The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Anambra

  • ‘Nwoye is best for Anambra’

    ‘Nwoye is best for Anambra’

    Perhaps, it is the heart in him to study medicine that has also inspired his inclination to the welfare of the men that come his way.

    Dr. Tony Nwoye’s hatred for injustice and defence for the oppressed was something that we saw in him from Medical School at the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus.

    It is as such an irony to hear the labyrinth of bare-faced lies and wicked albeit puerile propaganda being churned out by those on the verge of losing out as a result of the imminent ascendance to position of this humble man. That is why instead of stemming the tide of his followerhip, those poorly concocted lies are even fuelling the swelling of his ranks by the young, the old, the widows and the dispossessed who clamour for a change of baton in the leadership of our dear state.

    In University of Nigeria Enugu Campus Tony was more concerned with resisting oppressive policies of the school authority than he was about taking up any leadership position. His forte really was mobilising students against intimidation be it by external forces or the school authorities. He was a Students’ rights activist. Tony championed the movement that sought to, and eventually did restore, students’ right to freely associate. Not even the bait repeatedly thrown to him by authorities that he will be appointed into an interim SUG government by the school authority if he will drop his agitation for a truly free democratic student movement could deter him.  He quipped that he was not interested in leading the students but more interested in ensuring that students are free to lead themselves. His masterly prosecution of the resistance directly led to the lifting of the ban that was in place on Student unionism. A ban that preceded his entry into the campus as a student!

    Tony was content that the ban on unionism has been lifted and, true to his natural inclination, was not keen on taking up any political position afterwards. Rather he was scouting for those to lead the students. He went about talking to students he felt had the capacity to come forward and lead so he can drift back to the background from where he prefers to play. Vintage Tony Nwoye, imbued with uncommon humility, like the true General he is, does not hug the headlines. He prefers to lead from behind and is ever content with playing the supportive role so long as he identifies those capable of leading.

    But in fulfilment of the timeless truth that ‘a gold fish has no hiding place’, the entire students especially the political class, of the University of Nigeria Enugu Campus were unrelenting in their clamour for young Tony to play a pivotal role in the Students Union Government. They were assertive that they could trust no one better than him to represent the students’ interest. That was how most reluctantly, Tony was drafted into the race for the speakership of SUG House of Rep. The entire Students body rooted for him. And to the eternal consternation of all other aspirants, Tony won the contest in a landslide victory. He dusted older and more established student politicians in the race to emerge *the first Medical student Speaker of the SUG house of Rep in UNN’s history. And he was only in his 2nd year!

    In NANS, it was the same story. He was a loyal follower for years. He was just content with mobilising support for the best candidates to emerge leaders at every election year. The master strategist Tony gifted with uncommon wisdom and futuristic vision, seeing how the NANS political landscape is skewed against the emergence of the Igbo man started mobilising and strategising for the enthronement of geopolitical rotation of the NANS’ top job. Owing to his antecedents in dedicated service to the foremost student body, he was in due course pressured by the people to present himself for the top job. When after much resistance (as he hithertho insisted he would rather operate from the background), he eventually obliged them, and they, against all odds, mobilised to make this child of destiny the ‘first Igbo man to emerge a president of National Association of Nigerian Students.’

    The foregoing leaves any discerning mind that Dr Tony Nwoye is essentially an activist pressurised into politics by the people.

    In Anambra politics, he was urged to appropriate for himself the Senate slot as the then state party chairman of PDP which held sway at the time, he flatly turned it down. Folks were cajoling him that ‘opportunity comes but once’. That he should use the instrumentality of his office to favour himself. But Mr. Fair and Just, ever so focused and humble, Dr Tony Nwoye stood his ground that he will not take up any position, being content with steering the ship of the party towards ensuring the emergence of the party’s candidates at the polls. And this he achieved to the admiration of all. He did not bend the rules to favour his twin brother to pick up the House of Rep ticket, counseling his own very twin brother that it was not the turn of their people to go for the position! That’s the man for you!

