From Obinna Odogwu, Awka
Many Nigerians, and indeed, people across the globe watched with mixed feelings the verbal war between Senator Andy Uba and Prof. Chukwuma Soludo during the Anambra State governorship debate in Awka, the capital. Mixed reactions also trailed it afterwards.
At the debate, the people expected the two gentlemen to address critical issues affecting them and how they intended to work in their interest if elected.
In Anambra, there are a number of issues that are of great importance to the people. Summarily, there are issues bordering on the economy, infrastructure development, labour and others.
These issues dominated the discourse even before the commencement of the primary polls of the various political parties; and the people of the state, Saturday Sun gathered, had high expectations that these issues would be exhaustively discussed at the debate.
Unfortunately, the candidates, at some point in the course of the debate, made it a personality clash. One of them actually used words that seemed to be intended to humiliate the other.
For example, Soludo described Uba as a domestic servant whose job was merely to clean the shoes and make beds in the Presidential Villa while Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was president from 1999 to 2007.
Uba and Soludo are standard bearers of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) respectively for today’s governorship election in the state.
What led to that degeneration? Uba had claimed that he recommended and facilitated Soludo’s appointment as the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) while he served the former president.
At first, Soludo dismissed his claims, saying that he only met Uba at the Presidential Villa shortly after one of their morning prayers.
“I didn’t know Andy from Adam. I met Andy Uba in the Villa. The person who introduced the two of us three months after I had joined the government as Chief Economic Adviser was Oby Ezekwesili. She is alive.
“After a morning prayer, she called the two of us and said: ‘Hey gentlemen, I hope you guys know each other. I said that I didn’t know him. She introduced us.
“And from time to time, he came for the morning prayers. I was part of the 15-member inner caucus of President Obasanjo’s morning prayers team.
“I didn’t know him; I never met him. I mean, how would our paths have crossed? From what I know about his background, he was in the US as a… Period!
“From there, he came in as a domestic servant who was cleaning the shoes and dressing the beds. So, how would our paths have crossed?
“All of a sudden, what I hear is that every Igbo person who has done well in government; or if he stays in the Villa there and hears that somebody is being considered for something, he runs and calls you and says ‘I am talking to…”
Turning to Uba, Soludo cautioned: “Sorry, you can’t play that game with me. President Obasanjo is alive. If you can forget everything else, you can’t lie against a man who is alive.”
But Uba insisted that he made Soludo the CBN governor. He narrated how Soludo led a delegation to his house to thank him for recommending him for the plum job.
“When they came to thank the President, he told them no, that they should thank me because I made it possible”, Uba said.
As if to put the matter to rest, Soludo thanked Uba on the stage for speaking kindly to the president about him.
“I concede that to him. If he had a hand in making me the CBN governor; if he recommended me to the President whom I woke up with everyday from Monday to Saturday, if you did that, thank you very much Sir,” Soludo stated.
As the argument raged, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Valentine Ozigbo, watched in amazement. His countenance and calm disposition suggested that the drama was least of his expectations from the two gentlemen.
Regardless of what transpired, many people have wondered while the organisers of the debate paraded only three candidates. They argued that in a contest that has 18 contestants, presenting three persons was not fair enough.
It was not clear if Arise TV and its partners had invited other candidates to their debate or if it narrowed it to only candidates of three political parties – APGA, PDP and APC.
If the latter was the case, it is safe to say that the organisers had a limited view or understanding of Anambra politics. This is because, in Anambra, political parties don’t win elections for being popular; individuals behind the parties also count.
Again, the literacy rate and the degree of enlightenment amongst the people are very high. Ndi Anambra consider the character of candidates presented in an election, their antecedents and other factors before they vote.
For example, the Chief Executive Officer of Capital Oil and Gas, Mr Ifeanyi Ubah, won the Anambra South Senatorial seat in the 2019 general election using the platform of a newly formed Young Progressive Party (YPP).
The then new party believed to be for the youths defeated the ruling party in the state, APGA, and also the PDP and APC which were quite popular.
Before that election, nobody gave Ubah and his YPP any chance. Some said that his aspiration to be senator would end the way it did when he aspired to be governor in the past on the platform of the Labour Party (LP).
