By Ikenna Agu
Come November 6th, 2021 Anambrarians will troop out en mass to, democratically, elect a successor to the incumbent Governor, His Excellency Willie Obiano. This transition is expected to mark the beginning of a new era after what many has considered as an abysmal performance by the incumbent especially in his second term.
Anambra state is known for her trail blazing performance in elections in South Eastern part of the country in particular and Nigeria in general. It’s on record that elections in the state are devoid of violence and thuggery, rather over the years, the state became famous for her issues based campaign and free, fair and credible elections. It is also on record that contestants upon declaration of a winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), would queue to congratulate the winner. They rarely go to tribunals to contest election results. A feat that is rare in Nigeria.
As expected, political analysts in their ingenious manner have embarked on the permutations that will produce the possible winner of the election. It’s needless to say that the ruling party in the state in presently non-existing due to poor performance of Governor Willie Obiano. The reason is not far-fetched; the people of Anambra state are used to good governance; so anything or anybody that will go below the already set standard will be shown the exit door at the right time.
The ruling party at the federal level, All Progressives Congress (APC) has no serious foothold in the South East and South South part of the country. The unpardonable exclusion of people from the zone in appointments and citing of project by the federal government is clearly strangulating the remaining life out of the party in the state. APC, no doubt, has been seen as anti-Igbo party. Any candidate from the party already knows his fate before the contest,
The mass exodus of party members from the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) into the rejuvenated Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is a clear indication of where the pendulum is swinging to. The dwindling fortunes of APGA in the state started in 2019 General Elections when PDP won two out of the three Senatorial seats and also recorded a huge success in Federal House of Representatives’ positions.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before now had been giving APGA a good push in the state but with the exit of former governor, Peter Obi to PDP, marked the accelerated decline in the fortune of All Progressives Grand Alliance. With this, it is clear that November 6th Gubernatorial election in Anambra State is PDP’s great opportunity to reclaim the state.
With the state clearly open for the largest party in Africa to claim, the battle now goes down to the candidates. The two front runners in the fight to wrestle the party’s ticket are Hon. Chris Emeka Azubogu and Mr. Valentine Chineto Ozigbo.
Chris Azubogu is a seasoned federal legislator whose strides in the House of Representatives speak for itself. He has the sympathy of his people especially within the federal constituency he’s representing. His critics say that it takes more than being a legislator to rule a sophisticated state like Anambra state. His political resume lacks business and corporate experience which has made past leaders of the state to stand out among their peers. Chris will also have a big issue on religion because Anambra politics has been a running battle between Roman Catholic and Anglican faithful. Unfortunately, he’s from the Anglican stock which, most times, has always been taking second position.
Though he has been described as a man of integrity, but the current political leadership in Nigeria has shown that it takes more than integrity to dispense leadership. The political pundits and historians in Anambra state described him as a man who stands a good chance of winning the election if he is contesting alone. This, in the words of Plato, “says it all”.
Meanwhile, standing on the pole position for the race to not just winning the ticket of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) but also win the election proper is diminutive Valentine Chineto Ozigbo.
Contrary to the obstacles his closest rival is facing in the race, all odds are clearly in his favour. He has seen it all. He has an intimidating pedigree in terms of leadership, business and corporate world. He is a grassroot politician and employer of labour. His philanthropic gestures has earned him award and honours both locally and internationally. He has been described by political pundits as a man whose presence dotted every political and economic space in Anambra state. The level of acceptance he has garnered so far is unprecedented in the political history of the state. Even his detractors find it difficult convincing prospective voters against him.
Valentine Ozigbo was born on July 20th, 1970, in the rural village of Umuomaku, Orumba South LGA, Anambra State where his father was stationed as a school headmaster. He had his primary education in village schools and his secondary in his hometown at Christ The Redeemer College Amesi, Aguata LGA. He left Anambra only when he gained admission to the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka at 19. Even with all his global fame, he has always stayed connected with his roots and Igbo culture.
He was the best graduating student of his set in Accounting from University of Nigeria Nsukka and joined Diamond Bank in 1995. He won the prestigious Chevening Scholarships, UK government’s global scholarship programme, funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to study for a Masters in Finance at Lancaster University and graduated with Distinction. He also holds a Masters in Business Administration from the same university.
A fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria, the Institute of Credit Administration, and the Institute of Tourism Professionals. He is also a member of the Institute of Directors (IOD) Nigeria and a member of the Board of Jesuit Memorial College, Port Harcourt. He participated in the pioneer Global CEO Programme for Africa undertaken by three Universities: Lagos Business School, SBS Business School Kenya, and IESE Business School New York, and was elected the pioneer president of the class. He has also participated in several prominent international conferences such as the World Economic Forum at Davos (WEF); the World Economic Forum on Africa (WEFA) in Nigeria; the African Development Bank annual meetings in China; the World Bank/ International Monetary Fund (IMF) annual meetings in Washington DC; Euromoney and Economist Conferences in London; Euromoney debates on Capital Flows to Africa in London; and SIBOS 2009.
An accomplished business leader and entrepreneur with over twenty-six years of experience in corporate transformation, power, hospitality, energy, and banking (commercial, retail, investment and international banking). He served as the President and Group Chief Executive of a globally celebrated business, Transnational Corporation of Nigeria Plc (Transcorp).
Transcorp Plc is one of Africa’s largest conglomerates which include Transcorp Power, one of the largest power generation companies in Nigeria with 972MW installed capacity; Transcorp Hotels, the owners of Transcorp Hilton Abuja and Transcorp Hotels Calabar; and Transcorp OPL281, an oil and gas company. He stepped down as President of Transcorp Plc in March 2020 and retains a seat on the Boards of Transcorp Plc, Transcorp Hotels Plc, and Transcorp Power Limited.
In the corporate world, he is called a global champion of Kaizen, a Japanese philosophy for management that ensures continuous improvement. Kaizen means “deleting waste” in Japanese. It is used in international businesses to improve corporate performance which enhances profitability. There is no doubt that he will delete every form of waste being perpetuated by the current leadership in the state.
Coming from a humble and Christian background, he has been described as an ardent member of the Roman Catholic. His father, Chief Andrew Ozigbo, a retired school headmaster, was a Catechist who, together with his mother, Ezinne Christiana Ozigbo, a trader and farmer, raised Valentine in line with Christian faith. He is a man who lives by the principles of Jesus Christ, which is to love your neighbour as yourself and be at peace with all. He chaired Unusual Praise 2018, the largest Catholic gospel concert in Africa. He has been married to Ojiugo for 18 years, and they have four children
