WHY APGA REMAINS THE PARTY TO BEAT

With the election day just around the corner in Anambra State, the governorship candidates of some 37 political parties, who have thrown their hats in the ring, are campaigning hard to entice voters with all manner of promises. As expected in every election circle, this is a season of promises and politicians are working hard to outdo one another. But if the national experience is anything to go by, some of the promises may be kept, while most will be observed in the breach. Politicians can be very desperate to take power from an incumbent even when they have no superior ideas or programmes to offer. This is because everyone wants to win over the people to get elected. Apart from incumbents who are expected to campaign on their records of achievements, opposition candidates depend largely on promises.

In every election it is the duty of the voters to weigh carefully such promises in order to make wise and objective choices at the polls.

While politicians’ promises define the content of issues in every election campaign, it is the duty of the electorate to go beyond promises to evaluate every candidate and political party to ensure the right choices are made at the polls. For instance it is often advised that the pedigree of every candidate be carefully examined to help assess the probability of keeping promises made during campaigns.

Voters need to ask relevant questions before casting their votes: What has each candidate done in the past? What is the credibility and personality profile of each of the candidates? Does anyone have a history of failure, of questionable conduct that could play up once in power to the detriment of public order and the good of society?

Did they hold positions of public trust in the past? What was their record of performance if they did? Were there serious issues around them that could seriously affect their handling of the position they seek to occupy in the said election? The foregoing and many questions must be asked and answers sought to guide the preferences of voters. Although leadership is beyond the acquisition of technocratic skills, the experience of a leader in managing scarce human and material resources must be considered in these difficult times. The three leading candidates in Anambra: Gov Willie Obiano, Chief Nwoye and Chief Oseloka Obaze all have appreciable records of public office at different levels. However when put on the scale, Governor Obiano does have the advantage of hands-on experience on the job. Ordinarily, incumbency has its own drawbacks if the incumbent has weak records of achievements or results behind him. But in the case of Governor Obiano, there is a consensus within and outside Anambra State that he has done a great job in his first tenure as governor of the state.

His vast experience in the banking sector and his frugal personality combine to give just the right skills and mindset needed to steer the Anambra economy in these tough times. The results have been evident. A ready example is that Anambra State was one of only a few states that didn’t request for bailout from the federal government to pay salaries and pensions of its workers and senior citizens. Yet none is being owed a dime. Specifically, the fact that Obiano has grown the Anambra economy in these troubled times marked by the worse economic recession Nigeria has seen in 25 years makes him the candidate of choice on November 18.

Independent analysts place Anambra ahead of other South Eastern states in terms of progress made towards economic growth and development and sustainability. This year Anambra emerged as the only state in the South East and one of only four Nigerian states with sufficient security and economic progress to catch the eye of the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) which commissioned a study by PWC into opportunities available for UK businesses in those states.

From NBS data, Anambra is one of only 12 Nigerian states that have consistently grown Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) from 2014 to 2016. In fact, Anambra has grown its IGR year-on -year since 2012. Interestingly, Anambra achieved this IGR growth in the last year despite Governor Obiano’s creative decision to cut taxes to ease the pressure of the recession on the local economy. To further stimulate Anambra communities to sustain growth despite the recession, Governor Obiano introduced the innovative ‘Choose Your Project Initiative’ where N20m is allocated twice a year to each of Anambra’s 179 communities to fund a priority project of their choice.

Transparency and accountability are at the heart of good governance. The typical Nigerian State keeps opaque accounting practices. But Governor Obiano in perhaps the clearest evidence of his transparency and commitment to good governance, was quick to give the go ahead to state authorities to adopt and comply with the ambitious International Public Sector Accounting Standard (IPSAS). Anambra ranks first in the South East and fourth nationally in transparency and accountability in governance. This has attracted development partners and investors who are now more confident to invest in the state.

David Ejiofor, Onitsha