In Igbo land, anything Anambra is very interesting to other Igbos. And this is not for nothing. Anambra State is the gateway to the other Igbo states. It occupies a leading position in Igbo affairs. Anambra’s position is central in what obtains in other Igbo states. Perhaps the enigmatic River Niger and the famous Onitsha Main Market helped Anambra State to play leading role in the emergence of modern Ndigbo and the synthesisation of Igbo culture and values. Instructively, Anambra is the home of many Igbo greats, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Profs Chinua Achebe, Kenneth Dike, Chike Obi, Dim Emeka Ojukwu, Chief Emeka Anayoku, Chimamanda Adichie and many others. They also lead in business and other fields.
Despite its leading roles in many spheres of life, the people of Anambra State are today grappling with mounting insecurity, economic hardships and other existential challenges like other Nigerians. While insecurity is in the front burner of public discourse in the state, the politics of the November 8 gubernatorial election is fast engaging the attention of the political elites and some concerned citizens of the state.
For some obvious reasons, one of the most discussed themes around the governorship election is zoning. Zoning of governorship position in the state was popularized by former Anambra State governor, Mr. Peter Obi, to pave way for Anambra North to produce the governor of the state. The first beneficiary of the zoning formula was Chief Willie Obiano. He was quickly followed by Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo.
Before Obi, it was a free contest, which promoted the survival of the fittest. It was then a game of money and subterfuge. It was highly devoid of refinement until Obi sanitized it to some extent. In our return to this political dispensation in 1999, the late Dr. Chinwoke Mbadinuju (Anambra South) won the governorship poll of the state under the banner of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). His reelection bid in 2003 was rebuffed by his godfathers on account of alleged poor performance. In his stead, Dr. Chris Ngige, carried the PDP banner and won the election which many in the opposition thought was massively rigged. It was later proved to be so in the courts. The candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Peter Obi, challenged the victory of Ngige and won at the tribunal after Ngige had spent about three years in office. Obi was sworn-in on March 17, 2006 as the governor of Anambra State. Due to some irreconcilable differences between him and the legislature, he was impeached on November 3, 2006. He challenged his impeachment and was reinstated on February 9, 2007 and his tenure continued until 2010. He was reelected and his second term ended on March 7, 2014. His tenure interpretation case, which was decided in his favour at the Supreme Court led to the staggered governorship poll in Anambra State.
Since 1999 till date, the governorship power has rotated or has been zoned to the three senatorial districts of the state, Anambra Central, Anambra North and Anambra South. While Anambra Central has produced Peter Obi and Chris Ngige, Anambra South has produced Chinwoke Mbadinuju and Charles Soludo. Anambra North has produced only Willie Obiano. With Soludo emergence, the zoning circle has gone round. In spite of the recent reframing of zoning in some quarters, one can safely argue that zoning has indeed stabilized Anambra politics for good. Whether they call it power rotation or zoning, it has given every senatorial zone a sense of belonging. Zoning can have its downsides as well. No political arrangement is perfect. Whether it has translated to the expected development or political outcome is debatable.
With the foregoing, the place of zoning cannot be totally discountenanced in the November 8 governorship election in the state. It may not be the only defining determinant of the outcome of the poll, but it is a strong factor. It is a theme that should not be dismissed with a wave of the hand by critics of Anambra politics. Zoning has been used to a great advantage in Enugu State politics. It has also worked in Abia and Ebonyi politics. Unfortunately, in Imo State, zoning has been bastardised by the political elites to the great disadvantage of Imo people. It is dead in the state. It is urgently begging for resurrection. Perhaps it will be resurrected. It is worth adding that a people canvassing for power sharing at the centre should not be working against zoning in their region.
Moreover, one other good thing about Anambra politics is the quality of its governorship candidates. Anambra will always present the best governorship candidates ever in every election cycle. In the forthcoming poll, there are many qualified candidates, who have expressed their desire to vie for the exalted position. In the ruling APGA, Governor Charles Soludo holds the ace. Perhaps he has no challenger as at now. With Sly Ezeokenwa as the authentic chairman of APGA, Soludo will remain the party’s candidate for the November 8 fierce contest, all things being equal. Chief Afam Njoku will no longer trouble the party with leadership claims because the courts have sealed such movement. For APGA, there is apparently only one formidable candidate.
