up campaigns is a clear message to the leader and leadership of the state’s ruling party that things are no longer at ease. It’s an “Opokoro” drumbeat signaling that the battle line has been drawn and the battle for the soul of Enugu state has just begun. It’s a poke on the face of the governor that the senator has got a formidable political structure to wrestle power. Mr. Ike should not be dismissed with a fringe or tip of the fingers. That’ll will be too dangerous as this battle is clutching endlessly as his last political battle before age will catch up with him, if he’s not already manipulating his way through ‘football age’. Again, the political titan should not be written off. He is building an empire with the resources at his disposal. Can he be tamed? Will his empire collapse before the poll or during the poll? That’ll depend on certain fundamental factors that must be set in motion.
A cursory look at his official Facebook page, “Ike Ekweremadu”, one would begin to appreciate the level of Ike’s political tentacles and the extent of his mobilisations. Perhaps, he understands, even more clearly, the message passed by the former Governor of Enugu state and present Senator representing Enugu East Senatorial District, Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani, that “Politics is a serious business.” The senator is, indeed, recruiting people from other states into his campaign team. Go to South Africa, the senator is campaigning. Go to Port Harcourt, he is also campaigning. Then, go to Germany; perhaps his posters maybe found there. The ferocity at which the Mpu born Senator is sweeping the ground and displaying his cards shows that he is all out to confront the challenges. Whether he can surmount these political hurdles is another question to be answered by unfolding political development in the state. Can Mr. Ike cause a political disruption in the scheme of things in the state? Again, one is left to allow developing political issues to answer that.
In a short post I made on the 19th December, 2021 assessing Mr. Ike’s economic model for Nigeria as a whole and the state in particular which I described as anachronistic and at variant with the 21st century modern economy, Mr. Ike had personally responded, accusing me of misleading members of the public about the topical issue. Of course, the defenses put up by him still couldn’t stand the test of modern economic model as the world has moved beyond the phase of his economic antidotes. Follow-up questions by members of the platform to the senator landed on the brick wall as the senator retorted to one of the inquisitive questions asking whether he had a gubernatorial ambition in 2023 as being speculated that; “I don’t discuss pedestal issues and gossips. Let’s talk about vision and development…” That is quite fascinating that a question of such magnitude was described by him as pedestal and gossips.
Yet again, the senator had a golden opportunity on the 8th of January, 2022 while at Dream FM as a guest speaker to put to rest, the gossip. To the chagrin of the people of Enugu state, Mr. Ike only stated he would not be returning to the National Assembly in 2023 having outlived his usefulness in the Red Chambers. He, nevertheless, left a strong caveat behind about his gubernatorial ambition. He had told the anchor of the programme, Mr. Alex Ogbodo, that pressure was on him to contest for the seat of governor against the entrenched principle of zoning of which he headed a national committee in the PDP that reviewed the cause of PDP’s loss of national power in 2015, and thereby, strongly recommended that zoning be strictly followed. In a surprise act of approbation and reprobation, Mr. Ike told his anxious listeners that zoning was a contentious issue. That message was a radical departure from the establishment that not only made him, both as a senator representing Enugu West Senatorial District but also as a three time Deputy Senate President representing the entire Southeast zone from which he benefited immensely. From thereon, analysts could easily preempt the political voyage of the senator.
Although, prior to the period, the senator appeared to have deliberately eschewed major political events organised by his political party, the PDP, in the state. When on the 7th August, 2021, his constituency organised a mega rally tagged; “Ife-Emelumma Enugu West Unity Rally” held at Awgu local government area; a rally that drew all the party stalwarts from other zones which also had the presence of the state governor, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Senator Ike and some of his political allies were conspicuously absent from the historic event. He gave no reason since, according to his foot soldiers, he owed nobody any explanation. In a more recent PDP rally held at Ikem, Isi Uzo local government headquarters, to flag off the forthcoming council elections’ campaigns, the senator and his allies, as already envisioned, rudely shocked his party once again, by making his absence visible. Whether his absence was felt or nothing, a fundamental factor was reinforced through that absenteeism; the battle line has been drawn and a stand has been firmly taken by the senator. Didn’t all these activities amount to anti-party’s dance steps? That’s left to the party leadership to know whether to wield the big stick or to continue to accommodate moves capable of destroying the party.
In order to make sure the message was sounded unambiguously, Mr. Ike has taken to his official Facebook page sharing photos and videos of himself and his “Over 10 thousand executives of Oganiru Enugu,” a support group drawn across the state for his 2023 governorship ambition. On the 4th of this month, the senator shared some pictures numbering dozens where he disclosed that the mammoth crowds were made up of Enugu Solidarity Group for Ikeoha 2023, and Ikeoha Movement 2023, having branches in parts of the country including Port Harcourt. He went ahead and flaunted a group he called, The Ikeoha Youth Ambassadors Initiative, gearing towards his ambition. Yet again, the senator attempted to inundate us with the pictures and videos of the event that held somewhere in Enugu with the inscription that the attendees were the inaugurated “state, zonal, local government and ward executives of the Enugu Solidarity for Ikeoha.” More recently was the seemingly elaborate event hosted by the senator on Sunday in Enugu where the people, described by some sections as ‘rented crowds’ were inducted as patrons of Oganiru Enugu.
Senator Ike, flamboyantly displaying 37 pictures of those in uniform, boasted that the people should expect a “New Enugu state.” In his words; “I’m going to deliver a new Enugu state… All of us are going to enjoy the fruit when we get there….” Quite interesting from the Enugu West Senator. To assure the people that the Governor of the state was in support of his political navigation, he assured that Governor Ugwuanyi had accepted to be the “Grand Patron” of Oganiru Enugu. That’s, indeed, a brute audacity and contemptuous effrontery against the number one citizen and leader of the party. The governor couldn’t have allowed himself to be blackmailed or be dragged into the ship that may probably not leave the harbour before it capsizes.
To be candid, like I observed earlier, nobody should dismiss Mr. Ike’s camp as fringe. The senator is molding a structure from the establishment, penetrating into party hardliners and non-party members. Usually, political history has shown that disruption and crack in the establishment is often heralded from insiders, and that’s exactly what the senator has set out to do. Ignore him at your own peril. The party and those strongly advocating for the established zoning to continue have to buckle up, put their house in order and consolidate on their strong foundation. Mr. Ike appears to be weaponising internal bickering to achieve political gains. The leader of the party, being the governor, must be mindful of banana peels especially by some of those he has engaged as aides or political allies. At the risk of repetition, these moles are proclaiming the governor as their principal and professing Mr. Ike as their leader. Whether this reality is accepted or dismissed as a mere allegation, the fact remains that, one day, if nothing is done, they’d stand at the side of their conscience. I pray it’s not too late by then. The Governor must strive to build his own formidable political structure, encourage his henchmen to commence the fieldworks immediately. His structure will be a shelter for him during the rainy day. All great leaders must have reliable structures that would be independent of external influence, and remain firmly and absolutely loyal to them. This structure, coupled with their allies’ structures will be collapsed into one fold at the right time in order to achieve their collective goals. It’s time for the governor to revisit the drawing board and look through the dark lenses. Ike is building his structure, and his reasons for that are unambiguous. His structure has given him that vantage to negotiate power in times past. Senator Chimaroke was able to build Ebeano political structure, and the vestige of the structure is still here with us. Former Governor Sullivan Chime failed to erect his structure and what happened to him? Despite his performance in the state, he lost relevance immediately he left power. Save for the concession of electoral defeat by former President Goodluck Jonathan, he could have as well gone into political extinction.
