Aba Bye Election and the Politics of 2023 – By; Honest Munachiso Offor

Aba Bye Election and the Politics of 2023

Make no mistakes. It’s not about you, the people. Far from it, you do not matter. The talk about Aba Ngwa natives taking a slot for the first time in 19 years, is a fluke. Your are merely a pawn. A narrative cunningly woven to buy your sympathy and support.

Two years is what is left but look at the energy and resources going into this contest. It is just a Federal constituency election but look at the people that have abandoned their duties to take occupancy in Aba.

I’ll tell you what this election is about and why there’s heightened interest on who takes the day.

1. It is about 2023 and the battle for the soul of Abia. A win for either party (PDP or APC) will be a statement of intent and readiness. PDP is desperate to halt APC’s encroachment into Abia South. The South is a safe haven for the PDP – a place where votes are churned out in unbelievable and incredulous numbers. A win for the APC will buoy the party and embolden its resolve to try to sack the entrenched party that has been in charge since 1999.
2. The election is a referendum on Ikpeazu. He wants to make a statement with this election. As a nwa Aba, he was rejected in 2015 and when 2019 came, he still could not record a convincing. Now that he is reviving roads and reconstructing infrastructure, he wants acceptance. A win for PDP will fit into the narrative that Ikpeazu is working. A loss will deflate it as an empty boast.
3. The Ngwas want to keep it. They’ve made it clear that they won’t relinquish power until 16 years is complete. Aba la Ohazu is important in this calculation. This election is an opportunity to make a point that Aba belongs to nde Ngwa and that they control 9 local governments and at such can determine who rules the state. If a stranger takes the win, that claim would’ve been punctured.
4. The desperation is not limited to one side. APC is equally desperate to make a statement. The South East wants the Presidency zoned to the region but there’s no guarantee that the ticket is enough to secure the votes of the East. Igbos touch APC only with a long pole but a win in Aba, a place considered as IPOB’s stronghold, will be a game changer.
5. APC may be desperate to make a statement but the desperation of OUK is even more consuming. The man is laying claim to the leadership of APC in the region. He wants to prove that he has the clout to pull Ndigbo to a party they view with suspicion, and assume the role as the leader of the party. What better way to do it than to crown his brother and achieve a feat that Rochas failed at.
6. Kalu deludes himself of an ambition that is inexistent. He wants to be President but he knows it is beyond his reach. As a gambler he is only interested in negotiating for a fair deal like he did with his Senate Presidency bid. He wants to demonstrate through this win that he has the local support of his home state.

Aba is a pawn in the political chess game of 2023. It’s beyond who replaces Ossy Prestige. Either PDP or APC will win but the win will be tainted. Votes will be bought. Results will be written. Violence will unleashed and security will be compromised. Pray for Aba!