Another theme in the election, which one will ignore to his own peril, is the incumbency factor. There is enormous power in incumbency. There is something in the house that the occupant knows more than those who are outside and knocking at the door to be let in. The incumbent has enormous war-chest and goodwill. However, this factor should not be exaggerated because some incumbents, including a sitting president have lost power in Nigeria. It is not new. In politics anything can happen.
It must be pointed out that the power of the opposition cannot be dismissed in this election too. Any gang up by the opposition, which is not always easy to come by in Anambra State, may change the political narrative. Leading the opposition charge in the state is the All Progressives Congress (APC). Remember, the APC has boasted and added the state as one of those it will capture soon. Whether capture is the right word to use in political contest or not is also open to debate. The major contenders in APC include Sir Paul Chukwuma, Prof. Obiora Okonkwo, Chief Chuwkwuma Umeoji and Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu. These are no pushovers but they are too many. In the Labour Party (LP), likely contenders include George Muoghalu, Valentine Ozigbo and John Nwosu. Apart from Dr. Godwin Maduka, the PDP is not showing much interest in the November 8 contest. Maybe it will later bounce back. The opposition forces in Anambra politics, whether united or not, cannot be dismissed. But will serve their cause better if and only if they can present a united front.
The Anambra November 8 poll is still some months away, the footwork has started in earnest. The door-to-door visits have commenced. The nocturnal meetings have commenced too. Therefore, the contest will be fiercer than earlier ones. The stakes are now higher. The voters are more enlightened and better informed to make choices. It is not going to be easy for any party or any candidate. Like in sports, there are no minnows in Anambra politics anymore. Any party can spring a surprise. Any of the contenders can win the poll. However, only the voters in the state will determine the outcome of the November 8 poll and who will carry the day, all things being equal. Since the beginning of our current political dispensation in 1999, APGA has dominated the political leadership of Anambra State. The PDP ruled the state for only a short period of four years of Mbadinuju and perhaps Andy Ubah’s inconsequential brief rule from May 27, 2007 to June 14, 2007. Only time will tell if APGA will continue to lead the state or not.
In Igbo land, anything Anambra is very interesting to other Igbos. And this is not for nothing. Anambra State is the gateway to the other Igbo states. It occupies a leading position in Igbo affairs. Anambra’s position is central in what obtains in other Igbo states. Perhaps the enigmatic River Niger and the famous Onitsha Main Market helped Anambra State to play leading role in the emergence of modern Ndigbo and the synthesisation of Igbo culture and values. Instructively, Anambra is the home of many Igbo greats, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Profs Chinua Achebe, Kenneth Dike, Chike Obi, Dim Emeka Ojukwu, Chief Emeka Anayoku, Chimamanda Adichie and many others. They also lead in business and other fields.
Despite its leading roles in many spheres of life, the people of Anambra State are today grappling with mounting insecurity, economic hardships and other existential challenges like other Nigerians. While insecurity is in the front burner of public discourse in the state, the politics of the November 8 gubernatorial election is fast engaging the attention of the political elites and some concerned citizens of the state.
For some obvious reasons, one of the most discussed themes around the governorship election is zoning. Zoning of governorship position in the state was popularized by former Anambra State governor, Mr. Peter Obi, to pave way for Anambra North to produce the governor of the state. The first beneficiary of the zoning formula was Chief Willie Obiano. He was quickly followed by Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo.
Before Obi, it was a free contest, which promoted the survival of the fittest. It was then a game of money and subterfuge. It was highly devoid of refinement until Obi sanitized it to some extent. In our return to this political dispensation in 1999, the late Dr. Chinwoke Mbadinuju (Anambra South) won the governorship poll of the state under the banner of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). His reelection bid in 2003 was rebuffed by his godfathers on account of alleged poor performance. In his stead, Dr. Chris Ngige, carried the PDP banner and won the election which many in the opposition thought was massively rigged. It was later proved to be so in the courts. The candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Peter Obi, challenged the victory of Ngige and won at the tribunal after Ngige had spent about three years in office. Obi was sworn-in on March 17, 2006 as the governor of Anambra State. Due to some irreconcilable differences between him and the legislature, he was impeached on November 3, 2006. He challenged his impeachment and was reinstated on February 9, 2007 and his tenure continued until 2010. He was reelected and his second term ended on March 7, 2014. His tenure interpretation case, which was decided in his favour at the Supreme Court led to the staggered governorship poll in Anambra State.
