ANAMBRA 2014: THE CANDIDATES, THE ISSUES, THE PROCESS

THE battle for Governor Peter Obi's successor has begun in earnest
and, as is customary with Anambra elections, intrigues and
manipulations are already in the air.
Three political parties: the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, the
All Progressive Congress, APC, and the People's Democratic Party, PDP,
are clearly ahead of others in terms of followership in the state and,
unless the unexpected happens, the next governor, after the November
16 election, will be from one of the three parties.
The fourth political party, Labour Party, LP, is also waxing strong
because of the influence of Mr. Ifeanyi Ubah, the oil magnate, who has
pitched his tent with the party, though the ...
party is seen currently as
a one- man show in the state.
All the cleared aspirants in the PDP and APGA have paid N1 million
each for expression of interest in the tickets of the parties and the
very serious ones are already paying the N10 million nomination fee.
It is also obvious that some of the aspirants who paid the money in
both parties may step down for their favoured colleagues before the
primaries.
Likely candidates
There are about 32 aspirants, new and experienced, from all the
political parties, jostling for their parties' tickets. PDP has 12,
theruling APGA has 13, APC has three; while the KOWA Party, thePeoples
Party of Nigeria, PPN, and LP have one each. Other parties which only
show presence during elections in the state have also been renting
small offices as their state secretariats and, like traders, are
exhibiting their wares.
Expectedly, their businesses will boom after the primaries of the
major political parties as some of those who will drop by the way side
are likely to pick tickets from the small parties. Some of the small
parties are already dropping names of notable aspirants in PDP and
APGA, claiming that they are standing by to pick their tickets at the
appropriate time.
For now, the small parties have not even begun the process for the
selection of their candidates for the election, but they are
monitoring the political situation.
PDP
Aspirants in the PDP include Senator Andy Uba, Nze Akachukwu Nwankpo,
Dr. Obinna Uzor, Mr. Ugochukwu Okeke, Mr. Walter Okeke and Prince
Nicholas Ukachukwu, whoare all from Anambra South senatorial zone.
From Anambra North are Senator Emma Anosike, Chief Tony Nwoye and Dr.
Alex Obiogbolu, while from Anambra Central are Mrs. Josephine Anennih,
Mr. Sylvester Okonkwo and Chief Charles Odunukwe.
The intrigues trailing the ward congress of the PDP in the stateis
seen as part of the strategy by some of the aspirants who want to put
themselves in a vantage position before the governorship primary
election. PDP is also not bothered about the clamour by Anambra
North that the area should be allowedto produce the next governor of
the state and that is why a large number of the aspirants are from
Anambra South and Central.
One of the governorship aspirants from the South, Ukachukwu, said, in
Awka, that Anambra South is yet to complete two tenures since the
creation of the state, unlike Anambra Central that would have been in
office for 11 years at the end of Governor Obi's tenure. Ukachukwu
said: "The people of Anambra North have the right to demand to be
governor.
We in Anambra South senatorial zone also have the right to demand that
we should be allowed to complete our two tenures of eight years as
Anambra Central has done. Between Obi and Senator Chris Ngige,
Anambra Central has occupied the Government House for 11 years, while
Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife and Dr. Chinwoke Mbadinuju, both from Anambra
South, have jointly occupied the Government House for only five years.
Crisis
For the past 12 years, Anambra PDP has been experiencing crisis of
leadership. It was PDP that introduced godfather into the politics of
the state during the tenure of Mbadinuju when the billionaire business
man, Sir Emeka Offor, held sway.
The godfather syndrome continued during the three –year reign of Ngige
when Chief Chris Uba, who facilitated his emergence, tried to overawe
the governor and Ngige's refusal tosubmit led to a crisis. Since the
PDP lost the Government House following the removal of Ngige in 2006,
the party has been in disarray, with feuding members jumping in and
out of court to perpetuate their hold on the party.