Interestingly, the oil mogul is not just a senator today but he is also working real hard to succeed Governor Willie Obiano whose eight-year tenures of two terms is expected to end on March 17, 2022.
Again, despite being in power for about 14 years as of 2019, APGA lost eight National Assembly seats to the PDP in that year’s general election. Those included six House of Representatives seats and two senatorial seats. APGA lost the three senatorial seats.
But who really are the candidates to watch in today’s Anambra governorship poll and why? Who is likely to emerge as the new helmsman of the Light of the Nation? Would there likely be surprises as it happened in 2019 with the senatorial seats? Are there underdogs to watch in today’s contest?
To make a perfect projection of what may happen today is one of the most difficult things to do. This is because it is a standalone election where the incumbent is not seeking a fresh mandate.
Again, most of the candidates in the poll have beautiful selling points that stand them out and are attractive to the voters. There are also a number of factors that would determine who would likely emerge victorious in today’s election.
Soludo and APGA
APGA, at the moment, has some edge over the others given that it is a party in power with structures in all the communities in the state. Interestingly, it has a candidate whose name rings a bell in this country.
However, Soludo’s popularity and the strength of his party’s structure are on test. Some people, it seems, are not pleased with the erudite professor. Rightly or wrongly, they see him as Governor Obiano’s puppet that is coming to continue with poor and weak governance style.
For ordinary people, the ex-CBN boss is the right man for the job given his excellent performance at the country’s apex bank. Their view, however, runs parallel with the elite who see him as a fellow that will not bow to them in some areas unlike Obiano.
Again, the defection of the Deputy Governor, Dr Nkem Okeke and some state lawmakers to the APC is a big blow to APGA. But the weight of his punch would also be assessed after the poll, especially in Njikoka LGA where he hails from.
Andy Uba and his APC
Uba, a two-time former senator for Anambra South Senatorial District, without doubts, understands politics and election issues, having won polls twice. Uba’s two brothers are arguably experts on electoral matters.
One of them, Ugochukwu Uba, was a former senator who contested for the PDP’s governorship ticket while the other, Chief Chris Uba, was and still is a well-known political godfather.
Chief Uba was instrumental to the PDP’s success from 1999 to 2003, particularly the installation of Dr Chris Ngige as governor of the state in 2003. So, whatever it was that worked for the Uba brothers may still be found useful in this election.
In fact, Senator Uche Ekwunife of Anambra Central, during the inauguration of the PDP Campaign Council in Awka, told the party leaders to go and appease Chris Uba, Chief Linus Ukachukwu and other PDP stalwarts in the state if they were serious in winning the poll.
Again, there had been a series of defections by notable politicians, especially from the PDP and APGA, to the APC. Amongst the defectors from the PDP was the former Board of Trustees (BoT) member and former senator for Anambra North Senatorial Zone, Joy Emordi. Also, the current senator for the same senatorial zone, Stella Oduah, also dumped the PDP for the APC even as some other eminent figures from the party have moved to the APC with their teaming supporters.
Regardless of the massive support, the South East doesn’t seem to have found love in the APC. They see the party as its main oppressor and if that feeling still persists, the APC may need to triple its efforts to win the poll.
Andy Uba’s antecedents especially his contributions to the state while he served in Obasanjo’s administration for about eight and his another eight years in the Senate would be put into consideration.
A factor that is working for Andy Ubah is the fact the APC controls the Federal Government. The APC candidate holds that the federal influence could help him in today’s poll.
PDP and Ozigbo
A very humble man, Chief Valentine Ozigbo is seen as a fresh air in Anambra politics. However, the manner of his emergence is an issue. Just as some people see Soludo as Obiano’s shadow, other perceive Ozigbo as former Anambra governor, Mr Peter Obi’s puppet.
However, many have described Ozigbo as articulate, tactful and also a man who has the capacity to lead. But the fact that the APC is always out to ensure that PDP does not return to Anambra Government House is a big challenge for Ozigbo. In the last two elections in Anambra, PDP came third, an indication that it is not seen as an alternative political party in the state. This time, however, in consideration of Obiano’s not so impressive performance, people in Anambra think PDP could be given a chance.
