By Awurum Darlington
In 2007, exactly 13 years ago,Araraume won the Imo State gubernatorial PDP primary and was denied the Ticket for no constitutional default, Electoral-Act violation or Court judgement. Just the gathering and gang-ups of hawks.
Araraume notwithstanding got into that election all by himself without the PDP Machinery and to their greatest surprise, he delivered 26 LGA House of Assembly members out of the 27 LGAs of Imo State, to same PDP.
In Okigwe zone that year, he lost only but 1 LGA out of 6 LGAs.
The PPA which PDP machinery pulled the rug off Araraume’s feet for, won only but Onuimo LGA out of the 27 LGAs of Imo State. Araraume running alone with PDP cleared the other 26 LGAs. That 1 LGA out of 27 LGAs was what they used to declare one a Governor.
Nobody saw it as injustice against him, and till date, nobody believes he has a right to fight back. They only wished he did Usain Bolt out of Imo politics like Tony Ezenna, Festus Odimegwu, Charles Ugwu and others did.
(You will beat a child and still ask him not to cry?)
SINCE THAT 2007, TILL DATE, PDP IS YET TO WIN GUBER ELECTION IN IMO, 13 YEARS AFTER.
In 2015, Araraume merely joined APC not up to 3 weeks to the general election, amidst all the PDP stalwarts in Okigwe Zone who ganged up against him, he mobilised and turned the 6 LGAs of Okigwe to APC. In less than 3 weeks.
In 2019, Araraume merely joined APGA 3 weeks to the general election, amidst all these same men, he turned if not the 6 LGAs of Okigwe zone to APGA.
In that 2015, people argued that it was because of Governor Okorocha that Araraume was able to deliver 6 House of Assembly members of Okigwe zone, he was nobody in Okigwe Nyen Nyen Nyen, he proved them wrong yet again with APGA all by himself in 2019.
The reflection also showed the current candidate of APGA for the just concluded Okigwe By-Election. In 2019, riding on Araraume’s back, he got thousands of votes. Today, he couldn’t even get up to 100 votes.
This means, amidst all these leaders who were not with Araraume 2019, he still went into their LGAs and won them there.
Yesterday, amidst the controversy that rocked APC when the news of the two controversial judgements filtered in, it is evident that APC was able to win this By-election in Okigwe zone because of Araraume’s structures and sagacity. He has done it over and over again. (How many lions does one need to kill before you call him Ogbuagu?)
The controversial certificate candidate of APC lost his own electoral Ward in NSU. How could he have won other places when he was rejected in his home town??
The Almighty Prof. Maurice Iwu and SSG Cosmas Iwu, who happed to be his brother, had their polling booths ballots cancelled.
In Umueze 1 where Chief Tony Chukwu hail from, a lot of polling booths were cancelled too.
Hon. Chike Okafor lost his LGA to the PDP candidate. (We won’t blame him for that)
But the entire Okigwe North LGAs where Araraume hail from came handy and in tact.
Senator Araraume have not had the support of his political party since 2007.
Who are these people who always gang up against him and why?
The masses have nothing against Araraume as they love him unconditionally and always pull up for him; it is always these same set of elites doing the gang-up, so who are these elites and why are they always against Araraume? What are their interests? What are their contributions to us to suggest they love us so much and are fighting Araraume for our interests and not theirs?
None of these elites is fighting Araraume for our interests, they fight him for their interests. Are these leaders fighting him any better than he is in Okigwe zone and Imo State? Let’s profile them, their records and antecedents.
The basic fact is, in Araraume, they see another BOLA AHMED TINUBU rising from the EAST, if he gets hold of power again.
Yes, admittedly, while in the Senate between 1999 and 2003, Araraume was so powerful, very powerful that the then Governor of Imo State, Chief Achike Udenwa was almost very answerable to Araraume.
That was a lot of discomfort for the political hawks in Imo State. Today, they fear a return of Araraume who would rank such powers and cut their political pipes off Imo State treasury and commonwealth.
Did they not fight Okorocha for eating alone when he relegated them after election? Okorocha was almost gone in 2015. And if you think their interest then was for Imo, then you need a bed at yabaleft.
Did i mention that before the return of Araraume from Benin City, where he grew up, and at his entrant into Imo State politics, the fate of Okigwe zone’s politics was decided in Owerri and Orlu respectively, by Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu and Chief Arthur Nzeribe? They were the Godfathers of Imo and Okigwe politics and decided who gets what, when and how in Okigwe zone.
Araraume as a young man in his late 30s stepped in, challenged the powers that be and pushed Chief Iwuanyanwu and Arthur Nzeribe back to their zones.
Yes! Araraume became a political Iroko in Okigwe zone then, deciding who gets what, how and when. Rallying the likes of Eze Philip Nwosu who willed both political and traditional power likened to an Yoruba Oba, in Okigwe as at then. This is the reason for the battles against Araraume.
(Not discussing how Achike Udenwa became a Governor; for want of space here)
Yes, Araraume has been bashed for moving from one political party to another, but what many people don’t know is that his continuous sudden decisions to move from one party to another each time political mines are laid on his routes, is the reason he has remained ARARAUME all these years of many political battles.
Araraume get renewed each time he moves from one party to another, check it out by yourself. His moves are purely out of DESPERATION TO SURVIVE POLITICALLY and not Desperation for Power.
These elites, especially those from Orlu and Owerri would do anything to keep him down just as they did to other Okigwe sons like CHIEF OK 2000, ENGR. EBERE UDEAGU, ENGR, CHARLES UGWU (Rokana), CHIEF OHAKIM, recently CHIEF ATHAN ACHONU, CHIEF MAURICE IWU (former INEC boss reduced to state Covid-19 Taskforce Chairman) CHIEF TONY CHUKWU nodding head to anything thrown at him either from Owerri or Orlu. The list is endless.
Araraume has refused to stand down like others and his strategy is his ability to jump political land mines set for him in these murky water parties with same elites keeping our Okigwe leaders down.
After the 2007 PDP primary elections, politically, Chief Charles Ugwu have not did Tee Hoi! Politically until his recent coronation as Imo PDP chairman. After that primary, people like Chief Tony Ezenna (Orange Drugs) ran away, Festus Odimegwu ran away till date. Many others who contested that primary with Araraume were swept away by political tsunami of Imo State political elites gang-up.
Araraume is the only man in that set who faced many huge battles and still facing more, never won anything since then but still standing tall.
Araraume never did Imo State or Nigeria wrong in 2007 and never did Obasanjo wrong, he disagreed to help Obasanjo manipulate the constitution of the Federal Republic to make himself a life president.
The same thing with President PAUL BIYA, the president of Cameroon who has been president since 6th November 1982, was Obasanjo’s target and he was to manipulate the constitution to achieve that using Araraume to get the Senate to support it, but Araraume declined.
Obasanjo would have still be President by now or if he stepped down at 3rd term, then we would have been preparing for Buhari’s 3rd term by now.
Araraume stood against Obasanjo for Nigerians and paid the huge price. He should be appreciated. Orji Uzor Kalu got his own share of the fight from Obasanjo for the same reason.
Unfortunately, the same people who Araraume made this Sacrifice for are the ones vilifying him and asking why he didn’t support and allow Obasanjo make himself a life president. The irony of life right?
I ask you again, those fighting Araraume, are they fighting him for your gains or for their own gains?? You that is reading this, what wrong has Araraume done to you as a person? Think about it.
To be continued…
