IMO 2023: Evaluating LP consensus candidate
Photo by PIUS UTOMI EKPEI / AFP
Sir: As Labour Party (LP) stakeholders in Imo State prepare to elect their standard flag bearer, ahead of the November 2023 governorship election, many committed and concerned party members have been expressing the uniform opinion that the party needs to adopt a credible consensus candidate. Even other voters who are not LP members are of the same view too.
An analysis of this common view is predicated on the fact that the choice of a credible consensus candidate would reduce the potential fall out of the primaries, which could polarise supporters of the party in the state. It would also help stop the much-touted infiltration of the party by rogue politicians.
As things stand now many stakeholders are of the view that for LP to defeat Governor Hope Uzodimma, it needs to field a formidable candidate. Such a candidate can only be supported by voters if he has these four qualities.
First he must have no baggage in the past Imo politics. Second, he must have the capacity to govern the state. Third, he must have integrity and be credible. The last is that he must have the experience and skills to address insecurity in the state.
A hard look at these four criteria shows that the only man who has all the four qualities in good measure is Ogunewe. This is besides the point that this University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) trained engineer is humble, disciplined and a team player.
On the issue of baggages, in Imo state today, the youths, the Obidients and infact Imo people are no longer prepared to tolerate any politician that is seen to be part of Imo politics since 1999. They would have no advantage over Uzodimma. Ogunewe does not belong to this category of politicians that are players in the annoying past of Imo politics.
The third set of people that Imo people do not want are politicians without credibility. Ogunewe has a clean record and we can say: ‘’Go and verify.’’ This man stayed in the Nigerian Army for 30 years and after several local and international assignments never received even one query.
When you come to the issue of insecurity ravaging Imo state, Ogunewe from his shinning track records and from many of his published security blueprints has the panacea to insecurity in Imo State. His published approach contains both kinetic and non-kinetic approach to resolving the issues at hand admirably.Dr
Uche Amanze lives in Okigwe, Imo State.
