Anambra, Ekiti, Osun gov elections : And the battles next time…

As Nigeria approaches 2017, a year that is likely to be full of landmark political developments that will shape the country ahead of the 2019 general election, JUDE OSSAI, SAM NWAOKO and OLUWOLE IGE take a look at the political developments in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun states, three states that will host the next set of electoral battles.

BEGINNING from 2017, there will be three critical governorship elections in the South-West and South-East geopolitical zones, with Anambra, Ekiti and Osun states set to elect new governors to carry on the baton of leadership in the respective states.

To average Nigerians, the dates might still be away, but to politicians, this is not so, with the ending of one battle on the political turf always heralding a new one. With two of the three states governed by opposition party, an indication that will make the elections in both states competitive, the political dynamics and intrigues in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), following the Ondo State governorship election, analysts note, might make the election in the third state, Osun, which is governed by the APC, a tough nut to crack for the ruling party.

Will the APC extend its winning runs to Ekiti State? Can it make inroads into the South-East through Anambra, given the low popularity the ruling party has among the Ndigbo states? Will the people of Osun State entrust their destinies in the hands of the APC, which had governed the state for two successive terms through Governor Rauf Aregbesola? These are the critical questions being posed ahead of the landmark elections that will be a litmus test for the new political realignment, if any eventually emerges and, indeed, a test of might for the ruling APC and the troubled Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Politics in Anambra State, like in other places, is full of intrigues and its dynamics make it unpredictable. Little wonder, political office seekers in the state often indulge in crossing from one party to advance their political course.

As the 2017 governorship election gathers momentum, the political tempo in the state which prides itself on being the “Light of the Nation” has heightened, as many of the governorship aspirants have begun to consult various interest groups for alignment and re-alignment.

Investigation revealed that the incumbent governor, Willie Obiano, is facing a tough time for his re-election bid, especially given the fact that he has parted ways with his political godfather and predecessor-in-office, Peter Obi. It will be recalled that Obi, who ruled the state for eight years on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), installed Obiano as successor against all odds.

Trouble was said to have started between the duo when they disagreed on the amount of fund left in the state coffers. While Obi said he left over N75billion, Obiano stated that he met an empty treasury when he took over the reins of power.

Many political observers contend that the non-completion of projects like the Shopping Mall at Awka and Agulu Lake Five-Star hotel might not be unconnected with the perceived frosty relationship between them, as Obiano has since turned his attentioin from projects started by his erstwhile godfather.

Obiano, it is said, has since moved on. He has reportedly courted new alliance, especially with Victor Umeh. But will the new ‘marriage’ between the immediate past national chairman of APGA, Umeh and Obiano endure? Can it swing things in the governor’s favour and aid his re-election in 2017? These are some of the questions observers are asking as 2016 winds down to usher in  the election year. Both Obi and Umeh are in Anambra Central senatorial race as the former governor dramatically switched to Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)

In some quarters, the crisis engulfing the APGA house in the state may prove a minus for the party in the election. APGA is divided between Victor Oye and Nwabueze Okafor, as both have been laying claim to leadership of the party. While Obiano is said to be backing Oye’s group, Umeh is alleged to be tactfully supporting Okafor’s faction.

Following the unending internal squabble in APGA, the deputy chairman of the party, Ejike Uche, defected to the United Progressive Party (UPP) with his loyalists, alleging that he was shortchanged by Umeh who he said prevented him from stepping in as the national chairman of the party at the expiration of his (Umeh’s) tenure. In unison, they declared that “APGA is now dead and buried; this is not a merger; it is a home-coming. So, from today, there is no more APGA.”

While leading an APGA delegation, which included 16 National Working Committee (NWC) members, and some Board of Trustees (BoT) members, Chief Uche noted that there had been the desire for a truly progressive party in the country.

He stated that “over 90 per cent of the people known as APGA said they took the bold step to fuse into the UPP,” stressing that the “16 out of 18 NWC members attest to the seriousness of what we have done.”

Curiously, while Oye faction claims that it has removed Norbert Obi as APGA state chairman, Obi insists he remains the authentic party boss.

Current feelers from the state further revealed that some elements in PDP are positioning themselves to wrest power from the incumbent governor, vowing to terminate APGA’s dominance of political structure in the state by 2017.

For instance, the PDP Organising Secretary in the state, Samben Nwosu, during an inaugural meeting of the party’s executive council of Nnewi North Local Government Area recently said, the PDP, in a move to actualise the dream of taking over Anambra in the next election, had reconciled factions in the party to become a united big family under one strong indivisible umbrella.

Nwosu explained that Anambra is primarily a PDP state, adding that APGA is in power because it merely capitalised on crisis and division in the party in the past. The PDP scribe was quoted to have said, “I am happy to inform you that every shade of interest has been taken care of in the newly constituted and inaugurated executive council which has automatically taken care of issues of our party splitting into many factions. As a result of that, many of our members who are on sabbatical in other political parties have started discussing with us to facilitate their return.”

