By Hon. Pope Obinna Amaefuna
The All Progressives Congress assumed leadership of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2015 and for ten years, the Anambra State chapter of the party has been unable to capitalize on this vital political advantage to reposition the party in Anambra State, rather the party has repeatedly lost elections in the state and has failed to replicate the federal successes of the party at the state and local government levels of Anambra state.
Historically, this reality is out-rightly unusual considering the peculiarities of the Nigerian political culture.
While there are undeniable socio-cultural factors at play, it is general desideratum that a ruling party at the federal level should offer some level of political leverage and bestow some form of positive impetus on the party formations at the lower strata’s of government. It is therefore worrying that the APC in Anambra state is yet to get her act together in almost a decade.
Under the right trajectory, APC Anambra should be maximizing her electoral capabilities and broadening her frontiers by tapping into the political relevance of the party at the center, harnessing available resources, ensuring quality candidature and optimal mobilization of the state infrastructure to reinvent the party and reposition her in Anambra State.
While the personality and leadership philosophy of the commander in chief has a huge impact of the growth of the party, It is pertinent to highlight that the obtainment between the idealist orientation of Mohammed Buhari’s administration should ordinarily be in sharp contrast with that of President Tinubu who is by all standards, a thorough bred politician. A true party man with a deep understanding of party politics and even deeper knowledge and experience on how best to politic for the benefit of partymen and growth of his party.
However, President Tinubu has through his actions and inactions publicly demonstrated his lack of faith in the APC as constituted in Anambra state and there are glaring pointers to this effect while uncertainty becloud opinions on the causation.
From the appointment of non APC members to strategic federal positions traditionally reserved as reward for party faithfuls to his seeming commitment to ensuring that the beneficiaries of his appointments are card carrying members from the top hierarchy of the local ruling party in Anambra state, the APGA.
More damning is the fact that these appointments appear to be calculated political moves unfolding in the build-up of the 2025 Anambra guber election slated for 8th November.
What could be wrong?
Are there no good heads and sound minds in Anambra APC?
How would empowering the opposition help strengthen the APC in Anambra state?
Why is President Tinubu overlooking his party men in Anambra State and making decisions that could be interpreted as antiparty activity that has the potential to demoralize loyal party men?
What could have informed this unusual policy drive by a thorough bred politician who propagated unconditional party loyalty as a guiding principle in politics and “Emi-Lokan-ism” as reward for such loyalty?
Some school of thought allude that President Tinubu’s seeming preference for card carrying APGA members is a calculated attempt to balkanize APGA and rally Southeast support for his planned 2027 reelection campaign. According to the theory, Tinubu is most likely attempting to connect himself with a party that has historical significance in the Southeast by courting APGA, but this is a very misleading idea.
A man of Tinubu’s political acumen cannot be given to such political naivety because in reality, every informed and grounded politician knows that the political relevance of APGA is greatly exaggerated. The results of recent senatorial, house of reps and state house of assembly elections in Anambra state is testament to the fact that Anambra voters are highly republican and no political party can claim exclusive rights or control over the state political mandates or voting pattern.
Another school of thought likened the situation in Anambra State to that of Rivers state where an Ex-governor who is still a card carrying member of the PDP is now serving as the minister of the FCT under the Tinubu Administration. These class of political analysts argue that while Gov Soludo still governs Anambra state on an APGA mandate, That it is pertinent to note that he is still a member of the presidential economic team hence the president might consider the APGA governor a more reliable ally.
The comparism appears lopsided considering the fact that Wike of Rivers is no longer serving as governor of his state neither does he have 100% control of the PDP structure in the oil rich state. Most importantly is the fact that in the months leading up to the 2023 presidential elections, the FCT minister played a crucial divisive and destabilizing role in the PDP that balkanized the party structures and jeopardized the chances of the party at the national level and his antics continues to divide the party till date.
The situation in Anambra state is distinctive as Gov. Soludo is still a serving governor and the leader of APGA bound by his party mandate ans constitution. Aside his portfolio, Gov Soludo is severely restricted by the prevailing sentiments of the Igbo nationalist struggles from engaging in some behaviors that might be deemed detrimental to the inferred aspirations of Igbo nationalists and fundamentalists so in essence, Soludo’s hands are tied so tightly that he risks losing his second term bid if he dares to toe the path of Wike.
It is worthy to note that APGA of today is wobbly and standing on shaky grounds. The party lost her appeal in the Southeast region long ago leading to mass exodus of various southeast governors from the self depreciative idea of a regional political party of ethnic identity.
To further cement her place as a dying party in her twilight and in her last frontier which is Anambra state, the state Governor, CC Soludo failed to deliver his own ward for APGA in the 2023 presidential election and the APGA presidential candidate failed to win a single polling unit in the entire Anambra state in the election.
How then will an alliance with APGA deliver Tinubu’s APC in 2027?
This leaves us with clear causative interpretation of the actions of the presidency in Anambra State.
✓ LACK OF TRUST FOR ANAMBRA APC LEADERSHIP AND TRAJECTORY.
✓ HISTORY OF INTERNAL SABOTAGE OF PARTY CANDIDATES DUE TO PERSONAL INTEREST AND GREED OF APC ANAMBRA PARTY STAKEHOLDERS AND MEMBERS IN ANAMBRA STATE.
✓ DEARTH OF GENUINE COMMITMENT and INSINCERITY OF PURPOSE BY POWER PLAYERS and STAKEHOLDERS IN THE PARTY.
These factors have become a reoccurring decimal within the party in the last decade.