As the governorship election draws near, the crisis remains
unresolved. And at a time members of the PDP expected thosewho want
to take over form Obi in 2014 to come down and mobilize the electorate
in readiness for the election, the aspirants preferred to stay in
Abuja where they were said to be lobbying to arm twist the national
leadership of the party to give them the governorship ticket without a
primary election.
Though all the aspirants later agreed to a primary election after
series of meetings with the national leadership of the party and
capped it up with a peace rally in Awka, the group, led by Chief Ejike
Oguebego, which has the sympathy of Senator Andy Uba, was absent at
the rally, Uba, however, said later that his inability to attend the
rally was due to flight disruption and insisted that he remains in the
forefront of the efforts to ensure that a lasting peace returns to the
PDP in the state. But events that took place during the ward
primaries showed that the crisis in the party is still far from being
resolved.
Currently, the party is sharply divided over its leadership in
Anambra, with Prince Kenneth Emeakayi leading the executive approved
by the national leadership, while Oguebego leads another faction
approved by the Independent National ElectoralCommission, INEC.
Penultimate Monday, the PDP held its wardprimaries for the election of
three –member delegates from each of the 326 political wards in the
state and, as was the case in the past, two parallel primaries were
held.
While the PDP leadership was conducting its primary withoutthe
presence of INEC officials, the electoral umpire was supervising
another primary conducted by Oguebego. The surprising thing was that
the supervision was done by INEC officials from its headquarters in
Abuja and they were seen boarding a vehicle back to Abuja the
following day. It was gathered that they left with the results they
collated and, later in the day, Oguebego headed to Abuja.
The question being asked is whether the result collated by INECwould
be forwarded to the PDP headquarters which did not recognize the
Oguebego leadership. Again, what would happen to the result of the
primary conducted by the Emeakayi factionof the party since INEC said
it recognizes Oguebego as the chairman of the party in the state?
One of the PDP governorship aspirants, Ukachukwu, is, however,
optimistic that, ultimately, whatever result is sanctioned by the
national leadership of the party would be theauthentic one.
Many people in the PDP are blaming the renewed crisis in the party on
the former secretary of INEC who, it was gathered, allegedly issued a
statement recognizing Oguebego as the state chairman days to his
retirement. According to a source in the Commission, the statement
took the national leadership of the PDP unawares and it came at a time
the party leaders thought they had almost resolved the crisis in the
Anambra chapter. But Ukachukwu said the National Working Committee,
NWC, of PDP was working hard to withdraw the recognition, arguing that
it was improper for INEC to select leaders for the party.
APGA
In APGA, the aspirants are Professor Charles Soludo and Mr. John Nwosu
both from Anambra South; Mrs. Uche Ekwunife, Mr. Emma Nweke and Chief
Chukwuemeka Nwogbo, from Anambra Central; while from Anambra North
are Mr. Oseloka Obaze, Prince Chinedu Idigo, Chief Willy Obiano, Chief
CharlesNnacheta, Dr. Chike Obidigbo, Chief Patrick Obianwu and Chief
Paul Odenigbo.
Buoyed by the statement from Obi that he would support a candidate
from Anambra North, some aspirants from the area are already claiming
to be the governor's anointed persons. For instance, spirited efforts
are being made by stakeholders and aspirants in APGA to prevail on
most aspirants from Anambra North to withdraw their ambition and
support one person to be able to win the party's ticket.
At least three meetings had been held in that regard and it was
believed that by the time they go into the primary proper, only one
aspirant from Anambra North would be presented. However, while some
aspirants withdrew from the race in the spirit of a united Anambra
North, another aspirant, Chief WillyObiano, a former executive
director of Fidelity Bank, who is considered a serious contender,
joined the race. There are claims that three persons from Anambra
North are being favoured by Obi, for one of them to take over from
him.
