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IN eight months time, the electorate in Anambra State will file out to elect a new governor who will oversee their affairs of the state for another four years after incumbent Governor Willie Obiano would have concluded his first term in office. The question now is whether any of those seeking to become governor have the capacity to unseat Obiano as he seeks for a second term in office

|  By Olu Ojewale  |  Mar 20, 2017 @ 01:00 GMT  |

The governorship race for Anambra State is gathering a momentum. The election which is slated for November 18, has attracted a lot of interest as aspirants are jostling for vantage position to outsmart their rivals in the election. If the media reports are to be believed, no fewer than 10 aspirants are already in the race representing three major parties in the country. The parties being represented include the Peoples

Democratic Party, PDP; the All Progressives Congress, APC and of course, the ruling party in the state, the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA.

But unlike in the past, the PDP, which had been a force to reckon with in the state in   past 10 years, appears to have lost its steam since its leadership tussle started last year.  Besides, some of its bigwigs have now crossed over to the central government the All Progressive Congress, APC, while the state ruling party, All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, remains intact.

Nevertheless, Obiano, who doubles as the APGA’s chairman of Board of Trustee, BoT, has been given an automatic ticket to contest for a second term in office.

As the PDP problems fester, the party which used to have a truckload of aspirants now has two in its ranks. Some of its past aspirants have moved to the APC, which now boasts of six aspirants at the last count.

In any case, prominent among those angling for the APC ticket is Ifeanyi Ubah, a billionaire oil magnate and chairman of the FC Ifeanyi Ubah. He hails from Nnewi North local government area which incidentally falls in Anambra South senatorial zone, one of the zones favoured for the governorship position of the state. He recently defected from the PDP to join the APC, the platform on which he hopes to contest the governorship race. Ubah has been making serious consultations with the powers that be in the party to fly its ticket.

Analysts say his major advantage in the race is his connections to people in the corridors of power, his popularity among the youth and his philanthropy, through which he has touched both the youth and the aged, respectively.

If deep pocket is all that is required to win election, Ubah seems to have no rival. But some would like to say that the position of governor of a state goes beyond being rich and popular; it also requires intellectual capacity and depth, which some political watchers say is lacking in Ubah.

But same cannot be said of Andy Uba. This Uba, through some defaults was governor of Anambra State for just 17 days before he was sacked him from the position by a law court to make way for Peter Obi to complete his tenure, and was also stopped from assuming power on the expiration of Obi’s first term as a governor-in-waiting. Since that time, Andy Uba has never hidden his aspiration to govern Anambra State. Perhaps, fearing that the leadership crisis rumbling in the PDP could ruin his chances, he too recently deserted the PDP to join the APC.

He is rich and seems to have the mental capacity to run the state, but he is distrusted by some powerful politicians in the state because of the role he played during the dark days of Anambra, when he was seen as the most powerful aide in the Olusegun Obasanjo presidency during which the state’s assets were set ablaze.

Besides, Anambra people are not likely to forget in a hurry the role played by Chris Uba, his younger brother, as a godfather in the state, when the election was rigged in favour of Chris Ngige, now minister of Labour and Productivity, in order to pocket the state’s treasury. Uba hails from Uga, Aguata LGA, Anambra South senatorial zone.

Another APC aspirant is Chike Obidigbo, who joined the party from the APGA. An industrialist, chairman of Hardis and Dromedas, a company that deals in cosmetics and other household products, Obidigbo, contested for the APGA’s governorship flag bearer with Obiano in 2013 but failed. He later accused the party of sabotaging him, after raising his hope, following the endorsement of his candidacy by the entire Anambra North traditional rulers, where Obi had insisted that the next governor must come from.

Analysts say his chance of clinching the APC ticket is slim, not only because he is new in the party, but also considering the number of political heavyweights ahead of him in party and the state.

Tony Nwoye, a member of the House of Representatives, and a former student unionist, who ran for the governorship in 2013 on the platform of PDP and missed it by whiskers is also in the race. Nwoye’s loss was blamed on the factionalisation in the party then, leading to multiple candidatures, but through the help of Obi, Obiano defeated him and other contestants.

He is now in the APC, although young and popular, his major drawback is lack of funds to prosecute his election. Nwoye hails from Nsugbe, a stone throw from Aguleri, the home of the incumbent governor in Anambra North, the zone favoured for the completion of their eight year term.

