The claim by Senator Andy Uba that his mandate in the just concluded Anambra governorship election was stolen is akin to one particular joke in my town. It so happened that a certain man was asked to apologise to his kindred for some wrongdoing. The man got up, cleared his throat and told his people: “I have forgiven you.” It is clear that Uba, the defeated governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), lost resoundingly. But rather than call the real owner of the mandate to congratulate him like many others have done, he has threatened to recover ‘his stolen mandate’ in court. It is funny as it is ironical.
At a recent meeting with stakeholders of the APC in Awka, the capital of Anambra State, Uba fumed: “We will do everything possible to recover the mandate. Don’t lose hope; don’t weep. The election was grossly manipulated and it is obvious to everybody.”
Earlier, the Spokesperson of the Senator Andy Uba Campaign Organisation, Ambassador Jerry Ugokwe, said it was inconceivable that their candidate, who purportedly polled over 200,000 votes in the APC primary election would be allocated a slightly above 43,000 votes by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). In a hyperbolic tone typical of politicians, Ugokwe said the only people remaining in the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) at the time of the election were Governor Obiano and his household and a few staff of the Government House as well as Prof. Soludo and his household but the majority of the electorate had moved to the APC.
This assertion is ridiculous to say the least. The truth is that many of those people who defected to the APC shortly before the election are paper tigers. The Deputy Governor of Anambra, Nkem Okeke, is a typical example. Mr. Okeke even had to display his ballot paper to show that he voted APC. But this did not stop him from losing in his constituency. Soon, some of the defectors will return to their original parties.
True, there were some hiccups during the election. The late arrival of materials in some polling units is one of them. But it is not enough to dismiss the election outright. And whatever happened on that day did not affect one party. It affected all of them. It affected APGA even more.
The winner of the election, Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo of APGA, could not even vote that day until past 5pm. Many voters in his stronghold could not vote. Soludo polled 112,229 votes to defeat his closest rival, Valentine Ozigbo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who scored 53,807. Andy Uba came a distant third with 43,285 votes. He couldn’t win even one local government, but Soludo won 19 of the 21 local government areas in the state.
The point here is that APC couldn’t have won that election. The rejection of a party agent’s N5, 000 bribe by Mrs Eunice Ngozi Onuegbusi from Ukwulu (Amagu village) in Dunukofia local government area of the state, and her insistence on voting for APGA is a reflection of the wishes of the majority of Anambra people.
Besides, Andy Uba lost favour within his party circles soon after his party’s primary election. His co-aspirants and some APC stalwarts believe there was no election and that Uba manipulated the process that produced him as the party’s candidate.
This may have been partly why some APC stalwarts were among the first to congratulate Soludo immediately INEC announced him as the winner. President Muhammadu Buhari led the pack. In his congratulatory message, he said he looked forward to working with Soludo for the peace, security and development of not only Anambra State but the entire South-East.
The leader of the party in Anambra and Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, also congratulated Soludo. According to him, Anambra people have spoken with Soludo’s resounding victory and that they have made an excellent choice by voting him. “The election has come and gone and it is very free, fair and credible,” Ngige concluded. Even the Publicity Secretary of the APC in Anambra, Okelo Madukaife, also congratulated Soludo. Madukaife paid for it though as his party in the state sacked him for doing so.
Some other prominent people who congratulated Soludo are the former governor of the state, Mr. Peter Obi; former Nigeria’s Presidents, Ibrahim Babangida and Abdulsalami Abubakar; governorship candidates of the PDP, Young People’s Party (YPP), Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), Valentine Ozigbo, Ifeanyi Ubah and Obiora Okonkwo respectively. Okonkwo and Obi even asked Anambra people to support Soludo through their prayers.
So, why is Uba bent on discrediting the Anambra governorship poll? I suspect that his lawyers are the ones urging him to go to court. That is their work anyway. Perhaps, they are banking on the repeat of the miracle of Imo State. Recall that Emeka Ihedioha of the PDP had been sworn in as the governor of Imo State in 2019. But in a twist of fate, the Supreme Court manufactured a miraculous judgement in January 2020, catapulting Hope Uzodimma of the APC from the fourth position to become the governor of Imo.
Nevertheless, the intricacies of what happened in Imo are different from the Anambra case. Besides, President Buhari has no reason to interfere in the Anambra election. Soludo may not be a member of his party, but he is a member of his economic advisory council. If the judiciary is given free hands to decide on this case, I don’t see Uba going anywhere.
This is why the APC candidate is strongly advised to jettison his judicial expedition and congratulate the winner of the election. Not doing so will further alienate him from the people of the state. Though he has the right to challenge the outcome of the election, he is bound to fail all things being equal. He should listen to the wise counsel of individuals and groups like Ohanaeze Ndigbo and drop the idea of going to court to enable the winner to face the business of governance.