The three are Mr. Oseloka Obaze, the SSG and former senior official of
the United Nations, UN, Obiano and Prince ChineduIdigo from the
Aguleri royal family. Those from Anambra North, who cut short their
governorship ambition, apparently to create chances for others,
include Mr. Dubem Obaze, a former commissioner for local government
and younger brother of Oseloka Obaze; a member of House of
Representatives, Mr. Afam Ogene; and the member representingAnambra
State in the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission,
Mr. Nnamdi Ekweogwu from Onitsha,
It was gathered that the move by Anambra North to present one aspirant
at the primary election heightened when, unexpectedly, the former
governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Professor Chukwuma
Soludo, who was aspiring to contest on the platform of the PDP,
decamped to APGA andannounced his intention to contest for governor in
that party. He immediately registered as a member of APGA in his
Isuofia Ward.
Political watchers insinuated that Soludo was drafted into the race
from within and outside the party as part of the reconciliation
process between Obi and the national chairman ofAPGA, Chief Victor
Umeh, on the crisis that almost tore the party apart. When Umeh was
asked his position about the zoning of the governorship after his
reconciliation with Obi, hesaid that it did not form part of the
reconciliation process.
Obi has since denied having interest in any aspirant, saying that
whoever emerges from the primary would be supported by the party.
Recall that shortly after winning the 2010 governorship election, Obi
began the campaign for power to shift to Anambra North, an area that
has not produced governor since the creation of Anambra State in 1991.
The stand of the governor, perhaps, encouraged many people from
Anambra North to develop interest in the governorship race such that
by May this year, about 15 persons from the zonehad declared their
interest in the race. As the controversy over the zoning of the
governorship to Anambra North continues, one of the aspirants from the
zone, Idigo, said there was indeedan agreement reached among Anambra
politicians that the North should produce the next governor.
He said: "Governor Obi has promised to release the agreement atthe
appropriate time. During my consultations for this governorship race,
I met a traditional ruler in this state who said there was such an
agreement and that he is in possession of a copy of it. Since some
respected stakeholders are saying that there was such an agreement, I
expect our people to respect that agreement by giving Anambra North
the chance to produce the next governor.
The SSG, Obaze, also spoke in the same light when he said that
allowing Anambra North to produce the next governor is a moral issue.
He said: "There should be a moral question for aspirants from Anambra
Central and South senatorial zones stillangling to become the next
governor of the state because their zones have been occupying the seat
since the creation of the state.
"It should be known that the people from Anambra North senatorial zone
are not groveling for sympathy and attention, but seeking what should
come to them rightfully, if there is justice and a sense of equity.
Thankfully, there are many well-meaning people from the south and
central senatorial zones that support our cause, our dear Governor
Peter Obi, being a leading example.
In the fullness of time, everyone will have to account for their
political stand, since the issue at hand is both moral and
constitutional. Such rotational issues are topical in Delta,
Enugu,Abia, Akwa Ibom and Lagos states. It remains a paradox;
therefore, that those who say the governorship slot cannot be ceded to
Anambra North in 2014 since there is no zoning, are the first to
advocate that Presidency should be ceded to the Igbo nation in 2015.
As I see it, the quest to bring the governorship to Anambra North is
now a sacred mission for the people of the North."
APC
APC has three aspirants namely, Ngige and Senator Annie Okonkwo, both
from Anambra Central, as well as Chief Godwin Ezemo, who is from
Anambra South. Before now, many people believed Ngige would easily
secure the APC ticket,but unfolding events in the new party suggest
otherwise. Okonkwo, who left APGA for APC and was named the
interimdeputy national chairman for south, recently resigned to join
the governorship race. He is a grassroots politician whose entry into
the race is bound to make a lot of difference.
Same goes for Ezemo who, through a neophyte in politics, is believed
to be in the good books of top officials of APC. It is also being
speculated that Okonkwo and Ezemo may run a jointticket in APC.
Okonkwo and Ezemo also appear to be plotting against Ngige as they
recently took the decision to make the state chairman of All Nigeria
Peoples Party, ANPP, Chief Pat Orjiakor, the interim chairman of APC
without consulting Ngige. Before settling for Orjiakor, it was a known
secret that Ngige preferred an old ally in the PDP to become the state
chairman of APC. How he would react to the appointment of Orjiako will
be known in the coming weeks.
