Okey Ezeh: The Rise Of Credibility In Imo Political Discourse

By Mike Okenwa

A veritable area of strength for Okey Ezeh is his renowned credibility. This has been attested to by his former colleagues both at the Federal Government College Okigwe and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, as well as those who in one way or the other came in contact with him as he rose to top managerial cadre in Citibank.

Again, majority of the stakeholders who have identified with his governorship project, and even doling out funds to see to its realization are from Orlu Zone, which indicates unbeatable acceptability outside of his primordial base. For instance, in Ideato North and South alone, there are no fewer than one hundred and fifty prominent leaders who have thrown their weight behind Ezeh. In Orlu LGA as well, he has a very strong support base given his unalloyed endorsement by the leaders of thought. This also obtains in Okigwe Zone, where various reputable leaders have begun to organise town hall meetings to educate the people on the need to elect Okey Ezeh as Imo State Governor.

One very striking advantage which the campaign message of Okey Ezeh has is its convincing and practical approach to the Imo problem. A topical component of his blueprint is the feasibility of an economically self-reliant Imo State that does not reckon with allocations from the Federal Government. The Imo electorate believe he has the capacity to achieve this given his towering profile as an investment banker.

Various groups in Imo State have also either overly or covertly endorsed the gubernatorial bid of Okey Ezeh. For instance, the Imo Network Group, which is one of the largest civil society organizations in Imo has openly endorsed him, and has even gone as far as reaching out and mobilising its membership for the purpose of delivering Okey Ezeh at the polls. In a similar vein, the Imo Project 27, which stands out as a formidable political movement in the State has also openly endorsed Ezeh, and has swung into action to get him elected. Also, the Amalgamation of Imo Professional Association, AIPA, which has most of its leaders as personal friends to Okey Ezeh, has by its recent template given a preference for Ezeh.

What is more strategic is that over seventy percent of current APGA members in the State are believed to be retained there so that they could fight from the inside and eventually deliver Okey Ezeh at the polls.

As a  Knight of the Roman Catholic Church who is known to be very close to the Bishops in the State, Okey Ezeh got it right when he chose a formidable play in the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Dr. Casmir Ihegworo, as his running. The combination has proven very helpful, as most pastors are today identifying with the Okey Ezeh project.

Okey Ezeh is also believed to have the financial muscle to wrest power given his contact with international financial outfits and personal resources as an accomplished entrepreneur.

Within Mbaise, the progressives are intellectuals as well as very many other illustrious individuals believe that Okey Ezeh is more refined to be marketed before Imo people. This conviction was at the heart of the concerted effort made by then to vehemently stop the idea endorsing any other governorship candidate from Mbaise on December 28, 2018 outside of Okey Ezeh.

Okey Ezeh has various political structures which nestle across the whole State with strong membership compositions down to the 305 wards. One hallmark of all who support him is their unchanging conviction that Okey Ezeh sincerely has a burning passion to transform the economy and political landscape of the State forever.