    One could go on and on about this man and his natural disinclination to seek for himself political power. It is indeed a testament to his being destined for the top that the more he shies away from Leadership and prominent positions, the more they beckon on him. It validates the notion that ‘power belongs to God and he gives it to whom he pleases.

    Let’s support this natural activist that, by popular clamour, gravitated into politics. He will reposition Anambra state for its best run of good governance in history. This is our best chance ever.

    Dr Peter Ekwueme, a medical doctor and a sociopolitical analyst writes from Enugu.

    Dr Ekwueme the Secretary of Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Enugu State branch.

  • Anambra: Open letter to INEC

    Anambra: Open letter to INEC

    SIR: With the November 18 governorship election in Anambra State within days of taking place, this election offers you a chance to write your name in gold – an opportunity to undo the wrongs of the past. The opportunity is here with you. I urge you to seize it, act in good conscience and allow Heaven to take care of the devil in the detail.

    There is this rumour that a plan has been hatched to derail the process which I feel you should know. But for constant dropping of the name of your organization, the purveyors of the cheap gossip would merit no consideration at all. But because every society is surfeited with imps enough to cause distractions, including my dear Anambra, I suggest that you take proactive measures to forestall possible derailment. The threat should not be dismissed with the wave of the hand as these fellows seem determined to stultify genuine effort to have an equitable election. I haven’t the slightest reason to doubt your good office or to ever imagine it could be in cahoots with any plan to compromise the people. Not at all! Yet their boast of connections in high places is enough to arouse concern. They speak with definiteness that the result must pan out in their favour. Where otherwise – they boasted – the election will be postponed as was the case in Edo.

    I got worried when reference was made to the postponement of that election from September 10, 2016 to September 28.

    As a rule, Anambra is a pleasant state to govern. The people have no great expectations from government. They are sufficient onto themselves and can, on occasion, stand in for government. The state occupies a foremost position in Igbo land because of her unique potentials. It is not without reason that elections in the state are treated with great care.  Anambra electorate are sophisticated and do not need encouragement to accept or reject a leader as they deem wise. However, if deprived the right of choice they can prove most intractable. The state can make noise enough to get the nation worried. We are not unaware how important a peaceful Anambra State is to Nigeria and vice versa. It will be wrong to task the peace by doing anything untoward during the election. A challenged governorship election in Anambra State may worsen the volatile peace in the country.

    It will be a disservice to our people if their effort on November 18 is made of no effect just to satisfy a few interests.

    Our people appreciate the rat race involved in this election and cannot pretend to be unmindful of efforts by those who boast of their contact in high places in Abuja to subvert the will of the people. But to achieve that through any connivance with the umpire will spell a lot of trouble for everybody.  You owe the state a duty to resist any temptation and or intimidation by those determined to lead the state against the dictates of her conscience. What happens from November 19, whether there will be a peaceful Anambra, nay Nigeria or not, derives from how fair you choose to conduct the election. I

     

    • Ejike Anyaduba,

    Abatete, Anambra State.

  • Of contenders for Anambra governor

    One of the confirmed truths that all contenders in the November 18, Anambra Governorship election must respect – whatever their political affiliations – is The Peter Obi Phenomenon. Love him, dislike him or pretend to be indifferent to him, no sane observer can honestly deny that Peter Obi set the real foundation for the multi-sectoral development of Anambra State. Under him Anambra State became the pride of everybody from the state and among friends of Anambra.

    Having been assured during electioneering in 2013 that sustainable development would continue in the spirit of the Anambra Integrated Development Strategy (ANIDS), we supported Peter Obi’s successor, Chief Willie Obiano who is currently rounding off his tenure in Government House, Awka.

    The curious thing about the Obiano tenure was captured by the governorship aspirant of the All People’s Congress (APC), Dr. Tony Nwoye. Dr. Nwoye, then of the PDP, revealed that when Obi sought re-election, he (Nwonye) played anti-party with some other PDP members for Obi to continue because he did well in his first term. In Obiano’s case, he continued, he expressed a shame that the outgoing governor has become an irreverent representative of Anambra North.

