Imo: Ihedioha, SamDaddy And Their Political Janglova Game

OGU BUNDU NWADIKE, M.A

Politics is a game. Whether or not anybody nurses any misgivings about the game status of politics, the whole truth is that politics remains a game yesterday, today, and tomorrow. And like all other games, while few are the true players on the pitch, most are spectators who are swung by the twists and turns of the game as played by the actual players.

The National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which typed out from Saturday, October 30 and Sunday, October 31, 2021 in Abuja, the Federal Capital City of Nigeria, provided an ample impetus to establish the concept of politics being a game.
One of the evidences was the eventual overt surprising display of camaraderie by the duo of Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, who was the PDP guber standard bearer in the 2019 governorship election, and Senator Samuel Anyanwu (Samdaddy), who represented Imo East (Owerri Zone) in the Senate of Federal Republic of Nigeria in the 8th Senate, 2015-2019. It just feels like a political _janglova ekwemoto_ game! 

Because am involve in a very special way, am aware that for both politicians, who qualify to be categorized in the same age grade, it has been no love lost, at least since after the 2015 general elections, where the then Rt. Hon. Samuel Anyanwu, a two term member of the Imo State House of Assembly, representing Ikeduru State Constituency, won his election into the Senate, while his supposed political mentor and benefactor, Ihedioha, lost his first bid to be the governor of Imo State.

Many had conclusively concluded that, Samdaddy, the all-time maverick political godson of Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu (Ahaejiagamba Ndigbo) compromised in the process of the 2015 general election, winning the Senatorial election on Saturday, March 28, 2015, with the support of Ihedioha, only to lose the governorship election, two weeks later, precisely on Saturday, April 11, 2015 in Sam’s Amaimo Ward, and Sam’s Ikeduru LGA, culminating in the defeat of Ihedioha by the then incumbent governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha in 2015. 

It was allegedly documented that there was an overt horse trade between Rochas and Samdaddy, with “Ghana Must Go” of money changing hands between them, few hours to the governorship election, only for Sam to disappear from the surface of Imo State till the end of the election, which was declared inconclusive, warranting the supplementary election on Saturday, April 25, 2015, where Rochas eventually won Ihedioha with a margin of over 100k votes to secure a second term. 

A faceoff, indeed a cold war, which erupted midway into the 8th Assembly, 2015 – 2019, between Ihedioha and Sam was unmistakably interpreted as a fallout of the controversies surrounding the alleged conspiracy and compromise, betrayal and sabotage of the former by the later.

The duo became foxy cat and dog nay wolfy fuel and fire. There was no love lost between them. The jawbreaker that broke the camel’s back was the mixed decisions that ensued between both as the 2019 general elections drew nearer and closer.

Ihedioha allegedly decided to withdraw his support for Sam’s second term bid to the Senate, backing the candidature of Rt. Hon. Ezenwa Onyewuchi, the the Owerri Federal Constituency representative in the House, while Sam decided to gun for the office of the governor, with Ihedioha as his opponent. Tension arose! 

When it became very clear that Sam has lost favour in the sight of Ihedioha, with Ezenwa Onyewuchi becoming “the new boy in the Block”, he actually threw in his heart into the ring for a very robust contest for the PDP guber ticket against Ihedioha for the 2019 gubers.

Sam, with his “Divine Mandate Organization”, put up a very good fight that saw him engaging Ihedioha frontally in the primary election at Kanu Nwankwo Stadium, Owerri on Sunday, October 1, 2018. Ihedioha won. Sam lost! Ihedioha rejoiced! Sam kicked!
Sam kicked by dragging Ihedioha and PDP to Court over his defeat, against the stipulations of the 2017 PDP Constitution (As Amended). Sam kicked by working with other parties and candidates against Ihedioha and PDP in the 2019 gubers.

When on Monday, March 11, 2019, Ihedioha was declared winner of the 2019 gubers by INEC, Sam joined in protesting against him. When on Tuesday, January 14, 2020, Ihedioha was ousted by the Supreme Court, Sam joined in rejoicing and celebrating his ouster.

Meanwhile, all the while, since after Sam lost the primary election in 2018, he never participated in any activities of Imo PDP and he didn’t support the party in fighting the political war of 2019. Rather, as already hinted, Sam overtly and covertly fought PDP from a distance and even from close range! 

