As the battle to control the Anambra Government House gathers momentum, Maduako Eleweke, looks at the emerging trends and the centrifugal and centripetal forces at play
As the race to take over from the incumbent Governor of Anambra state, Chief Willie Obiano, whose eight years of two tenures will expire by March 17, the 2022 gathers momentum, many contenders and pretenders have sprang up, and still counting.
At the last count, over 24 persons from four political parties have indicated interest to contest for the governorship position comes November 6th, 2021. The parties, which have now shown interest are the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Young progressive Party (YPP).
PDP has two senators at the Senate, seven members at the House Representatives members and six at the state House of Assembly. APGA has no senator, and has only four members in the House of Representatives, while YPP has only a senator and APC has none in all.
The strength and challenges of the parties in the state
APGA
Strength:
APGA is the ruling party in the state with large followership cut across the 21 local government areas of the state. The party is tied to late Dim Chukwuemeka Ojukwu who most Anambra people respect so much and it has ruled the state for over 16 years by time Obiano would be leaving office.
It has more people in State House Assembly than any other political party, which means it is more grass rooted. It has zoned its governorship ticket to Anambra South senatorial district, where many Anambra people want to produce the governor.
Challenges:
Some of the best candidates that will deliver the party are not supported by the wife of the governor. The party in the last few years is having divided support from Ojukwu’s family. The wife of late Chief Ojukwu has publicly attacked the governor for ascending to power and neglecting the man whose name he used to clinch power.
Also among the party faithful, there are allegations that only people benefiting in the government are Aguleri, the home town of the governor and Ogbunike, the home of the governor’s wife.
PDP
Strength:
The party has strong followership across the state and has all it takes to battle and take over power in the state. It has those who can match the APGA government cash for cash, human being for human being
Challenges:
One of the greatest challenges of the party is its inability to conduct credible primaries that would be accepted by majority. Over the years the party has not presented a candidate that was accepted by most party chieftains.
Again, the party’s insistence on not zoning its ticket to Anambra South may still pose serious challenge to its success in the election.
APC:
Strength:
The party’s only strength is the federal might, if it would be deployed in the election, because in politics everything is possible.
Challenges:
APC presence in Anambra is not so visible, as it has no single member at the state House of Assembly and National Assembly.
Since after the 2019, the party chieftains have not been able to meet on how to move the party forward, even when the vice president visited the state for mediation, the key party chieftains were absent.
YPP:
The party is like a one man riot squad in the state, the chances of producing the governor is so doubtful.
Ahead of the respective party primaries in the state, several permutations and conjectures have been playing out which also includes the religious denominations, zoning and political party horse trading.
Since 1999, the position of governor has continued to rotate between Anambra Central senatorial district and the Anambra South Senatorial District while in 2014 the Anambra North senatorial district agitated and produced the governor for the first time.
With the emergence of Willie Obiano as governor, the rotation arrangements have gone full circle coming from Anambra North senatorial district.
Now it appears that the popular consensus is that the governorship position should move to Anambra South, according an APGA arrangement. The pressure is indeed high on the APC and PDP to toe this line and the South is also campaigning seriously to ensure that the parties nominate their candidates from the zone.
Similarly another issue that has remained a recurring decimal in the politics of Anambra state is religion. This has always been brought to the fore since after the regime of former governor Chinwoke Mbadinuju and it has become the bane of politics and governance in the state.
Aside from Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife who belongs to the Salvation Army church and Mbadinuju who is of Anglican Church and Pentecostal, the rest of the successive governors of the state have been Roman Catholics including the incumbent.
Against this backdrop, most of the political parties are mindful of this development and so are the aspirants in those parties also.
Perusal of some of the aspirants in the race
While some of the aspirants are for business, others may be pretenders in race to increase the number of aspirants. A look at some of them may suffice;
Prof Charles Soludo, APGA
Strength:
The former Central Bank of Nigeria governor cuts the picture of the chosen one in APGA and also appears to be popular in the state. Since the party has zoned it’s ticket to the South Senatorial District, he has the capacity to emerge as the candidate.
