state, Anambra, has become the poster child for bad behavior in politics. I have said this before. Everything seems to be taken to the extreme in the politics of the state. Nothing is sacred, including human life. Decorum seems to be a foreign word that Anambra politicians refuse to imbibe or even consider in their daily hustle and often cantankerous quest for power in the state. I once asked if Anambra state was cursed. That was when powerful individuals, in the state, unabashedly, touted their ability and willingness to make the state ungovernable. That was when godfathers hijacked the state and willfully subordinated all citizens to their whims and caprices. That was when miscreants went on rampage in Onitsha, wantonly destroying property worth billions of naira just to make a political point. That was also when the mandate of one of the governors was stolen and a sitting governor kidnapped and held with the tacit approval of the president. Since then, things seemed to have mellowed but every now and then, ugly politics rears its hydra-head, sending the state back to square one. Since the commencement of gubernatorial campaigns to replace Mr. Peter Obi, whose term will expire early 2014, the demons that continually lurk in the dark and ungodly corners of the state, seem to have been awakened. It has been one crisis after another. It started with unholy alliances and political carpet-bagging that in the end, portray the gubernatorial candidates as lacking in any ideology or principles. They roam the landscape like nomads, looking for any party that will afford them the platform to actualize their dreams of the helmsmanship of the state whether their ideologies match or not. They make deceptive campaign promises and use all types of dangerous electioneering tactics to one-up their rivals, confusing the masses in the process. One would think that in an election as important as this, we would be hearing about substantive plans to move the state forward. That is not the case. What the masses hear or read about, on a daily basis, are incredulous, meaningless, childish and attention-grabbing stories that add no value to the political discourse. Some of the stories are sometimes even made up by acolytes of the candidates, just to gain an edge over the opposition.. A few weeks ago, tragedy struck at the adoration ground in Uke, in Anambra state. A night of prayers and vigil turned into a stampede that took the lives of 28 citizens! Of course, in the final analysis, there was a political connection to the cause of the stampede, although the details seem to vary, depending on who is telling them. One account says that the governor came in campaign uniform, making campaign speeches and promises when the service was supposed to be for worship of God. The account states that some people in the congregation, probably the supporters of Ngige, started chanting anti obi slogans, eventually leading to a stampede that caused the deaths. Another account says the governor meant no harm, but honored a personal invitation that was extended to him to be there but that Ngige supporters disrupted his speech. Whatever the truth is, the important take away is that 28 citizens died for no good reasons and their death is not unconnected with the upcoming gubernatorial election slated for the 16th of November. The souls of these innocent people have not reposed in peace, not with the many confusing stories that have trailed the tragedy, with the political parties telling stories that point the finger of blame at the other. With all the confusion and misinformation, the ordinary citizen no longer knows the truth or what to believe about the candidates. It has become difficult to clearly distill, for the masses, the positions, antecedents and capabilities of the candidates. As I usually do before any election in Anambra, I have sampled opinions of people I know that will be at the polls, to vote on the 16th, come hell come high water. What is clear is that the confusion has caused people to tune out the politicians. They are, however, holding on to beliefs, about the candidates, that may or may not be accurate and are using those sentiments as determinants of whom to vote for. For example, some of the reasons adduced by those that plan not to vote for Ngige, include the fact that, according to them, he has been a dud in the senate with no meaningful bill in his name. They also allege that he has not accounted for the funds appropriated to him for the purchase and installation of transformers in his senatorial zone. Others argue that Ngige performed when he was governor only because he needed the people on his side when he was being persecuted by the Ubas. The issue of the “deportation” of Igbos from Lagos has not left the minds of some who argue that Ngige was more concerned with being on the good books of Fashola and APC than speaking out against what they see as utmost injustice. Someone even observed that “Ngige wears too many rings in his fingers”. There are others that assert that Chris Uba is lying in wait to renew their rivalry if Ngige became the governor. Regarding Willie Obiano, he has no shortage of people who do not want him in the government house as the helmsman. The biggest complaint against him is that he is a political greenhorn that has no credible antecedents to be judged by. They perceive him as a political lackey and stooge of the out-going governor that will be tele-guided because he will have no experience to draw on. Some express concern that if Obiano is elected as the governor, the possibility of a transparent review of the true financial health of the state will never happen. The political newness of Willie Obiano, some assert, is being reinforced in every way by the dominance of Peter Obi, over him, at every turn, during political campaigns, rallies, in churches and other public gatherings. There are those that cite Obiano’s penchant to read from the computer or prepared notes as an example of the fact that he will have no idea what to do. Some who detest Obi’s penchant for handing out funds to organizations feel that Willie Obiano will follow in the same footsteps and they do not want that. There are many that do not see Ifeanyi Uba as qualified based on his academic level. They also point to his unguarded utterances and seeming effusiveness as testament that he is unfit to govern a state like Anambra. The indebtedness of his company, to the tunes of billions, does not help matters for him. Many attribute that to his inability to manage his business and by extension, he will be unable to manage the state. The widely publicized feud with Coscharis is seen by some as a pointer to the fact that he cannot be trusted. One person said flat out that the man was broke and was seeking the governorship as a means to recoup all his business losses. From the prevailing sentiments, it seems that the above three are the only candidates the people see as viable as others are rarely mentioned. Some of the concerns raised about the candidates are real but there are others that are either imagined or incorrect. Inspite of the half-hearted debates that were held, myths still exist and it is still unclear what the candidates plan to specifically do to uplift the state. . The problem with all these is that come November 16, we may have an electorate that will vote based on innuendoes, myths, suppositions, rumors, half- truths and ignorance. That will be unfortunate because it is recipe for disaster. Anambra state needs a governor that will help create jobs, alleviate poverty, rebuild tattered infrastructure, strengthen education but so far, it has been difficult to determine the candidate that will do all these creditably. Anambra people must peel away the wool that political confusionists have placed in their eyes through misinformation. They must ask questions about substantive things that determine who would be a good governor. Is the candidate free of godfathers? Is the candidate in support of local government elections and autonomy? Is the candidate willing to work towards the improvement of education? Will the candidate work to attract investment to the state? Does the candidate have a credible and feasible plan to improve security and electricity generation? Does the candidate demonstrate a willingness to pursue the issue of a 2nd Niger bridge? These are some of the attributes that a candidate must have to do good for Anambra state. May the very best candidate win.
Posted on: Fri, 15 Nov 2013 17:00:21 +0000