Anambra’s Church of Antioch
The state is a complete riot of political gymnastics at the moment. But that is not new. Anambra State, as the Nigerian State generally, has acquired a political reputation that is peculiarly its own since the return of democracy in 1999. Political party lines exist in name only. Loyalty is most often contrived. Merchants of the reprehensible variety of political godfatherism are still afoot, even as bad weather threatens them from all sides. Many victims of the latest round of political primaries in Anambra State, for instance, were somehow complicit in one or two previous party primaries that were nothing but organized swindles. While the more pragmatic and hardnosed among them have brushed off their bruises, had a handshake and taken whatever deals they were able to work out, others are not prepared to let it all go so lightly.
The latter are too miffed to accept that they could be so pointedly outplayed, or defeated, as the case may be. Some, not all, in the latter group, if the truth must be told, are actually diehard political witch doctors who have been part of the confusion in Anambra politics for almost twenty years now. Yes, court injunctions are whizzing about. But court injunctions have always been whizzing about in Anambra politics, for as long as anyone can remember. So, watch out! Your cap, or even your head, may be knocked off while they are at it. Since everyone’s point of view is correct, at least as far as he/she is concerned in all matters concerning the primaries, there is little room for a middle ground among the aggrieved. Tomfoolery, some might say. “The politicking of the state reminds one of the crisis among the early Christians of the Church of Antioch, mentioned in the Bible” the religiously inclined may declare.
To contextualise all of this, I shall begin by reproducing a fairly long quotation from a pro-PDP WhatsApp platform. The quotation came up not long after the state branch of the party announced the emergence of Valentine Ozigbo as the winner of the primaries. Even at that, Ugochukwu Ubah who held his primaries, powered by a court document, was also announced winner by his own people. Not to be outdone, Obiora Okonkwo, the runner up in the primaries deemed to have been the one authorised by the party alleged irregularities in the process. Implacable, and convinced that a Big Boy like him cannot be so blatantly outplayed, Okonkwo granted a calm and mature television interview, wherein he assured his followers that the fight was only just beginning. The story is not much different in the APC, where Andy Ubah emerged as winner in a primaries election that many members of the party are claiming did not take place at all. Soludo emerged in the APGA primaries, and not without some shenanigans from some quarters within the party. But the problems of APGA pale in weight and significance to the volcanic underbelly of the other parties. I invite you to replace “PDP” with any other political party in the following paragraphs I shall quote form the earlier-mentioned WhatsApp entry.
“The aftermath of the PDP (party) primaries has created two major perceptions and attitudes. The one is the perception of a successful event and an attitude of “let’s move on, because the rancour is now behind us.” The other is the perception of a controversial event with questionable outcomes and an attitude of “no way, we won’t let it stand.” The second, of the two perceptions, is not as visible and as popular as the first. But it is there. It is a matter that must be well managed, in order to have everyone fully on board as one united house. It is a known fact that the frustration of a single family member, even if he is misguided, may make him align with forces that can bring down the entire Umunna (extended family). I make the last statement bearing in mind Obiora Okonkwo’s (as also any aspirants from other parties) post-primaries TV interview, as well as the experience of Peter Obi in the 2019 general election in mind.
Much bitterness followed the emergence of Obi as VP to Atiku. Some of our aggrieved brothers and sisters then said: “Let us see how he will be VP”. One group diligently worked behind the scenes to guarantee Buhari the required minimum 25% spread, provided they could retain their seats as governors. Others put all their energies into working out a parallel agreement with the Atiku camp, to ensure that Obi will not be the channel for anything that would come to the South East. As one of them gleefully told me, “We cannot be put under Peter Obi in a political environment we dominated before he turned up from nowhere.”