Hope Uzodinma, Emeka Nwajiuba’s Political Future Threatened As Araraume Gets Set To Return To The Senate
The battle for the Okigwe Senate seat, is beyond a desire for Senator Hope Uzodinma to have at least a loyal Senator in Abuja.
The battle for Okigwe Senate seat, has 2023 Imo governorship written all over it.
In 2007, coming from the Senate, Senator Ifeanyi Araraume, was able to hijack the Peoples Democratic Party PDP structure in the state, from underneath a sitting govenror.
Araraume practically emasculated Chief Achike Udenwa, who was then a sitting govenror, leaving him practically helpless in a party he was supposed to be the leader.
Despite attempts to stop Araraume even from Abuja, he outwitted the Onongono faction of Achike Udenwa, and emerged the party’ s candidate, benching Ugwu, who was Udenwa’ s candidate.
It took the intervention of former president Olusegun Obasanjo, who had a personal score to settle with Araraume, to stop Araraume from becoming Imo Govenror, as Obasanjo opted for Dr Ikedi Ohakim of PPA.
Uzodinma is faced with the Araraume threat yet again, as 2023 draws nearer.
For Araraume, 2023 may be his last attempt at becoming Imo State governor, a position he has long craved for, but one which has eluded him time and time again.
This time around, Senator Hope Uzodinma is the obstacle. Araraume knows the powers he can muster from the Senate. He knows how important those powers will serve him in 2023, when President Muhammadu Buhari would be out of office, and Hope Uzodinma may not have a messiah in Aso Rock to save him.
Uzodinma knows that, and for that reason, he can never allow Araraume to the Senate.
For Emeka Nwajiuba, his reason to stop Araraume goes beyond 2023, to the next election, when he probably hopes to take over from Uzodinma.
If Araraume unseats Uzodinma for the party ticket, and eventually becomes Imo govenror, his ambition to rule Imo, which is even beyond Araraume’ s 2007 attempt, would be permanently over, as Araraume would probably hand over to a successor from Owerri zone, after he rules for eight years.
Araraume have however informed Uzodinma, that he didn’ t need to go to the Senate, to wrestle the governorship ticket of the APC from him.
With Araraume and Ibezim in court, to determine who the authentic candidate of the All Progressives Congress APC, is in the Senate by- election, a victory in the courts by Araraume, may signal the beginning of the end for Uzodinma’ s stay in office.
A loss at Araraume’ s hands, will send a message to all and sundry, that Araraume was a stronger force than Uzodinma, while a defeat at Ibezim’ s hand, could mark the end of Araraume politically in Imo State.
