Anambra’s Top 5 and the March to November 18
Across the camps of the major contenders for the November 18 governorship election in Anambra State, campaigns have reached fever pitch, writes David-Chyddy Eleke, who presents some of the activities of the candidates in the past week
As the November 18 governorship election draws closer, candidates of the five major political parties in the state have commenced fresh campaigns and are making plots to outdo one another. While some candidates have begun political campaigns, others are still consulting on what shape their political campaigns would take and the strategy they would deploy to sell their parties and candidates to the people of the state. For some other parties, however, it was time to commence underground moves to woo back lost persons in their political party. Below are some of the highlights in the week that just ended in the respective camps.
Willie Obiano
The governor of Anambra State kicked off his campaign last Monday, which was attended by a mammoth crowd from all over the state. Director General of his campaign organisation, Chief Victor Umeh and former national chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, had at the event said, “We are by these mammoth crowd gathered here for the flag-off of our campaigns, putting other parties on notice, that Anambra belongs to APGA. If you are from Anambra and you are not here, then you are nowhere.”
Obiano, who took to the stage amidst chants of Akpokue Dike, which is his traditional title, regaled the people with what he termed his superlative performance in the state.
He promised that when he returns for the second term, it would be time to consolidate on his achievement and ensure that Anambra was made a first class state, where no governor would afford not to perform.
Having made a bold statement with his campaign kick-off, APGA has gone back in to re-strategise on ways of taking its campaigns to all corners of the state. First is to ensure the endorsement and in other cases re-endorsement of the governor by all the communities ahead of his visit to the communities, so as to ensure soft landing as he visits.
The Old Aguata Union (OAU), a strong political block in the state had fired the first salvo early in the week with the reaffirmation of the earlier endorsement of the governor. The meeting, which had in attendance Prof Chukwuma Soludo, a former governor of Central Bank of Nigeria; Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife, first civilian governor of the state; two former deputy governors, Mr. Emeka Sibeudu and Dr. Okey Udeh, and several well-meaning persons of the area, resolved to support Obiano’s re-election.
The resolution was a clear testimony that the union, which consists of three local governments in Anambra South Senatorial Zone, namely; Orumba North, Orumba South and Aguata may have secured the agreement of the governor for one of their own to succeed him after his second term, when power would be shifting to the Southern zone of the state.
In an attempt to counter the choice of the daughter of the former vice president of Nigeria, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, as the deputy governorship candidate of PDP, the duo of Sibeudu and Udeh, both former deputy governors testified that producing a deputy governor again was not the wish of the people as it was more of less like being ‘a spare tire’. They testified further that all their years as deputy governors, they could not impact their people as they would have wanted to, therefore, it was better to wait for just four years and clinch the governorship position.
Oseloka Obaze
His opponents initially sought to water down his strength, when they took to the social media to publish an interview granted by a former Vice President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, in which he was said to have endorsed the APGA candidate, Obiano, as against that of his party, Obaze of the PDP, who incidentally is running with his daughter, Chidi Onyemelukwe.
Ekwueme is one of the pillars of the PDP, and his acceptance among the people of the state was considered in the choice of a running mate for Obaze, but that open declaration of endorsement had created ripples within the party, especially in Anambra South, where Obaze and Obiano are currently fighting for support. While Obaze is wooing them with a deputy governor slot and a pledge to do only one term in line with his commitment to rotational governosrship, Obiano is doing so with the promise of handing them power after his second term.
Obaze, knowing the importance of having Ekwueme on his side fixed a meeting of the Old Aguata Union (OAU) on Wednesday in the home of the former vice president, where Ekwueme publicly endorsed the PDP and his candidacy. The former vice president said his earlier endorsement for Obiano was because of the crisis in the party, but having seen the unity that now exists in PDP, he had no option but to throw his weight behind the party’s candidate.
As if this was all that was needed to kick-start the campaigns, Obaze on Thursday, a day after netting the endorsement of Ekwueme, inaugurated his campaign organisation, which is to be headed by Joe-Martin Uzodike. The party will also commence its campaigns in the commercial city of Onitsha. THISDAY gathered that arrangements had been made to ensure that the kick-off was done in grand style with a huge crowd that would expectedly cow those of other parties that have had their kick off.