According to him, another factor that will help the party regain power in Anambra is what he called the colossal failure of the incumbent the APGA government to address the issue of power, roads and infrastructure, especially in the industrial town of Nnewi, the headquarters of Anambra South senatorial zone.

“I was shocked to hear that Governor Obiano came to Nnewi and flagged off street lighting project of an individual. To make matter worse, the so-called streetlight is on roads that are not motorable. So, of what purpose is the streetlight on a bad road?” Nwosu asked.

He noted that Nnewi, which is popularly called the Japan of Africa because of the cluster of individually owned manufacturing firms in the town, generated N400 million a month for government’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) in 2004 and deserved a better deal with the government.

“It is only an uncaring government that will not consider putting up enabling environment for such people to continue to actualise their potentialities.

“But then the failure of APGA is the gain of PDP because it is now common knowledge among the good people of the state that they need a credible alternative to a government that is only working on billboards. PDP will give them that alternative.”

Already, an array of aspirants have since lined up for the governorship race in PDP. Some of them include: Chief Andy Uba and Mrs Stella Odua. As of press time, it was not clear where Chief Emeka Offor and Professor Charles Soludo, ex-governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, would throw their hats into the ring.

It will be recalled that Uba of the PDP had emerged as the new governor, following the governorship election in 2007. But, the Supreme Court, on June 14, 2007, removed him on the grounds that his election was massively rigged. Uba was replaced by his predecessor, Obi. The court said the latter’s tenure had not ended and that there was no vacancy in the governorship. Obi was re-elected for second term on February 6, 2010, after a hot contest with Ngige and Professor Soludo.

For the All Progressives Congress (APC), it is a cynosure of all eyes as there is a theory that federal might is likely to be brought to bear to take over the mantle leadership in the state.

Perhaps, it is against this backdrop that the Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu and other top officials seem to be uncomfortable with Dr Nwoye in the House of Representatives under the APC.

Nwoye, a one-time President of National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS), is not a starter in Anambra politics as he became the Anambra State chairman of PDP in 2006 and due to his political sagacity and mobilisation prowess, his leadership produced all the 30 members of the state House of Assembly, the three senators, 10 out of the 11 members of the House of Representatives and the state governor.

The Nsugbe-born politician faced conspiracies from various quarters, culminating in  his being removed as the state party chairman, even before the expiration of his tenure. In 2011, Nwoye contested and won election into the House of Representatives to represent Anambra East and Anambra West Constituency without the support and backing of his party, the PDP.

However, because of the parallel primaries said to have been deliberately conducted to undermine him, Nwoye was not sworn in as a member of House of Representatives that year. Again in 2013, he contested the governorship primary of PDP along with such notable contestants like Dr Ubah and Nicholas Ukachukwu and won.

Prior to the then primary, it was said that there was an understanding among the contestants and the party hierarchy that whoever emerged as candidate must be supported by the rest. But the emergence of Nwoye as the PDP governorship candidate after the primaries apparently came as a rude shock to other contestants and subsequently triggered a conspiracy against him and in contravention of the earlier undertaking. Chief Arthur Eze, a multimillionaire, was said to have backed Nwonye in the race.

Indeed, due to litigation and alleged deliberate efforts by the then PDP leadership, Nwoye could not campaign until 10 days to the election. Besides, there was no formal presentation of the PDP candidate to the electorate by the party, neither was there, as claimed by those in his camp, any financial or material support for him.

Observers who were present at the Holy Trinity field in Onitsha where the PDP campaign was held recall how former President Goodluck Jonathan in his speech urged Anambra people to vote according to their conscience in the governorship election, even when his party’s governorship candidate, Nwoye, was there on the field.

The statement further fueled claims to the rumour of the ‘accord’ between the leadership of APGA and PDP that the PDP would leave Anambra State governorship for APGA, while APGA would support Dr Jonathan for the PDP presidential election.

With the 2017 governorship election in Anambra drawing nearer, speculations are rife that Nwoye might contest the next governorship election on the platform of APC. Though Nwoye declined to discuss the issue of 2017 governorship poll, he said his main concern is to empower his constituents who have remained faithful to him even during difficult situations.

Will Obiano go the same way of Dr Chinwoke Mbadinuju went in 2003?  Mbadinuju, it will be recalled, was sworn-in as governor in 1999 on the platform of PDP and his regime was marred by strife, as the administration was destabilised by a 10-month strike embarked upon by all government secondary schools in the state, following the withholding of teachers’ salary for a long time.

Also, before his emergence, secondary education was free, but his administration prescribed a tuition fee of N3, 000 per term for all secondary schools. This led to an unprecedented massive demonstration by the secondary school students.