By:Uche Ogboagu
The contest for Anambra a Government House in 2017 is set at “on your
marks” By November Anambra electorate must make a choice. It will not be
an easy choice. The contenders are many, plus the incumbent governor,
Willie Obiano. But only one person will emerge.
The political contest is very complex, because the incumbent is no longer
the choice of a majority of Anambra people, not even in his Anambra North
zone, where there is united opposition based on the wish to save Anambra
North mandate. The quartet of Tony Nwoye, Chike Obidigbo, Oseloka H.
Obaze and Alex Obiogbolu are contesting, convinced that Obiano has failed
the northern zone, the state and the south-east zone.
They Anambra north politicians attribute his poor governance record, to
lack of experience, lack accountability and vision and lack of humility.
They cite that his cousin Prince Chinedu Idigo abandoned him and APGA, is
a confirmation of his governance failing. Summarily, they are of the view
that Anambra cannot accept the ongoing development and politics setback.
Also, recently Anambra North People’s Assembly (ANPA) held a meeting at
Oyi, recently, Hon Uchenna Okafor, “Wiper” reportedly the gathering that
“if one candidate emerges from Anambra North Obiano is gone.” Such
admission is a cause for great concern. Meanwhile, members of his Willie
Support Group are realigning quietly and underground.
Anambra North politicians are not alone. Political stalwarts from the
south and central zone realizes Obiano’s weakness and lack of support from
the home front. They plan to capitalize on that. So Andy Uba, Ifeanyi
Uzor, Godwin Ezeemo and Osita Chidoka are are set to join the fray. So
Obiano is challenged.
The stakeholder are playing coy. They note that Obiano beyond building
three flyovers in Awka and claiming to improve on security has not done as
much as Peter Obi. Their quiet complaints are legion. The Anambra school
ratings continue to fall. The roads are littered with potholed and not
news roads have been built. The Enguukwu bypass which he flagged off has
been abandoned.
A disenchanted Catholic priest, who is also school principal and manager
in Anaocha Local Government area said, “Anambra state schools have not
received additional funds, buses or computers. Yet Obiano wants to collect
waste management IGR from schools. The governor hardly visit our schools
and hospitals. He is lighting streets when homes in Anambra don’t have
light and the intensive care unit and emergency room in Amaku Teaching
hospital had no light for several months.” The churches are also not
happy. In three years, Obiano is said not to have visited flagship
mission hospitals like Borromoe Hospital in Onitsha and Iyienuu Hospital
in Ogidi.
Inside the ruling APGA party there is trouble brewing. Chief Victor Umeh
embattled former chairman reportedly told Obiano’s spiritual adviser Fr
John Manafa that “Obiano can kiss a second term goodbye”. Insiders
complain that Obiano in now “the is the emperor, the judge, the jury'”
having assumed the role of governor, party leader and BOT chair. They
also complain the the BOT has never been inaugurated or
held a meeting. APGA grassroots and many communities that voted for him
because Peter Obi told them to, feel totally abandoned.
“Obiano has failed period,” said one Ohanaeze chieftain. “He has never
engaged us. He has never engaged his fellow southeast governors. He won’t
attend governor forum meetings except he’s is made chairman. What
arrogance?”
Of those challenging Obiano, several possess governance credentials that
well outstrip Obiano’s. Beside that fact that he was a compromise
candidate, many believe that he was most unprepared and unsuited to be
governor, a fact he has since proven. As Alex Obiogbolu told a national
daily, The Sun, recently, “His party had to disqualify everyone to make
sure he emerged. His emergence was not the will of the people, it is
rather the imposition of one man, which he knows and acknowledges.”
Many people are rooting for Oseloka H. Obaze, who many had believed to be
the anointed before Obiano’s emergence. He recently joined the fray of
the politics, that had reportedly been approached
by several parties to be their flag bearer. Obaze is focused on issues
not personalities. Besides joining the contest to salvage Anambra North
mandate, he has pointed to glaring leadership and governance failings. As
he told a Church newspaper recently, in Anambra “perceptibly, there may be
signs of progress, but in quantum, how many kilometers of new roads have
we added since 2014; go and look at how many new roads and projects that
were abandoned after flag off. Have the existing roads been properly
maintained, despite the “zero pothole” mantra? I will let you and the
Anambra electorate be the judge.”
It will be recalled that during the presentation of Obaze’s books last
June, Chike Obidigbo publicly blamed Peter Obi for foisting Obiano on
Anambra, and said that Anambra would have been better off, if he had
presented Obaze as the successor.
Obiano’s albatross is that many consider him an ingrate, who did not keep
his promise of “Continuity, Complete, Commence and Commission new
projects”, but has failed to implement his purported blueprint, which was
adapted from Obaze’s platform, which Peter Obi personally handed to him to
modify and use as his campaign platform. A present commissioner in his
administration was given the task of redrafting the Obaze compact paper
for Obiano’s use.
While the Obidogbo camp is pushing the “correction mantras” and the
Obiogbulu camp the “Oganiru Anambra” slogan, Obaze insists like Ezeemo,
that “Anambra cand do better and deserves better.” In all, while the four
challengers remain close and friends united by a common mission, they seem
bent on relieving Obiano of his mandate, either collectively or
individually. But the greatest threat to Obiano is that most of his
loyalist already have either APC or PDP cards in their back pockets. The
emperor stands alone, but unaware.