But Orjiako told Sunday Vanguard that he is very passionate about APC,
adding that whatever the state leadership of the party will do will be
very transparent. Again, Ngige's position on the recent deportation of
72 Igbo from Lagos State in which he supported the action appears to
have pitched him against many stakeholders who naturally would have
assisted him in prosecuting his gubernatorial ambition. Besides, some
of his ardent supporters are claiming that he has not done much as a
senator and in empowering those who stood by him when the going was
tough.
However APC cannot be dismissed with the wave of the handin Anambra
because of the influence of the three parties that merged to form it
and the personality of Ngige and Okonkwo in the party. Its only
problem may be that none of its governorship aspirants is from Anambra
North which is an areathat usually presents bloc votes in every
election.
Many people in Anambra North also say they are not happy with Anambra
federal lawmakers over the issue of oil wells in the area which Kogi
State people are laying claim to. Idigo, a lawyer, said it was
unfortunate that the three senators from Anambra State could not
defend the state, even when the facts are available that the oil
deposits are in the state and wondered why they should come to Anambra
North to ask the people to vote for them.
LP
Ifeanyi Ubah from Anambra South is so far the only aspirant inLP.
There are also professional aspirants who declare interest every four
years mainly hoping that serious aspirants would negotiate with them
for settlement. Since he left APGA for LP,Ubah has ensured that no
other aspirant came into his new party. Among all the aspirants, he is
the only one that has done controversial things. For instance, he
started by dashing SUV cars to some politicians that abandoned their
former paymasters to join him and sacking some of them later.
Some of them said they had to leave his campaign train becauseof his
style of politics. Nevertheless, his Nnewi country home has continued
to witness a beehive of activities and many people who visit there are
getting instant cash.
Issues that will dominate the campaigns
While some of the aspirants have clear –cut programmes whichthey
intend to execute if they win, others are merely campaigning to be
governors without programmes. But, essentially, the 2015 presidential
election, the recent deportation of Igbo from Lagos State by the APC
–controlled Lagos State government, the deplorable situation of
federal roads in the state, the yet –to take off Second Niger Bridge
and infrastructural development in the capital city of Awka are key
issues some of the aspirants have been talking about in the course of
their sensitization tours.
While PDP and APC aspirants are accusing the present administration of
not doing much to improve the infrastructure in Awka, APGA aspirants
have been reminding the people that it would amount to taking Anambra
State back to the dark days if those who were the major actors in the
destruction of government property in 2003 in the name of politics
were allowed to come back.
Already, some of the aspirants in the state are believed to be
preparing jingles that would refer to APC as a party that hates Igbo,
with some saying that it was a good thing that the deportation of Igbo
by Lagos State government came at the right time for them to use it
against the party.
In fact, a top member of APC was recently subjected to questioning in
Awka when he embarked on a tour of the area and some members of his
party told Sunday Vanguard that they were not amused by their
experience during that outing. Another issue being raised by the
aspirants and their parties is the deplorable condition of the Onitsha
–Enugu federal highway that passes through Awka, the state capital
which some politicians accuse the PDP –controlled Federal Government
of neglecting.
Perhaps the greatest campaign issue is the 2015 presidential election.
To PDP members, there is no way the presidency would allow another
party to win Anambra State if President Goodluck Jonathan hopes to win
his second tenure. According to some politicians, Anambra will be a
test case for the future election which is why the major political
parties are being very careful in selecting who would fly their flags
in the November 16 election.
Mrs. Chinwe Emenuo, a civil servant, said the concern and prayer of
Anambra people is that the next governor should continue the good
things Obi has done. She said that as a civil servant that would
retire in the next two years, she hopes that the next governor will
pay her entitlement as Obi has succeededin doing since he came to
power.
She also hopes that the peace that has taken root in the state will
continue, adding that it would be unfortunate if the state returned to
the era in which the people lived under tension andforeign investors
had to abandon the state because politicians made the state unsafe for
them.