There is also George Muoghalu, a staunch party man, who will not easily jump ship just to contest election.  Muoghalu is a foundation member of the defunct All Peoples Party, APP, and also remained in the party when it transformed to the All Nigerian Peoples Party, ANPP. He was party to the negotiations that gave birth to the emergence of the APC. He is trusted to be APC in blood and flesh, and said to be favoured for the ticket of the APC being the oldest member of the party among those gunning for the seat.

Moughalu is an old politician, but his financial limitations, it is believed, could be a handicap to his political aspiration, especially in a state like Anambra. He hails from Nnewi, Anambra South, and seems to have the support of the powers that be in the party.

Another APC loyalist is Barth Nwibe. A multi-millionaire business man, Nwibe was a financier of the ACN, before it joined other parties to metamorphose into the APC. A staunch party man, it is believed that he too would want the party ticket for the election. He is not so much of an experienced politician, but has had a shot at the Anambra South senatorial race before now.

He is reputed to be the ‘second in rank’ in terms of popularity to Ngige, among all the old ACN members. How he fares in the contest for the APC ticket among the big wig politicians that have flooded the party will determine what he will be able to do in the main election. Nwibe is from Aguata area, Anambra South senatorial zone.

Another popular politician in the state is Obinna Uzor. A lawyer, entrepreneur, businessman and philanthropist, Uzor is from Ihiala, Anambra South zone of the state. He is majorly seen as one of the options for the Catholic Church for the governorship position in the state, that is, after Obiano who seems to be the favourite. He is a staunch Catholic who has executed several projects for the church. He is also said to be the favourite aspirant of Ngige, who remains the leader of the party in the state, besides Muoghalu.

Uzor is also viewed as a grassroots politician who has endeared himself to the people of the state. He has had more than a shot at the government house, but has never been lucky.

Similarly, in the race is Oseloka Obaze, a charismatic well-known diplomat was secretary to former Governor Obi. He is full of ideas of how the state could be made better, which perhaps, was why he was invited home by Obi, under whom he served. But one of his problems is money to run election if even given the chance. Besides, Obaze is contesting on the platform UPP, an unpopular political party, founded by Chekwas Okorie, a former APGA leader.

He has launched an extensive campaign seeking to dislodge the incumbent governor, to complete the remaining four years of the Anambra North people, where he comes from. It is still doubtful if he can make any meaningful impact towards fulfilling his ambition to govern the state.

If there is any grassroots politician who can win the governorship election in Anambra State, Godwin Ezeemo, is considered as a force to reckon with. This is because he is a notable politician, who has impacted the people through his philanthropy. He has investments in the media, oil sector, haulage, tourism and many others. He is considered a rich man by every standard, and also known for his consistency.

Ezeemo contested the governorship ticket of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, in the 2013 governorship election against Ngige, who then was seen as the alter ego of the party in the state. After losing to Ngige on many instances, Ezeemo was offered a deputy governor position in the APGA under Obiano, but he rejected it saying: “being a deputy governor is like being a spare tyre, and if I take it, I would not be able to impact the state as I truly want to.”

He then moved to the less known Progressive Peoples Alliance, PPA, and has since been the major financier of the party, and its leadership too. Many believe that If Ezeemo vies in a more popular party, he would win without much ado, but he has remained adamant over his belief that he would be governor of the state through the PPA. He is one of the aspirants who are automatic candidates of their parties.

Alex Obiogbolu, a veteran governorship election contender in Anambra State, comes through as a thorough bred gentleman and medical doctor. A staunch loyalist of the PDP, Obiogbolu nearly comes near to clinching the seat in previous elections, but the factionalisation in the party stood against him. In all his previous attempts, Obiogbolu has always presented a clear and workable manifesto as to how the state could be transformed, but the trouble has always been how he could win the election. Like a few others in the race, he would need a lot of financial backing to win the party ticket.

Another contestant seeking the PDP ticket is Osita Chidoka. The former minister of Aviation is regarded as popular, rich and full of ideas on how to govern the state. A PDP  staunch loyalist, Chidoka recently took a swipe at those who left the PDP to join the APC as doing so to secure federal might to run for the election. He promised to remain in the PDP, saying Anambra was a PDP state and that it only lost to the APGA because of a certain oracle (Peter Obi. But “now that the oracle is in PDP, APGA has lost its power, so Anambra will return to PDP.”

Analysts say Chidoka is seriously working and making consultations on how to achieve his aim in the forthcoming election.

Willie Obiano, incumbent governor of the state, is one that cannot be wished away. Obiano has the power of incumbency to win a re-election. He has already secured the APGA ticket and he is unlikely to have anyone contending for the ticket of his party with him. The biggest argument of his supporters have always remained that he has a right to complete the eight-year term of his zone, Anambra North senatorial zone.