The undisputable truth is that over the years, the successive leaderships and stakeholders of Anambra APC has not shown any sign of genuine commitment to reposition the party for success therefore it is not surprising to unbiased political observers that President Tinubu has completely ignored the party in his federal appointments less than ten months to the guber election in the state.
President Tinubu’s trajectory is not really unexpected because delegative leadership thrives on TRUST and no leader who wants to make genuine positive impact would willfully embarked on any sort of project with characters or institutions with chequered history and uncertain prospects.
The presidency obviously does not trust the party as presently constituted in Anambra State and antecedents justifies his stand.
The lack of plausible intent to deploy the instrument of state and sundry political cum economic paraphernalia to support or strengthen APC Anambra is justifiable because the party has gained notoriority for self sabotage as stakeholders has brazingly and repeatedly worked against their own candidates in past elections while destabilizing party structures for pecuniary gains.
It is on record that APC Anambra has never headed into any guber election with a unified front or structure because before each gubernatorial race, the party would always end up divided due to internal sabotage and the lack of free, fair, and credible primaries. To compound issue more, successive leaderships of the party at the state level have also failed to settle post primaries issues amicably by assuaging aggrieved member and assuring them of the protection of their interests.
These antecedents of betrayals, poor leadership, selfish power plays, avarice, and anti party activities abundantly evident in the politics of APC Anambra state remain the bane of the party and the cataclysmic effects were clearly manifest in the 2017 and 2021 guber elections.
These factors and more have held the party hostage and have ultimately stifled her growth for almost a decade in Anambra state.
A clear action plan must be put in place to rebrand the image of APC Anambra at the federal level and regain the confidence of the presidency as his support is critical and indispensible if the APC in Anambra will stand any chance at the November 8th Guber election,
There is need to reposition our great party at the ward and local government levels through strategic consultation, ideological reorientation and mass sensitization against vices like vote merchandizing and disenfranchisement.
The presidential snub of sound brilliant minds and qualified APC stalwarts in Anambra, such as His Excellency Amb Dr. Elijah Onyeagba, Hon Johnbosco Onunkwo, Hon, Ifeanyi Ibezim, His Excellency Dr. Nkem Okeke, Dr. Valentine Iyke-Oliobi, MP. Chukwuma Umeoji, etc should be a call for deeper retrospection and re-strategization.
The entry of political heavyweights like Obiora Okonkwo and Nicholas Ukachukwu to the party should be handled with decorum and maturity and the interest of the party should and must come first before personal interest.
The old members of the party should view the entry of these heavyweights as a boost to the fold and a means to strengthen the capacity and human resource base of APC Anambra instead of viewing it from the various negative prisms available. The new entrants should also consult widely with old party stakeholders and apply caution in their conduct and utterances so they don’t appear as those who came to highjack the party structure and reap from where they didn’t sow. Those who lose at the primaries must also strive to remain in the party and deliver the candidate if the leadership of the party succeeds in conducting a free and fair elections without favouritism or dubious manipulation of any kind or nature.
As a matter of urgency, the leadership and stakeholders of the Anambra APC should humble themselves and consult widely. There is need to jettison ego, shelve selfish interests and take all necessary steps to bring the party together.
Despite the apparent distrust of the presidency for the party hierarchy and formation in Anambra state, there appear to be an exception to the Anambra APC malady and he is High Chief Ekene Enefe.
While the presidency has repeatedly snubbed many Anambra APC stalwarts and stakeholders, the commander in chief has in stark contrast repeatedly demonstrated his unwavering confidence on Chief Enefe by nominating and confirming his dual appointments into multiple federal parastatals.
Few months after the inauguration of the president, The presidency confirmed the appointment of Chief Enefe into the governing board of a federal tertiary institution in Daura, the home town of ex president Mohammadu Buhari.
Few months down the line, Owing to the stellar performance of Chief Enefe at Daura, President Tinubu has once again approved his appointment as federal commissioner for revenue mobilization, allocation and fiscal commission.
The accomplishments of Chief Enefe is purely merit and performance based. A regular face at the villa and trusted ally of the presidency, Chief Enefe has remarkably distinguished himself with his unblemished track record of commitment, uncompromising forthrightness, stewardship, fecundatory mobilization of human and intellectual resources, accountability, loyalty, uprightness, honesty and productivity. Qualities that has endeared him to the presidency.
It is imperative to assert that what president Tinubu has sought for in Anambra APC without success seem to be abundantly available in Chief Enefe.
While the appointment of APGA members instead APC members in Anambra State is a very sad and demoralizing development, The realities of the development should inspire the necessary soul searching and catalyze the much needed change.
To reposition APC in Anambra state, The Party Exco’s must as a matter of urgency consult Chief Enefe on practical and actionable modalities necessary for the rebranding and repackaging of the party to facilitate some form of synergy with the federal government.
There is an urgent need to leverage on Chief Enefe’s federal clout, vast political contacts and expertise if we must save the APC in Anambra State and reposition her on the path to growth.
A party with over 240k registered members in the state and executive powers at the center has the potential to unseat any political party and should not be habitually playing catch up every election year despite her access to consolidated federal support system and backing.
Considering the prevailing socio-cultural realities of the Igbo nation, the chances of APC reinventing herself and winning elections in Anambra state remains very slim without full support from the presidency.
As we march towards November 8th elections, Navigating towards “Enefe-ism” is the way forward and might be the proverbial stitch in time that might yet save nine,
The time to bridge the gap between Anambra APC and the presidency is now and Chief Ekene Enefe has the capacity to make it happen.
Hon. Pope Obinna Amaefuna. An APC Stakeholder writes from Amaeze village Oraukwu, Anambra State.
