BY BENEDICT NWACHUKWU, ABUJA
The stage is set for campaigns by governorship candidates of various political parties for the November 6, 2021 election in Anambra state.
Three out of the four frontrunners, the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance, Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress had their hands full with intra-party squabbles capable of ruining their ambition to produce the next governor of the state.
They are in court for one pre-election matter or another. However, they seem not perturbed by the attendant crises as they have set up campaign committees to lead their votes chasing agenda.
The ruling party which has a major crack in its rank , however, heaved a sigh of relief on Thursday as the electoral umpire released the name of former Governor of Central Bank, Prof Charles Soludo as the candidate, citing Court Order. But it cannot be said to be uhuru yet.
The PDP had same scenario played out but in a different format. INEC left its space vacant because the matter was in court and no Order was issued. As such the names of winners of the two parallel primary elections were avoided when the list of candidates for the election was released.
Former lawmaker, Dr. Ugochukwu Uba, who emerged from the parallel primary conducted by Chukwudi Umeaba faction and Valentine Ozigbo from the primary election conducted by the PDP National Working Committee headed by Prince Uche Secondus, were conspicuously missing in the latest release by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
But the APC had a different matter altogether. Senator Andy Ubah’s name was on the list as the party’s candidate even when eleven of the aspirants rejected the results claiming that there was no election.
One of them, a former national officer of the party, George Moghalu, has dragged the party, its chairman, Governor Mai Mala Buni, and the candidate to court, claiming that there was no primary election and as such the party has no candidate.
The Young Progressives Party had a smooth primary election where it elected its serving senator, Ifeanyi Ubah, as its sole candidate.
Immediately after the first list was released by INEC, a wave of defections began. Some aspirants who failed to get the tickets of their parties simply switched membership to other parties.
Some popular aspirants in PDP and APC are currently the candidates of some other less known parties.
Dr Obiora Okonkwo, formerly of the PDP is now the candidate of Zenith Labour Party. He was used to replace Ugwoji Uchenna who won the primary election. The substitution was amicably agreed upon by the three parties: ZLP, Uchenna and Okonkwo.
Okonkwo, like Senator Uche Ekwunife and Tony Nwoye, were among the favourites for the party’s ticket but the zoning policy adopted by the party became a major stumbling block to their ambition of becoming the next governor of the state on the platform of the party.
Godwin Maduka’s matter was not same. He was eminently qualified by all indices. His academic background, philanthropy, and wealth were speaking for him but at the end all these could not deliver the ticket to him.
In order to pursue his ambition to govern his people and change their economic status he defected to Accord Party after failing to win the PDP ticket. He simply replaced his media aide, Alex Nwankwo, who had won the party’s ticket.
Defection by ‘failed aspirants’ to other parties was not limited to the PDP. On the APC platform, some aggrieved aspirants also left the party and joined other parties as their flag bearers.
But while some aspirants have defected, some have agreed to work harmoniously with the party’s choice of candidate, Ubah, in the interest of a united APC. Moghalu has, however, remained in court while still in the party. Ben Etiaba picked the ticket of Action Alliance while Dr Chidozie Nwankwo’s defection to African Action Congress was greeted with mixed feelings. The party took to the media to deny handing over its ticket to him.
With the winning of the Anambra election as its main focus, APC went ahead last week to constitute and inaugurate a campaign council of 23 APC governors, many national assembly members and other top guns of the party in Anmbra state. The campaign Committee was headed by Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo state.
The council has the mandate of the party to storm Anambra, launch massive campaign and deliver the candidate on November 6.
“For the leading three parties, no one seem to be sure of the final list of INEC as they all have lingering intrigues and suspense to contend with
“
Governor Uzodimma had assured the party loyalists and followers that the campaign council would stop at nothing in their bid to claim victory for the party.
He even boasted that there was no other party besides the APC, claiming that it is only the APC that is a united party going into the election.
Already the Labour Party was the early bird. The party launched its campaign last week Monday for its sole candidate Chief Obiora Agbasimelo. The party which is said to belong to the Nigerian public and civil servants flagged off its campaign with a fanfare.
However, the ruling APGA’s campaigns seems to have been energized in the various senatorial zones with the return of its choice candidate, Prof Soludo, on the list of candidates released by the electoral umpire.
With the backing of the incumbent but out-going Governor Willie Obiano, Soludo seems an easy sell for the party. According to the Head, Media Directorate of Soludo Campaign Organisation, Joe Anatune, “Prof is a man of the people. Anambrarians are joyous again as the court has re-instated him as the party’s authentic candidate for the election. We do not have problems selling him and his programmes to the people because they have been begging him to come and continue the good work our performing governor Obiano is doing.”
Every party is claiming it has what it takes to win the election with the calibre of candidate it is fielding. Nevertheless, sweeping their problems under the carpet will spell doom for the various parties that will indulge in it.
That was the reason, the think tank of Obiora Okonkwo’s campaign team, Dr Chinedu Ekwealor said they have refused to be distracted by what happened during the primaries and now forging ahead because, “the primaries and their outcomes have become a thing of the past. We are focusing on the campaign and the election proper. Our people, I mean Anambrarians, are rooting for him. If you have been watching the activities building up for the election, you would have noticed what I am telling you. Our people trooped to his house to beg him to defect to another party and contest because they believe in him.”
Awka based Sociologist and political analyst, Mazi Ejimofor Opara said the Anambra State governorship election will be a consolidating ground for INEC. He said the electoral body has the opportunity to take its performance in both the Edo and Ondo states to a higher ground, noting that the campaigns are already truly reflecting the outcome of the election. He called on Anambra people to shun violence as they campaign for their candidates.
Last week, INEC released another list of candidates with a proviso that the final list will be published on October 7.
“The Timetable and Schedule of Activities approved by the Commission on 18th January 2021 provides for the withdrawal/substitution of candidates in line with Sec. 35 of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended). Accordingly, by the deadline of 30th July 2021 fixed by the Commission, seven Governorship and 11 Deputy Governorship candidates were substituted by 11 out of the 18 political parties.”
Similarly, the Commission was served with the judgement of the Court of Appeal (Kano Division) which set aside the judgement of the High Court of Jigawa State on the leadership of APGA and the nomination of its candidates for the Anambra Governorship election.
However, the final list of candidates will be published on 7th October 2021 as provided in the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the election.
INEC ignored the a high court order from Owerri instructing it to drop Prof Soludo’s name and include Umeoji because a Court of Appeal orders to reinstate Soludo as APGA authentic candidate had been served it.
With this latest list from INEC the parties are yet to celebrate as the last has not been heard.