If the election was conducted one million times, Soludo will win Uba. APGA candidate’s victory was not a fluke. It depicts the sophistication of Anambra voters who consider so many things before casting their votes. Essentially, they look at the character and pedigree of the candidates before deciding who to vote for.
APGA is a grassroots party in Anambra. But it would have lost the governorship election if it had fielded an unpopular candidate. Anambra voters knew ahead that Soludo is the best among the candidates. That was why even before he declared, over 30 support groups had started campaigning for him, knowing that as a renowned economist, he has the wherewithal to transform Anambra. Governor Willie Obiano was humble enough to admit that Soludo would perform better than other past governors including him.
Honestly, I pity Professor Soludo. The attention of many individuals and groups both within and outside Nigeria is on him. He cannot afford to fail. His blueprint on how to rescue Anambra is already mapped out, Uba’s distraction notwithstanding. What he needs to do now is to assemble the best team that will help him actualize his dreams for the state. As for the one who claimed his mandate was stolen, he should not waste further resources on litigation. If I were him, I would call Soludo and tell him, “Congratulations! I have forgiven you.”
Re: Anambra poll and Nigeria’s sundry prophets
Casmir, the quest for stomach infrastructure has created so many fake prophets. It’s so sad that so many people have shamelessly turned themselves into God’s spokesmen. Some even go by the title ‘Prophet’. A true prophet doesn’t attach condition in what God wants to happen. In the case of Nostradamus you mentioned in your write-up, the king wanted to trick him by asking him to predict the colour of the pork they’re about to eat. He said it without condition. But the king went to the Chef and ordered him to use the opposite colour to what Nostradamus said. As they were ready to enjoy their meal, the king asked Nostradamus to repeat his prediction, he re-echoed what he said and the king out of jubilation that he had gotten a good reason to blackmail him went to call the Chef to say in the presence of everyone the colour of the pork he cooked. The Chef confirmed the colour predicted by Nostradamus because while he was preparing the colour ordered by the king, it fell down and was devoured by dog, forcing him to use the colour predicted by Nostradamus. That’s the power of message from God. Among all the so-called prophets in Nigeria, I can only see Rev Fr. Ejike Mbaka has been close to a true prophet of God.
•Pharm Okwuchukwu Njike, +234 803 885 4922
The truth is, those who predict the future will be disgraced by their failure. They will all be humiliated because God does not answer them (Micah 3:7). God is Yahweh in Hebrew language. He is Ilah in Arabic language as revealed to Arab Christians by the Holy Spirit. His religion is Judaism/Christianity. His book is the Holy Bible which is the only book he sent to save and to guide all mankind. This is the truth (Aluko).Let us fear God by telling the truth (Nuhu Ribadu).The truth cannot be denied because it is an attribute of God. It is God himself (Archbishop Vigano)
•Aluko Charles Ayodeji (+2347035135761, 09064958768).
Dear Casy, in the days of yore, religion, essentially, was for moulding and re-moulding of character for better mankind but the rat race today has, unfortunately, rubbed off on the religious environment, with the clergy on the prowl. Their targets :-(1)the wealthy especially those who easily fall prey. (2) female parishioners–their choice brands being beautiful married women! God ‘bless’ you if your wife is close to them in the name of deep religious worship or being a frontline member of one religious association or another in the church. Having been entangled in rat race, their prophecies fall flat because God whom they claim to get the messages from, is not man. However few genuine clerics exist, only that proverbially, the dirty wears by auto-mechanics hardly differentiate them (mechanics) from mad men. Soludo should look before he leaps as the countdown to Agu Awka begins.
•Steve Okoye, Awka. 08036630731.
Casmir, the scriptures cannot be broken and makes itself vividly clear on this with the rhetorical question – are all prophets? If all are not prophets then, there are genuine prophets as well as fake prophets who desire to be god of men. These prophets see no vision but see only through the eyes of their bellies. They have no revelation from God almighty because they don’t have the spirit of excellence which the spirit of God interfaces with. Pure revelation is an exclusive preserve of genuine prophets of God. God is not an author of confusion and he is orderly in his ways unlike these confusionists who take advantage of the gullible.
•Mike, Mushin Lagos, +2348161114572
Politics, electioneering and who emerges victorious are physical matters that have nothing to do with prophetic messages. Victory is anchored on a combination of one’s pedigree and campaign, persuasive manifestoes and the platform on which a candidate contests. The avenue of spiritualism usually exploited by these ‘false prophets’ at every election period is to showcase their image and improve on the membership strength of their church for pecuniary reasons.
•Edet Essien Esq. Cal South, 08037952470
Dear Casy, the doom’s day prophets have taken over our religious lives. In a country where traditional rulers, political elites including governors, ministers, high court judges, leaders of legislature and the presidency have become liars, treasury looters, election riggers, what do you expect? They have become the Pharaohs, Ahabs, Herods, Nebuchadnezzars of our time.
•Eze Chima C. Lagos, +2347036225495