Chief Gibson Achonwa Njemanze (AKA) Oyiga, made headlines when he dumped Chief Ikedi Ohakim and PDP for ACN in 2010, prior to the 2011 Elections. He had explained how he granted PDP in Imo State a N20 Million Naira loan which the party could not refund as at the time he decamped to ACN.
In their reactions both Governor Ikedi Ohakim and Imo PDP described Gibson Achonwa Njemanze as a rolling stone that gathers no moss; a political albatross. True to their opinion on Oyiga, even with the ACN House of Representatives ticket handed to him coupled with Uche Onyeagucha both of them from Owerri West LGA, contesting for the Senate of Owerri Zone, they could not deliver Owerri West LGA to ACN or any other LGA in Owerri Zone.
Immediately after the 2011 elections, Oyiga joined Rochas Okorocha’s administration as Mayor of Owerri Zone, charged with building a new city at Nnarambia and other towns.
Oyiga however met as stumbling block in the hands of Lady Ugochi Nnanna-Okoro, then Commissioner for Community Government Council (CGC) and Chieftaincy affairs. The two leaders according to reports, have their eyes on the Owerri Federal Constituency presently occupied by Orji born Ezenwa Onyewuchi. Tried as he could, Oyiga failed to convince Governor Okorocha to concede the APC ticket to him. The trio of Oyiga, Arnold and Ugochi Nnanna-Okoro had earlier conspired to force the hands of Hon. Innocent Eke on APC probably to prevent him from decamping to PDP or APGA. However all attempt made frustrate master chef Innocent Eke by the trio failed like a pack of cards before Oyiga and Ugochi Nnanna-Okoro fell apart while trying to outdo the other as political leader of Owerri West L.G.A.
When Oyiga discovered that Governor Okorocha had entered into a pact with Mrs Nnanna-Okoro assuring her that she will personally pick the APC ticket for the Federal House of Representatives and in addition appropriate the ticket for the Owerri West Constituency in the Imo House of Assembly, for her PA, he decided to abandon Rochas Okorocha and APC in protest.
Reacting to the surprise exit of Chief Gibson Achonwa Njemanze (Oyiga), during his recent LGA tour at Umuguma, Okorocha pleaded with Oyiga to return to APC, saying, “agwu na akpa ya, I don’t know why Oyiga had to leave”.
According to Okorocha, except Oyiga is suffering from a spell, there is no reason why he would abandon an appointment to which the Governor gives him N25 million every month in addition to a N2 million monthly salary. He then charged Uche Onyeagucha, CY Amako, Nnanna-Okoro, Arnold and Innocent Eke to close ranks and persuade Oyiga to come back to him. In his reaction Oyiga acknowledged receiving funds for development projects in Owerri Mayorial city but he insisted that only N80 million was released for the five months he was in office. He added that Rochas is the one suffering from a spell of “agwu” and this was responsible for his irreconcilable differences with the administration.
Courtesy: Community Watchdog Newspaper