However he commands over 70 percent of the party structure having supported and campaigned for the second term of Gov Willie Obiano. Comparatively, Soludo appears to be the only aspirant that can return APGA back to the Government House, Awka, after Obiano.
His denomination as a Roman Catholic which is an aspect that also determines the fate of every aspirant is advantage.
Challenges:
He has to contend with the governor’s wife who is being alleged in some quarters doesn’t want Soludo to succeed her husband.
He is also to contend with the likes of Chief Akachukwu Nwamkpo former boss of SURE-P under former President Good luck Jonathan as well as Bar Emeka Etiaba SAN who are grassroots. He is also accused of not being grassroots and of being too elitist to govern the state.
Dr Obiora Okonkwo-PDP
Strength:
Dr Obiora Okonkwo is the Chairman of The Dome Entertainment and Hospitality Limited, a multi hospitality company.
His entrance into the race shattered all political equations, including the clamour for power to return back to the south.
Okonkwo is believed to have the financial muscle not only to win the primaries, but also match
whoever the state governor presents in the election proper.
He has supporters across the three senatorial districts in the state and has empowered many youths through his foundation. Being a Catholic is also an added advantage to him.
Challenges:
The only obstacle to his candidacy is the clamour for power to return back to the south because he is from Anambra North senatorial district.
Sen. Uche Ekwunife-PDP
Strength:
Ekwunife is a senator representing Anambra Central zone and she is one of the first five aspirants in the party. Since her advent into the Federal House of Representatives where she served for eight years before going to the Senate, she has maintained a vibrant and homogenous party structure which is a great plus to her.
Ekwunife bestrides the religious divide as she was born an Anglican and married to the Roman Catholic.
She is from Igbo-Ukwu town in Aguata local government area of Anambra South and married to Agu Ukwu Nri in Anambra Central zone, a position that qualities her to contest from the Anambra South if the party finally zone its ticket to South and she is also qualified to contest for the ticket if it is thrown open, since as a woman she has a dual citizenship.
Challenges:
Some of her opponents are however kicking that since she represents Anambra Central, she has no moral justification to contest the election.
Again, the people of Anambra State allowing a woman to be governor of the state may not easily be possible in today’s politics.
Some members of the party may not be disposed to her pocketing the ticket having just crossed to PDP few weeks to primary and ticket was given to her, courtesy of Peter Obi.
Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, YPP
The last National Assembly election showed that the issue of party does not always determine the fate of a candidate but the candidate himself.
Ubah’s party the Young Democratic Party YPP is not as popular as the APGA, APC and PDP but the senator appears to have the seven local government areas of the South intact and only needed at least nine local government areas from the Central and North to become governor .
Ubah has a very formidable socioeconomic and political structure as his support base known as Anambra Progressives Development Union made up of captains of industries, political standard bearers who decide the fate of candidates in every election.
This body can comfortably challenge any political structure and force at every election with capacity to turn the table in favor of who they prefer.
Ubah’s advantage also is in his membership of the Roman Catholic Church and is building a Cathedral for Nnewi Diocese.
Challenges:
Though, the senator must not lose sight of the fact that he has to contend with his brothers from Anambra South Senatorial District and even in Nnewi North local government area where two term House of Representatives member, Mr. Chris Azubogu, is also a top contender in the PDP.
There is still a big issue for the party to dream of producing a governor as YPP is just strange to many Anambra people.
Chris Azubogu, PDP
Strength:
He is from the Nnewi, Anambra South senatorial district, a situation that confer on him, the chances of pocketing the ticket if he plays his game well.
He is a two term member Federal House of Representatives and has attracted many projects to his Constituency and even beyond.
He is also a grassroots politician with coordinated structure to win the ticket of the party and also the election.
He is not the flamboyant type and a seemingly low profile person, which is an advantage since he is not given to controversies in the politics of Anambra state.
Azubogu has been able to interface with both the Anambra electorates and the political class across the 21 local government area of the state.