 His very poor attitude towards the PDP culminated into his initial suspension and eventual expulsion by Amaimo, his, Ward, Ikeduru, his LGA, and Imo, his State levels of the PDP. All that remained was for the National Working Committee (NWC) and the National Executive Committee (NEC) to ratify the decision by Imo PDP to expel Sam. In a way, Sam was declared persona non grata by Imo PDP at all levels! 

That was where the process lingered until the reconciliation programme of the party supervised by former governor of Kwara State and former President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, and Governor Nyesom Wike brokered negotiated, conditional peace that saw Sam  pardoned and received back into the party. Yet, the cold war subsisted in subtle ways.

The major point in all of the above was that Ihedioha was deeply fingered by analysts and pundits as beating the drums of suspension and expulsion that Amaimo, Ikeduru, and Imo PDP were dancing with immeasurable dexterity. That was corroborated with the direct reconciliation of the duo by the Reconciliation Committee that saw Rt. Hon. Austin Opara, former Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, and Senator Mao Ohuabunwa visiting Imo PDP to announce the reconciliation and reintegration into the party by the NWC and the conditions thereto!

Yet, Sam was deliberately being blocked at all cardinal points in Imo PDP to ensure that his unfettered wings didn’t lift him beyond ground level. The vicious hostilities and brouhaha just won’t abate! The powers that be in Imo PDP weaved all manners of baskets to frustrate and probably forestall Sam’s return to the mainstream of the party, in spite of his supposed reconciliation with Ihedioha and Imo PDP.

An evidence of the truth told above was found in the fact that Ihedioha was reported to be among those that kicked against Sam’s adoption as the “Consensus candidate for the office of National Secretary of PDP” in the recently concluded National Convention! 

It required a press statement signed by Ihedioha’s Media Aide, Chibuike Onyeukwu, to disclaim the reports that Ihedioha was against Sam’s proposed national office. Yet, many thought it was an after thought!

Then suddenly, Ihedioha took over as Leader of the campaign for Sam to emerge unopposed as National Secretary of PDP. It was counted among wonders that tvey say never ceases. In a matter of hours, the seemingly irreconcilable duo were seen in embraces and bear hugs, sharing food and drinks in Abuja. 
The sustainable five year old altercations, faceoff and fallout between Sam and Ihedioha was resolved and dissolved in a matter of few hours and few days! Who said politics isn’t a game? 

It’s the views of reputable pundits and analysts that the rapid turn of events that suddenly saw Sam and Ihedioha exhibiting an unexpected sudden camaraderie must be a testimony that politics is truly a game; a game of wits, a game of spontaneity, a game of time and season!

The development obviously has lessons for politicians, their aides and agents. And the summary of the lessons is that politics must at all times be seen as a game, and be played like a game. There mustn’t be any hard and fast rules. Politics must be seen as a game that has a beginning and an end for every player. No permanent friend! No permanent enemy! Only permanent interests! That’s the cardinal guiding principle of politics! 

As has been established by the sudden forced friendship between Sam and Ihedioha, your worst political enemy today may tomorrow be your best political friend. And vice versa! It’s a game! CR7 is back to Man U! He may return to Real Madrid or Juventus next season, if the mutual interests and circumstances supports and warrants it! It’s a game!

As Senator Samuel Anyanwu assumes office as National Secretary of PDP, the world will eagerly gauge the temperature of the relationship between him, Ihedioha and Imo PDP leadership as presently constituted. Will it last? For how long will it last? 
Some pundits and analysts suggest that it’s not yet Uhuru in the party where the culture of vindictiveness, vengeance and vendetta have deep taproots like a mature iroko tree. 

Will Sam go for his pound of flesh now that he holds the four aces? Will he pay Ihedioha back in the same coin of shut out, oppress and suppress? With what eyes will Sam be looking at the subsisting powers that be in Imo PDP that did him 30 until this turn of fortune?

Let politics remain a game! Sometimes you win! Sometimes lose! The game goes on! Life goes on! Wisdom answereth all things! As a player, a supporter or a spectator, be wise in politics!  We’ll be back soon with another package in our short essay series! Thanks for reading!

By God’s grace, Imo State must be rehabilitated, reconstructed and recovered!!