By:Uche Ogboagu<\/p>\n
The contest for\u00a0 Anambra a Government House in 2017 is set at “on your
\nmarks” By November Anambra electorate must make a choice. It will not be
\nan easy choice.\u00a0 The contenders are many, plus the incumbent governor,
\nWillie Obiano. But only one person will emerge.<\/p>\n
The political contest is very complex, because the incumbent is no longer
\nthe choice of a majority of Anambra people, not even in his Anambra North
\nzone, where there is united opposition based on the wish to save Anambra
\nNorth mandate.\u00a0 The quartet of Tony Nwoye, Chike Obidigbo, Oseloka H.
\nObaze and Alex Obiogbolu are contesting, convinced that Obiano has failed
\nthe northern zone, the state and the south-east zone.<\/p>\n
They Anambra north politicians attribute his poor governance record, to
\nlack of experience, lack accountability and vision and lack of humility.
\nThey cite that his cousin Prince Chinedu Idigo abandoned him and APGA, is
\na confirmation of his governance failing. Summarily, they are of the view
\nthat Anambra cannot accept the ongoing development and politics setback.<\/p>\n
Also,\u00a0 recently Anambra North People’s Assembly (ANPA) held a meeting at
\nOyi, recently, Hon Uchenna Okafor, “Wiper”\u00a0 reportedly the gathering that
\n“if one candidate emerges from Anambra North Obiano is gone.”\u00a0 Such
\nadmission is a cause for great concern. Meanwhile, members of his Willie
\nSupport Group are realigning quietly and underground.<\/p>\n
Anambra North politicians are not alone. Political stalwarts from the
\nsouth and central zone realizes Obiano’s weakness and lack of support from
\nthe home front. They plan to capitalize on that.\u00a0 So Andy Uba, Ifeanyi
\nUzor, Godwin Ezeemo and Osita Chidoka are are set to join the fray.\u00a0 So
\nObiano is challenged.<\/p>\n
The stakeholder are playing coy. They note that Obiano beyond building
\nthree flyovers in Awka and claiming to improve on security has not done as
\nmuch as Peter Obi. Their quiet complaints are legion. The Anambra school
\nratings continue to fall.\u00a0 \u00a0The roads are littered with potholed and not
\nnews roads have been built.\u00a0 The Enguukwu bypass\u00a0 which he flagged off has
\nbeen abandoned.<\/p>\n
A disenchanted Catholic priest, who is also school principal and manager
\nin Anaocha Local Government area said,\u00a0 “Anambra state schools have not
\nreceived additional funds, buses or computers. Yet Obiano wants to collect
\nwaste management IGR from schools. The governor hardly visit our schools
\nand hospitals.\u00a0 He is lighting streets when homes in Anambra don’t have
\nlight and the intensive care unit and emergency room in Amaku Teaching
\nhospital had no light for several months.” The churches are also not
\nhappy.\u00a0 In three years, Obiano is said not to have visited flagship
\nmission hospitals like Borromoe Hospital in Onitsha and Iyienuu Hospital
\nin Ogidi.<\/p>\n
Inside the ruling APGA party there is trouble brewing. Chief Victor Umeh
\nembattled former chairman reportedly told Obiano’s spiritual adviser Fr
\nJohn Manafa that “Obiano can kiss a second term goodbye”.\u00a0 Insiders
\ncomplain that Obiano in now “the is the emperor, the judge, the jury'”
\nhaving assumed the role of governor, party leader and BOT chair.\u00a0 They
\nalso complain the the BOT has never been inaugurated or<\/p>\n
held a meeting. APGA grassroots and many communities that\u00a0 voted for him
\nbecause Peter Obi told them to, feel totally abandoned.<\/p>\n
“Obiano has failed period,” said one Ohanaeze chieftain.\u00a0 “He has never
\nengaged us.\u00a0 He has never engaged his fellow southeast governors. He won’t
\nattend governor forum meetings except he’s is made chairman. What
\narrogance?”<\/p>\n
Of those challenging Obiano, several possess governance credentials that
\nwell outstrip Obiano’s.\u00a0 Beside that fact that he was a compromise
\ncandidate, many believe that he was most unprepared and unsuited to be
\ngovernor, a fact he has since proven.\u00a0 As Alex Obiogbolu told a national
\ndaily, The Sun, recently, \u201cHis party had to disqualify everyone to make
\nsure he emerged. His emergence was not the will of the people, it is
\nrather the imposition of one man, which he knows and acknowledges.”<\/p>\n
Many people are rooting for Oseloka H. Obaze, who many had believed to be
\nthe anointed before Obiano’s emergence.\u00a0 He recently joined the fray of
\nthe politics, that had reportedly been approached<\/p>\n
by several parties to be their flag bearer.\u00a0 Obaze is focused on issues
\nnot personalities. Besides joining the contest to salvage Anambra North
\nmandate, he has pointed to glaring leadership and governance failings. As
\nhe told a Church newspaper recently, in Anambra “perceptibly, there may be
\nsigns of progress, but in quantum, how many kilometers of new roads have
\nwe added since 2014; go and look at how many new roads and projects that
\nwere abandoned after flag off. Have the existing roads been properly
\nmaintained, despite the \u201czero pothole\u201d mantra? I will let you and the
\nAnambra electorate be the judge.”<\/p>\n
It will be recalled that during the presentation of Obaze’s books last
\nJune,\u00a0 Chike Obidigbo publicly blamed Peter Obi for foisting Obiano on
\nAnambra, and said that Anambra would have been better off, if he had
\npresented Obaze as the successor.<\/p>\n
Obiano’s albatross is that many consider him an ingrate, who did not keep
\nhis promise of \u201cContinuity, Complete, Commence and Commission new
\nprojects\u201d, but has failed to implement his purported blueprint, which was
\nadapted from Obaze’s platform, which Peter Obi personally handed to him to
\nmodify and use as his campaign platform. A\u00a0 present commissioner in his
\nadministration was given the task of redrafting the Obaze compact paper
\nfor Obiano’s use.<\/p>\n
While the Obidogbo camp is pushing the “correction mantras”\u00a0 and the
\nObiogbulu camp the “Oganiru Anambra” slogan, Obaze insists like Ezeemo,
\nthat “Anambra cand do better and deserves better.”\u00a0 In all, while the four
\nchallengers remain close and friends united by a common mission, they seem
\nbent on relieving Obiano of his mandate, either collectively or
\nindividually.\u00a0 But the greatest threat to Obiano is that most of his
\nloyalist already have either APC or PDP cards in their back pockets. The
\nemperor stands alone, but unaware.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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