Challenges:
Some of his opponents see him as one that may not dance to the dictates of the perceived godfathers in Anambra state and may not be supported by the power that be.
Azubogu has to work on the religious politics in the state which appears to be dominated by the Roman Catholics since he is an Anglican.
He has also have contend with many billionaires aspirants in the PDP to be able to get the tickets.
Azuka Okwuosa, APC
Okwuosa is as old as the APC from the then ACN and he is currently the toast of most factions in the party which he was able to reconcile back to the party.
Coming from Anambra South Senatorial District with a strong support base both in the state and Abuja, he may likely pick the party ticket if he works harder.
Challenges:
Okwuosa has to work harder on the religious politics in the state being an Anglican.
George Muoghalu, APC
Strength:
The member APC Board of Trustee (BOT) and Managing Director/ CEO National Inland Water Ways (NIWA) is the party personified and has the chance of picking the party ticket. Muoghalu understands the politics of his party and the workings of the party structure. His consistency in politics has been an advantage to him to pick the party ticket.
Muoghalu had contested under the platform of the defunct All Nigeria People’s Party ANPP in 2003 and later contested the last APC primary election and lost to Dr. Tony Nwoye in the primary.
Challenges:
He has to really reassure his supporters that he is contesting to win and not merely to increase the numbers of aspirants in the state.
His religious background is one that hinges on his Roman Catholic and Pentecostal beliefs which may be a fifty- fifty chance of his winning.
Johnbosco Onunkwo, APC
Strength:
He has age on his side and commands the followership of the youths in the party and to a large extent Anambra state. Onunkwo has been able to use his foundation to sway supports of most youths to the party which is to his advantage.
He has not only used his party as a platform, his IFEDICHE Movement and his foundation has reached out to other political parties which is causing ripples in both the ruling APGA and the PDP.
He is from Anambra South Senatorial District and a Roman Catholic with two top members of his campaign structure as Anglicans.
Challenges:
Onunkwo has to battle against the conspiracy of the elite class who may not want him as a young man governor in the state. They feel that if the likes of Onunkwo become governor, they will all be retired from active politics.
Dr. Chidozie Nwankwo APC
A section of Anambra people see him as a new kid on the block because he has not been around party politics for long. But his supporters insist that there should be a paradigm shift in the governance of the state to those in the private sector who would inject new blood into the polity.
Nwankwo has no boundaries in terms of religious beliefs and practices and being a member of the Pentecostal church, he is a proponent of ecumenism which means a union of all religions and denominations in Christianity.
He is of the view that religious beliefs and inclinations should not be a template to determine who the governor of Anambra becomes but ones capacity to deliver as expected. With the assistance of some top notch APC stakeholders he can pull the string.
Challenges:
He needs to break the jinx of the conspiracy of the elite class in both the party and in the state at large.
Dr. Godwin Maduka, PDP
Strength
The US-based pharmacist doctor is no stranger to anyone in Anambra state. He had once had a brief stay in APGA before joining the PDP and since then the party has its hands full to contain his sagacity in politics.
Currently he has been moving to upstage the traditional party aspirants who are indeed losing sleep over his movement.
Maduka is from Umuchukwu community in Orumba South local government area of Anambra state and a Roman Catholic. He has built several Catholic institutions for the church and has empowered over 27,000 Anambra people in various capacities.
Challenges:
Maduka has to go extra mile to upstage the tin gods in his party and capture the structure to emerge as candidate and if the PDP can checkmate the litigations that have always trailed the primary elections he would be good to go.
Dr. Ifedi Okwenna, PDP
Strength:
Former Commissioner for Environment Dr Ifedi Okwenna is from Anambra South and Nnewi South local government area, a plus to his ambition. His track records as a Commissioner under Mr. Peter Obi the former governor speak for him and he has been able to collapse his former APGA structure into the PDP which he is using.
It is being rumoured that he is one of the few aspirants in the party that has the sympathy of Mr Peter Obi and may have his backing. Okwenna is a Roman Catholic and has been exploiting this advantage to his own credit. Okwenna has so far shown capacity in party politics and has built structures across the state.
