If speculations making the round are reliable, the immediate past Chief of Army Staff, General Azubuike Ihejirika will soon be joining the race for the Abia State governorship seat.
The news gained prominence with posters of the retired army general posted all over major streets of Umuahia, the state capital.
Gen. Ihejirika who hails from Ovim in Isikwuato Council area is favoured by the zoning arrangement to take the governorship to Abia North senatorial zone.
If the retired soldier eventually publicly owns up this desire, HOMELAND NEWS gathered that he will be relying not on his connection to the grassroots but high level relationships within and outside of Abia State to secure the ticket of the PDP.
Some of the posters with “to come and do more for the people of Abia State” suggest some politicians and citizens are urging him on. But there are those who say the story should better end as rumour.
Among this are those who say Gen. Ihejirika need more time to adapt to civilian mindset after retiring from the highest professional post as a soldier in Nigeria less than one year ago. They also argue that with the negative publicity recently suffered by the Former Army Chief, it will be counter-productive to dabble into party politics so soon.
Though many Nigerian rose in his defence, a certain Australian negotiator, Stephen Davies, last month named Gen. Ihejirika as one of the sponsors of Boko Haram.
Gen Ihejirika became the second Igbo to head the Nigerian Army nearly 50 years after late General Aguiyi Ironsi rose to become the number one soldier in Nigeria.
From Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo who was a former military head of state and returned 20 years after retirement to become a civilian President, the list of former soldiers in politics is endless and so Gen. Ihejirika may be queuing to join Murtala Nyako, Bode George, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, David Mark, etc. in seeking space in politics.
