By Austin Obinna
The clash of political titans from Mbaise for the governorship of Imo State come 2027 will feature former governor, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, retired Major-General Lincoln Konyemere Jack Ogunewe and top banker, Sir Stanley Amuchie.
National Newsblast Newspaper investigations revealed that while Ihedioha, former acting Speaker of the House of Representatives, is set to join Labour Party (LP) in August, Ogunewe, former Chief of Policy and Plans of the Nigerian Army and 2023 candidate of Action Alliance (AA) is set to join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Ihedioha hails from Aboh Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo State.
Just as the presence of Sen. Athan Achonu’s top aide-turned LP legal adviser, Barr. Emeka Ihejirika at a crucial LP meeting at De Range Hotel, Owerri in July 2022 signaled Sen. Athan Achonu ‘s entrance into the party, the sighting of a top aide of Ogunewe in the office of a top Imo State Government functionary in Government House on Friday 19th July, 2024, served as confirmation of Ogunewe’s exit from AA and long anticipated entry into APC following protracted disagreement with the leadership of AA under Ifeanyi Okponwa-Eze.
Ogunewe hails from Akpodim community in Ezinihitte Mbaise Local Government Area.
Like Ogunewe, former Chief Financial Officer of Zenith Bank Plc-turned Chief Operations/Information Officer and Executive Director of Fidelity Bank Plc and 2019 Guber aspirant of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Ezenwa Sir Stanley Chiedoziem Amuchie, who has been eyed by APC, following the success of banker governors in Anambra State and Abia State via Dr Alex Chioma Otti, former Managing Director of Diamond Access Bank, is expected to declare for the party soon.
Amuchie, former deputy chairman of Ihedioha Transition Technical Sub-Committee, hails from Aboh Mbaise Local Government Area.just like Ihedioha.
Meanwhile, the fact that Amuchie represented the banking consortium in a memorandum of understanding for the construction of a two hundred room five star Marriott Hotel in collaboration with Imo State Government under the ruling APC, political pundits opine, is an indication of a solid relationship that will play out in Amuchie ‘s favour when the electoral chips are down and the guber push comes to shove in the Eastern Heartland.