Anambra guber: How the candidates ’ll emerge From the foregoing therefore, it is clear that Ubah does not have a rival in LP. With the countdown to the November 16 governorship election in Anambra, the state is indeed in another mood. The expectation is high as aspirants from various political parties adorn the streets with posters and billboards. However, out of the legion of aspirants jostling for Governor Peter Obi’s big shoes, only one will be elected after the hot race. As the time runs out, all the political parties have put every strategy in place all in the bid to get the better candidate that will fly their parties’ flags ahead of the election. Daily Sun reports that every party is struggling to win despite the intractable political crises bedeviling them ahead of the election. While some political analysts argue that there will be primary elections in some of the major political parties like APGA, Labour Party, APC and others, they have remained indifferent to the PDP having a primary election. From the foregoing, it is clear that most of the parties may settle for consensus candidates. Parties and how their candidates may emerge APGA: APGA has been in power since 2006 after Mr. Peter Obi recovered his mandate from PDP administration under Senator Chris Ngige. The party under Mr. Obi then became the first party outside the ruling PDP to capture Anambra State twice. Since the reign of APGA in Anambra, both PDP, ACN (now APC) and Labour Party, (LP) became opposition political parties in various elections in the state. Many argue that APGA, having just returned from crises will be going into the election but not without bruises and fighting to retain power at the Awka Government House. Many believe that the party may not be so disposed to conduct free and fair primary election because of the need to have a strong and better candidate that will face other parties in the election. Daily Sun gathered that APGA leadership has put some measures in place in the area of picking candidates for the election by systematically trimming down the number of aspirants coming from various places to seek election in the party. This, they did in order to ensure the party will not have problems of screening the few aspirants in the party as against the interests of so many people aspiring for the plum seat. As it stands now, many of the aspirants who may have been seen as unserious in the party’s primary election have allegedly been urged to drop their ambitions in the interests of the party. Daily Sun also gathered that the party leadership had called all the aspirants especially from Anambra North and screened them secretly in order to have marketable ones. However, with the emergence of the former Central Bank of Nigeria, (CBN) governor, Prof Charles Soludo into APGA, it has automatically altered the political equation of the state. The former CBN governor is one of the strong contenders for the APGA ticket. There are also other strong aspirants on the platform of APGA like Mrs. Uche Ekwunife, Dr. Chike Obidigbo, Mr. Chinedu Idigo and both former and current Secretaries to the State Government, Chief Paul Odenigbo and Oseloka Obaze respectively. It is believed that APGA has plan “A” and “B”. The party intends to wait for the emergence of PDP, APC and Labour Party candidates from any of the zones in the state to be able to assess their strengths and weaknesses. APGA may likely be the last to conduct primary election because they will be waiting for other big political parties to come up with their team first. If somebody like Senator Emma Anosike from Anambra North emerges the candidate of the PDP, then APGA may need a stronger person as a political antidote to checkmate his strength. As it is, the ticket will hover between Prof Soludo and Mrs. Ekwunife. If PDP, APC and Labour parties produce weaker candidates, then Governor Obi will be vindicated on his clamour for power shift to Anambra North. His plan “B” may come to play when the likes of Chief Oseloka Obaze who hails from Anambra North and a close ally of Obi and Dr. Chike Obidigbo of the same zone may emerge. Mr. Chinedu Idigo, a lawyer and younger person out of the aspirants may be considered a deputy to either Ekwunife or Soludo as the case may be in plan “A”. PDP: Since the party lost grip of Anambra, it has been in trouble and in political limbo. The party at different times had difficulties of winning elections in the state again. In the history of PDP in Anambra, primary elections have always been characterized by violence and litigations. This year’s primary election for PDP may not be an exception. Already, Daily Sun gathered that a faction allegedly belonging to Chief Chris Ubah’s camp had on Friday, August 3 held their own primary election at the local government and ward levels as against that of the State Working Committee (SWC) led by Chief Ken Emeakayi. The separate primary election held by Chief Ejike Oguebego-led faction in collaboration with Chief Chris Ubah, (Eselu) showed that the party is not yet together. Many believe there are possibilities that Emeakayi’s faction will soon hold its own primary election at the local government and ward levels for the same local government election. Unlike APGA, PDP so unfortunately have refused to come together in any election. Already, the likes of Senators Anosike, Andy Ubah including Dr. Alex Obiogbolu, Obinna Uzoh, Nicholas Ukachukwu, Nze Akachukwu Nwankpo, Dr. Tony Nwoye and former Speaker of Anambra House of Assembly, Mrs. Eucheria Azodo among others have declared their intentions to contest for the race. Many argue that only a neutral candidate that does not belong to any camp can be acceptable in the case of the PDP. The calculation is that Senator Andy Ubah can never step down for his political foe, Chief Nicholas Ukachukwu assuming the party decides to settle for a consensus candidate. Likewise, Nicholas Ukachukwu may rather want the PDP not having any candidate at all than allowing Senator Andy Ubah to emerge the flag bearer of the party. Then, Dr. Uzoh and Akachukwu with their alleged connections to the serving President and a former military Head of State are also not on the best pedestals. After the elimination method likely to be adopted by the PDP’s NWC, the last people that may be standing in the race would be Senator Emma Anosike, Tony Nwoye and Dr. Alex Obiogbolu all from Anambra North senatorial zone. Senator Anosike and Dr. Obiogbolu, both of Anambra North may likely be the last two with a difficulty of picking an indigene of Onitsha owing to the PDP’s game of minority taking the job while the majority is often not given any chance. APC: This is a newly registered political party. For the elites, it is a big threat to the PDP at the national level and APGA at the state level. However, to the rural dwellers, APC is not yet known despite parading the likes of Senators Chris Ngige, Annie Okonkwo and Chief Godwin Ezeemo, an international businessman from Umuchu in Aguata council area of Anambra South senatorial zone. Labour Party: The party came to limelight in 2010 when Senator Andy Ubah went to Labour Party in protest over the controversial emergence of Prof Soludo as PDP Governorship candidate. He built the party from the scratch and gave it strength to be able to actualize his political ambition. Since then, many people still allege that Senator Uba had been romancing with the party. He was alleged to be maintaining the structures of the party in the state as plan B in case PDP denies him ticket once again. But suddenly, an oil magnet, the Chairman of Capital Oil and Gas, Dr. Ifeanyi Ubah joined the party. Since his entry into the Labour Party, Dr. Ifeanyi Ubah has breathed life into it once again. LP now has cause to smile again with Ifeanyi Ubah pumping money into it. The first victim of Dr. Ubah’s entry into Labour Party was the estranged state chairman and leader of the party, Chief Basil Iwuoba who was shown the way out by the party at the state level and was forced to join PPN in pursuant to his political ambition of becoming the next governor. From the foregoing therefore, it is clear that Ubah does not have a rival in LP.
Posted on: Sun, 18 Aug 2013 01:33:20 +0000
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