ZLP and Obiora Okonkwo
Dr Obiora Okonkwo is a man everybody would need to watch in this governorship election. The man speaks with a lot of confidence that leaves many people wondering what he has in his kitties for this election.
Okonkwo has shown capacity, doing aggressive campaign and endearing himself to many. He was a man to beat for PDP’s ticket, but a last minutes manoeuvre placed him second in the primary election. Since joining Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), he has succeeded in making the party to come into reckoning. Although, some see him as a strong candidate in a weak party, the truth is that in a contest where personality and antecedents of candidates will count, he is a strong contender.
Okonkwo understands the people. He looks and acts like an everyday guy who can sit with you to have a few drinks. He is a cheerful giver. In Anambra, everybody talks about his philanthropy and he is said to give without considering where you come from, faith or creed.
The CEO of United Nigeria Airline, who was once a trader in Onitsha Main Market, also has his way with the church. Those who understand Anambra politics know the role of the church in every election in the state.
It is not yet clear what message the bishops, especially the Catholic denomination where he belongs, have passed to the Catholic faithful in Anambra. With the endorsement of the bishops of the Catholic Church and Anglican Communion, Okonkwu would cause an upset even with a weak party. Again, Saturday Sun gathered that some aggrieved leaders of the PDP are secretly working for him.
The joker for Okonkwo is the fact that he is the only candidate from Anambra Central Senatorial District. If he takes the block votes of Central, which has Idemili North and South LGAs with the largest number of votes, he is in good standing for the diadem.
SDP and Obinna Uzoh
The Social Democratic Party (SDP) was the first political party to control the machinery of government in Anambra State after its creation from the old Anambra in 1991. Ever since then, the party has been out of power till date.
For this Saturday’s election, the party fielded Obinna Uzoh as its candidate; hoping to win the poll in a free, fair and transparent poll.
Uzoh, a lawyer and a renowned business man, had contested the governorship poll in the past. He also contested the Anambra South Senatorial seat during the 2019 general election. Those experiences, it is believed, would be deployed by Uzoh in this Saturday’s poll to ensure that the SDP wins the election. But does Uzoh have any hope of emerging governor in this poll? The gubernatorial candidate himself believes that he has everything it would take to coast home to victory.
The SDP candidate’s philanthropy in the state speaks volume and those who benefited from him may consider lending him some support to ensure he realizes his aspiration. At a town hall meeting held recently in Awka, the state capital, Uzoh assured the teaming members and supporters of party that the election was theirs to win.
Uzoh, while addressing the party faithful, promised to revamp state’s economy if he emerges the governor on November 6. He said that he had developed a formidable blueprint with which he would transform the state’s economy, create jobs and improve the social services in the state. The governorship hopeful said that from the available reports before him, the SDP has the brightest chance of emerging victorious on the election day.
“We already have a powerful support base in SDP. We are not in the business of gathering people and parading them before journalists as defectors. No. Many people believe in Obinna Uzoh and the SDP.
“We have 18 political parties contesting this election. But out of all of them, only four of them have up to 6,068 polling agents. SDP is number one of the four,” he said.
Accord Party and Godwin Maduka
From the day he was presented to the public as the candidate of Accord Party, Dr Godwin Maduka hit the ground running in a manner that still surprises some people. Not many believed that after he lost the primary poll of the PDP held on 26th June this year at Prof. Dora Akunyili Women’s Development Centre, Awka, he would still muster some courage to contest the poll. Maduka, the CEO of Las Vegas Pain Institute in the United States contested the poll and got only five votes. Although his performance at the PDP’s primary poll was not impressive, this election provides another opportunity for him to him to test his popularity.
YPP and Ifeanyi Ubah
The senator representing Anambra South Senatorial District, Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, shocked many political actors when he won the position he occupies now with a new party, the Young Progressive Party (YPP) in 2019.
Before he won the election, Ubah had unsuccessfully contested the governorship poll in the state in 2013. Having won the senatorial poll in which he defeated the ruling party, APGA, and even the PDP, the businessman appears to have developed new winning strategy whose validity he would need to test again today.