As much as he is trying to impress the people of the state with infrastructure, perhaps, the biggest problem he has is Obi, his predecessor, to contend with. This is largely because he has severed relationship with his former principal who single-handedly gave him the governorship ticket to an old secondary school friend, and a colleague at Fidelity Bank. But no sooner that Obiano took office than both men started bickering.

The governor, it seems, have found it imperative and have started making overtures to reconcile with Obi. For instance, his statement at a recent stakeholder’s meeting held at the Governor’s Lodge suggests that he regrets his fight with Obi. Admitting that the rancour was unnecessary, he said: “My brother, Obi, laid solid foundation for my administration. He is a great leader and I owe him gratitude. There is no doubt that without him we won’t be where we are today. Our feud with him was uncalled for. He is a good man. “I must thank my brother and predecessor, former governor Peter Obi, who as the first APGA governor laid a good foundation for my administration to continue the journey for a better Anambra State. When we took over the reins of leadership, we realised that my predecessor had done a lot of work in the aspect of setting the fundamentals or what I call the enablers.”

He is also believed to have made lots of enemies in office by bringing in most of his Aguleri kinsmen, who determine who gets what from government.

Apart from that, political observers say Governor Obiano is also likely to face a big opposition from the APC and the PDP. This is owing to the fact that both of them parade a number of political juggernauts that could turn the table in any election in the state.

When Obiano was voted into power in 2013, he was a political neophyte. He secured the job on the strength of the backing he received from Obi, who was adjudged to have done well in his two terms as governor. But, since he has parted ways with Obi and a number of the APGA chieftains that worked for his election, he would need to rely substantially on what he has done in the past three years.

Some observers believe Obiano would be facing an uphill task in his second term bid because most of the developmental projects initiated by him are concentrated in his Anambra North Senatorial zone, which had not produced a governor until Obi zoned the slot to the area.

Besides, the governor has been accused of not running an inclusive administration as some of the sensitive positions in the government are held by his kinsmen. In addition, people in the state believe that the governor’s wife is the dominant force in the running of the government.

Critics say those singing the praises of the governor are being economical with the truth. According to such critics, apart from the three flyovers erected by the Obiano administration in Awka, the state capital, the state has not witnessed much change in terms of infrastructural development. The governor, they insist, is more of a noise-maker.

That notwithstanding, Obiano is believed to have done well in the area of security. His record on agriculture is enviable to the extent that Anambra State has joined the league of exporting states in Nigeria, following the success recorded in the sector with the exportation of local rice, pumpkin and bitter leaves to the United Kingdom. Obiano has also done well in managing scarce resources. He is not owing civil servants. He has also continued with the Obi’s legacy of investing in education as the state is one of the first top three in WASC and NECO examinations.

But, whether these are enough to guarantee him a second term is another matter.

Given the personalities that make up the APC and the PDP, they are likely to constitute a formidable challenge for Obiano’s ambition for a second term.

At a recent stakeholders meeting, Ngige declared that the APC would be the party to beat in the 2017 governorship election in the state, bragging that the good works he did while steering the ship would speak for him. He said: “The APC will be in serious contention for the office next year, because we are determined to take over the Government House.”

Collaborating Ngige’s statement, Emeka Ibe, state chairman of the APC, said recently in his office in Awka that all the APC political gladiators in the race were all qualified to govern the state and were capable of defeating Obiano in the forthcoming poll.

Ibe said: “The government of APC will not be a propaganda government, but a government that will show the people the reality and will lead them out of the current quagmire.”

But Tony Onyima, a former commissioner in the state and a member of the governing council, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, in an interview, said it would be impossible for any candidate from the opposition to unseat Obiano. Onyima said: “The dynamism favours the governor, the party APGA has consistently won election in Anambra State. In fact, Anambra State is at the heart of APGA, the party on which Obiano was elected governor. The sterling quality of the governor is well appreciated throughout the state. So, it will be very difficult to for anybody from the APC or PDP, which are the main parties, to win the governorship race in Anambra State.”

Onyima based his confidence on Obiano’s sterling performance in the state to the support he receives across the state from various professional and non-professional groups and the dismal performance of the ruling APC government at the centre. Besides, he dismissed those who are likely to contest with Obiano as professional contestants, saying none of them has the political clout to defeat him. “It was during the time when people would write results of election without casting votes, I would say it is possible. But not now when people’s votes must count,” he said.

That notwithstanding, Anambra State is very important to both the federal government and the APGA government in the state. But who gets the marble will depend on the mood and evaluation of the governed. That is what the election of November 18, is going to settle.

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