democratically elected Executive Governor of Imo State via a second
consecutive supplementary election (which means that Okorocha has
entered into the Guinness book of record as being the first and the
only Governor of Imo State that emerged Governor two times through a
constitutionally defective supplementary election), no doubt
expectations are high. Already, so many people have started lobbying
for one political position or the other. In fact, there now seems to
be a mutual suspicion, fear of the unknown, anxiety, uncertainty,
overzealousness and bite biting among and within the APC circle
particularly within the current political office holders under
Okorocha's government over who will or will not make it in the next
administration.
No doubt, Governor Rochas Okorocha presently has the problem of
harmonizing mounting interests among his supporters. So the first
factor that will determine the success of this government in its
renewed tenure is his ability to weather the storm arising from the
excessive expectation of appointments from both old and defected
members of APC. This is because, if this is not handled cautiously by
the Governor, the government may be heading for the rocks. I told some
people that part of the side effects of enjoying massive defections
from one party to another especially after victory has been achieved
in an election is the task of accommodating different shreds of
interests in a post election period as we have it now. In this part of
the world, nobody does anything or supports anybody without
expectation of rewards either in a form of appointment or contract or
at least even free money. You know, politics is the fastest growing
business in this state and political appointment or position is the
surest way of attaining superfluity or better put, the easiest way of
turning emergency rich men and women hence the mad desire for
political appointments. More often, some people can lobby for that
through different subterranean ways like gossip, camouflage,
sycophancy, financial inducements, empty promises, signing of
agreements and worst still killing fellow competitors. So how the
Governor will work out a modality that will take care of this
excessive interests and high expectations of political appointments
which has been built around his governments by retinue of his
supporters is yet to be seen. For me, this will amount to jumping
inside an ocean without making a splash. In any case, I wish him the
best in this task. After all, an easy lies the head that wears the
crown.
Again, another factor that will determine the success or failure of
this government is the sustenance of his free education policy.
Unarguably, this free education is his star policy and the magic wand
that helped Owelle Okorocha more than any other factor to secure
victory in the last election. Honestly, I have never seen a political
gimmick that worked for any politician during elections than this free
education policy of the Governor. Any consultant that advised him to
do that is a political tactician and strategist. It spread like a
harmattan fire and entered into the hearts of the rural women and men.
It was a novel and came at a time the rural people felt it was the
best thing that happened to them. Although, the elites understood the
lapses and the half truths about the free education policy but the
rural dwellers especially the local women did not want to give any
listening ear to any contrary gist concerning re-electing the
Governor. For them, all they know was that they do not pay school fees
again for their wards. So any talk about UBE paying the school fees of
pupils from primary one to JSS 3 or substandard nature of the Okorocha
free education sounded like cock and bull story. You know our people
like free thing whether standard or substandard. All they know is that
they no longer pay their wards school fees again. So, how far the
Governor carries or maintains the policy will determine the success or
failure of his second tenure government. You know politicians have a
way of abandoning certain things immediately they secure second
tenure. There is always this tendency of re-prioritizing certain
things in their second tenure especially when they discover the cost
implications of certain policies.
This is because, for some time now, the Governor has not hidden the
fact that the free education is gulping the large chunk of the state
resources.
Read more at Horn Newspapers:
http://nigerianhornnews.com/factors-that-will-determine-okorochas-success-and-failure/
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