Since 1999 till date, the governorship power has rotated or has been zoned to the three senatorial districts of the state, Anambra Central, Anambra North and Anambra South. While Anambra Central has produced Peter Obi and Chris Ngige, Anambra South has produced Chinwoke Mbadinuju and Charles Soludo. Anambra North has produced only Willie Obiano. With Soludo emergence, the zoning circle has gone round. In spite of the recent reframing of zoning in some quarters, one can safely argue that zoning has indeed stabilized Anambra politics for good. Whether they call it power rotation or zoning, it has given every senatorial zone a sense of belonging. Zoning can have its downsides as well. No political arrangement is perfect. Whether it has translated to the expected development or political outcome is debatable.
With the foregoing, the place of zoning cannot be totally discountenanced in the November 8 governorship election in the state. It may not be the only defining determinant of the outcome of the poll, but it is a strong factor. It is a theme that should not be dismissed with a wave of the hand by critics of Anambra politics. Zoning has been used to a great advantage in Enugu State politics. It has also worked in Abia and Ebonyi politics. Unfortunately, in Imo State, zoning has been bastardised by the political elites to the great disadvantage of Imo people. It is dead in the state. It is urgently begging for resurrection. Perhaps it will be resurrected. It is worth adding that a people canvassing for power sharing at the centre should not be working against zoning in their region.
Moreover, one other good thing about Anambra politics is the quality of its governorship candidates. Anambra will always present the best governorship candidates ever in every election cycle. In the forthcoming poll, there are many qualified candidates, who have expressed their desire to vie for the exalted position. In the ruling APGA, Governor Charles Soludo holds the ace. Perhaps he has no challenger as at now. With Sly Ezeokenwa as the authentic chairman of APGA, Soludo will remain the party’s candidate for the November 8 fierce contest, all things being equal. Chief Afam Njoku will no longer trouble the party with leadership claims because the courts have sealed such movement. For APGA, there is apparently only one formidable candidate.
Another theme in the election, which one will ignore to his own peril, is the incumbency factor. There is enormous power in incumbency. There is something in the house that the occupant knows more than those who are outside and knocking at the door to be let in. The incumbent has enormous war-chest and goodwill. However, this factor should not be exaggerated because some incumbents, including a sitting president have lost power in Nigeria. It is not new. In politics anything can happen.
It must be pointed out that the power of the opposition cannot be dismissed in this election too. Any gang up by the opposition, which is not always easy to come by in Anambra State, may change the political narrative. Leading the opposition charge in the state is the All Progressives Congress (APC). Remember, the APC has boasted and added the state as one of those it will capture soon. Whether capture is the right word to use in political contest or not is also open to debate. The major contenders in APC include Sir Paul Chukwuma, Prof. Obiora Okonkwo, Chief Chuwkwuma Umeoji and Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu. These are no pushovers but they are too many. In the Labour Party (LP), likely contenders include George Muoghalu, Valentine Ozigbo and John Nwosu. Apart from Dr. Godwin Maduka, the PDP is not showing much interest in the November 8 contest. Maybe it will later bounce back. The opposition forces in Anambra politics, whether united or not, cannot be dismissed. But will serve their cause better if and only if they can present a united front.
The Anambra November 8 poll is still some months away, the footwork has started in earnest. The door-to-door visits have commenced. The nocturnal meetings have commenced too. Therefore, the contest will be fiercer than earlier ones. The stakes are now higher. The voters are more enlightened and better informed to make choices. It is not going to be easy for any party or any candidate. Like in sports, there are no minnows in Anambra politics anymore. Any party can spring a surprise. Any of the contenders can win the poll. However, only the voters in the state will determine the outcome of the November 8 poll and who will carry the day, all things being equal. Since the beginning of our current political dispensation in 1999, APGA has dominated the political leadership of Anambra State. The PDP ruled the state for only a short period of four years of Mbadinuju and perhaps Andy Ubah’s inconsequential brief rule from May 27, 2007 to June 14, 2007. Only time will tell if APGA will continue to lead the state or not.