Challenges:
Though, some of his opponents claim that he does not have the kind of logistics to run for the election in the state.
Valentine Ozigbo, PDP
Strength:
The former Transcorp boss is one of the new impetus in the politics of Anambra state and he is always on the move at all times. He is not a new member of the PDP having worked under several regimes of PDP in the past.
He has over the years built network for his his governorship ambition with various party stakeholders. Ozigbo is a Roman Catholic from Aguata local government area of Anambra South Senatorial District hence he is a strong contender, a strong advantage to his governorship ambition.
Ozigbo is s vibrant young man with great numbers of youths followership across the state.
Challenges:
His greatest challenge is the battle between him and those who claim to own the party in Anambra unless his connection at the National level would come into play to assist his ambition.
Again, if he breaks through the number of the statutory delegates of the party he may emerge as the candidate.
Bar Emeka Etiaba, SAN
Strength:
It is not clear which of the political parties Etiaba would contest under but where ever he chooses to be, he possesses the structure to execute his ambition. The success story of his mother as governor and deputy governor respectively has it going for him and with his contacts across the three major political parties he stands a chance.
Should he play deep into the Anglican Church where he belongs, he would surely emerge as the candidate of the Anglican Church. Already meetings and alliances have commenced in that regard with the Bishops and Pentcostal Church Committee members rooting for him.
Even in the Catholic Church he enjoys substantial measure of sympathy and his foot soldiers in the church are very much on ground to give him a soft landing.
Eng. Godwin Ezeemo, PDP
This is his third attempt in the state having contested under the PPA, APC and now the PDP. Ezeemo has stamped his name in Anambra politics and he knows the terrain at the back of his fingers.
He has structure that can give him the ticket but he has to work hard to achieve that.
He is from Umuchu in Aguata local government area of Anambra South which is however an advantage to him. His is also one of the consistent contenders to this position and should put those experiences to bear.
Challenges:
But Ezeemo appears not to learn from his past experience. He starts with a bang and end up in an anti climax which most of his supporters do not like and he is yet to exploit his Anglican Church background in the coming election.
He has to also work on the PDP structure, create a strong divide to his own advantage.
Akachukwu Nwamkpo, APGA
Strength:
The former boss of SURE-P under President Good luck Jonathan has introduced a new chapter in 2021 zoning arrangements in Anambra state, which is contending that the Ihiala political block has not completed its eight years under former Governor Chinweoke Mbadinuju.
Against this backdrop the Ihiala political block is presenting Akachukwu Nwamkpo as its candidate for the next election with the stakeholders of the area pulling all stops to install him in APGA candidate.
Akachukwu being an ex-Catholic seminarian has been working on his school mates who are now priests and Bishops to secure the ticket of the party and APGA being dominated by Catholics may consider his ambition if Soludo backs out which is a near impossibility.
Tony Nwoye, APC
Strength:
He had won the ticket of the party under the People’s Democratic Party PDP when he defeated Chief Nicholas Ukachukwu in the primary election.
He later won the primary election of the APC to contest under the party in the last governorship election.
Nwoye is known to have this magic wand of winning party primary elections and sending top contenders of the party to the cleaners and this is the apprehensions of most aspirants in the party.
Being a youth and a grass root politician, he appreciates the politics of not only APC and PDP but even APGA; a quality that he has going for him.
Challenges:
Nwoye is from Anambra North senatorial zone, which is on the saddle of governance today in the state and that limits his chances of emerging as the party flag bearer.
He is also accused of not respecting the zoning agreement in the party.
Ugochukwu Okeke, PDP
Strength:
He presents the true picture of a true progressive of the People’s Democratic Party PDP who is desirous of taking the party back to the government house Awka. Okeke has contested for the ticket of the party twice and has remained in the party against all odds.
He is from Ihiala local government area and among the possible candidates for the Ihiala political blocks and has been on race long before now.
Okeke enjoys the patronage of party members and stakeholders who finds him as one that would play the medium course at the end of the litigations of the so called major gladiators.