Godwin Ezeemo
The candidate of the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA), Godwin Ezeemo, is one candidate, who is more popular than his party. As a result of his flying the party’s flag in the election, the party has garnered huge following from politicians of other political parties. He enjoys cult following from his supporters. Though he is yet to kick off his campaign, his works and lifestyle are enough campaign for him as he ranks as one of the candidates seen to be running on their integrity.
He has also been meeting with various stakeholders, especially in Anambra South zone, where he hails from. He has received several endorsements from most of the communities. In a recent gathering in his honour at Ajalli in Orumba North Local Government Area, Ezeemo reminded the electorate that they have been deceived for more than 19 years since the creation of the state.
The longest serving monarch in Igboland and the custodian of Nnewi traditions, Igwe Kenneth Orizu has also in a recent visit to his palace proclaimed Ezeemo as his choice candidate amongst those running for the office of governor in Anambra State.
“If it were left for me to choose, I would choose Godwin Ezeemo, because he is the only one who has conquered the western world economically but instead of settling there to enjoy the rest of his days, came back to his motherland and started establishing systems that empower his people,” he said.
Ezeemo, who has been taking the gospel of his political aspiration to every part of the state, was also in Onitsha within the week, where over 1,500 Umuchu people gathered to welcome him to the commercial city. The rousing welcome Ezeemo received was not only from Umuchu people, where he also hails from, but from traders in the famous Onitsha main market, who accepted to having been touched in one way or the other by the businessman-turned politician.
Ezeemo is also a major supplier of chainsaws in the entire West Africa, and nearly all dealers in the product owe their existence in business to him.
Osita Chidoka
Since he adopted the unique campaign tactics of favouring the Igbo struggle, which brings to the fore the alleged marginalisation the Igbo face in Nigeria, Chidoka’s followers have risen. Most of his followers are those, who believe in the actualisation of the Biafran project, while a large number are also youths, who are inspired by Chidoka’s courage, and which makes him come across as one who would not compromise the good of the people for fear of the powers that be in Abuja or even accept pecuniary gains to dump the interest of his people.
He is seen as a very intelligent young man, who has
the capacity to lead the state. The recent kick off of his campaigns, which saw him move the event to Amorka, the community that housed the Uli Airstrip, seen as Biafra’s gateway to the world, further endeared him to the people. Chidoka declared during the campaigns that, “This airport was the only way from which relief materials came to Igbo land during the war. It was our only hope of beating starvation. It was also from this airport that Ojukwu left for exile, with the assurance that as he left through it, he would return through it with message of hope. That is why I choose this place to bring Anambra message of hope again.”
Chidoka has been busy with a medical outreach he launched for the people of Anambra, and through the week, he has been going round diagnosing and treating people, who are ill in various communities. The medical tour ended on Thursday after a visit to all the local government areas.
He said, “To me, the health of my people is paramount. They have to be healthy to come and vote. I cannot be calling on them to come and vote for me without trying to ascertain their health status and also proffering solution to it. We have been to all the 21 local government areas scouting for sick people and giving drugs to them.
Tony Nwoye
Weeks to the election, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate is still making consultations, and meeting with the relevant stakeholders of the state in his party. Nwoye, during a recent meeting of stakeholders of the party, regretted that he had lost close to two months of campaigns to internal bickering in the party as a result of protest by some fellow aspirants in the party, whom he beat to the ticket.
The Nsugbe-born medical doctor turned politician has even after unveiling his campaign team not fixed a date for the commencement of his campaigns. Nwoye has however been holding series of meetings at ward level with various groups in the party, including youth groups, students’ union members, stakeholders and others.
A source said the delay in the commencement of his campaign may not be unconnected to the appointment of Dr. Chris Ngige as the chairman of his campaign in the state. The source said, “Have you ever seen Ngige commence early campaigns in all the elections he has participated in? He simply leaves his opponents to wear themselves out and spend all their money, then a week or two to the election, he jumps in and starts visiting every part of the state. I think that is the strategy he has sold to Nwoye.
A visit to his campaign office however showed that Nwoye is always in a meeting with one group or the other, while a whole building, which is just close to the campaign office at Udoka Housing Estate, Awka, has been packed full with campaign souvenirs.