    Governor Obi’s legacy in the areas of infrastructural and human capital development, industrialization, social transformation, security of lives and property, healthcare delivery, education, agriculture and food security, transport, among others, easily stand him out to this day. Even as the Obiano administration has done everything possible to erase those accomplishments, they remain etched in the minds of the people.

    The church, traditional institutions and the aged, all attest to the fact that Obi was God’s response to the developmental yearnings of Anambrarians. All the political travails he survived are also pointers that God loves Anambra State. Were it constitutionally feasible, Anambrarians would have willingly extended Peter Obi’s tenure.

    Obi has since handed over to Willie Obiano who is about to face a re-election. While he tries to hinge his electioneering on nebulous achievements, the people of Anambra have been consistent in asking him to name them in concrete terms. Regrettably, his attainments in close to four years are the questionable fly-overs in Awka and his N20 million ‘Choose Your Project’ disbursements to the towns in the state.

    The fore-going certainly do not rate as achievements for a serious governor of a vibrant state like Anambra. Summed up, for instance, the N20 million gift to each of the towns cannot pay for the construction of one major road in the state. In a classic subterfuge to claim he had done something for each of the towns, the N20 million at best was used to complete small, on-going town projects and to spray-paint already completed projects.

    With his dismal performance, the people of Anambra State insist that the baton must change hands. Compelled by equity and justice, all seem to agree that though the people no longer want Obiano, a person from the North should be allowed another four-year term. Interestingly, the people of Anambra North acknowledge that if Obiano is given another four years in office, one of the consequences of his compounded failures is that he would be used to judge the people from the zone, which would be a permanent slur on them.

    In this light, Anambra North needs a responsible and tested hand to redeem them from the shame wrought by Obiano. What should agitate the average voter is who in this throng possesses the relevant academic qualifications, managerial skills, experience, capacity and ability to marshal out social and economic policies and programmes that can improve on, or at least, preserve the sterling legacies of Governor Obi

    To achieve this, Anambra does not need a maverick politician who would be too bogged down with party politics and intrigues that will leave him little or no time to attend to critical state matters. Peter Obi’s success derived mainly from the incontrovertible reality that while his contemporaries plotted and contrived how to bamboozle their ways through the next election, he was determined to let his projects campaign for him. This option paid off handsomely. I recall an incident in my village in January 2010 when a politician was trying to convince an old man to vote for a particular candidate. The octogenarian calmly replied: ”I have heard all you said about this your man but let us finish with this young man (referring to Governor Obi) who gave us drinking water, renovated our school and is constructing our only road. After that, you can then bring that your man who will distribute “aeroplanes” to everybody in the land”.

    Of all the front-runners in the November 18 governorship race, the only candidate really qualified to take over from Governor Obiano and correct his mal-administration is Oseloka Obaze. I personally followed his roles as the Secretary to the State Government and I am convinced that he has the capacity to deliver good governance to the people. In terms of track record and rich experience in the management of human and material resources coupled with the requisite educational background, Obaze is the man.

    Going through Obaze’s CV, there is no doubt it is the richest among those contesting for Governor. However, some of us – knowing that a rich CV is not all it takes, as we painfully discovered in the case of Willie Obiano – have also seen Obaze in action. We observed his performance as SSG and as head of many critical committees in the Obi administration, and how he delivered beyond the call of duty. We have also heard a lot about him from his colleagues in the United Nations system and those that served with him in the government of Anambra State. All the evidences point to a man who is principled, ready to serve with sincerity of purpose and contented.

    Under the Obiano administration – with a collection of over 1,000 ‘aides’ – Anambra has been fast losing it. How do we explain that we are now associated with drinking orgies, propagation of falsehoods, lack of accountability, descent from a financial buoyancy to a debt-ridden status, among other debilitating features?

    In our sustained interests, we need a man of vision that will cleanse and restore our self-esteem as a people. Mr. Oseloka Obaze is the man and PDP is the party.

     

    • Onuorah writes from Onitsha

  • Anambra: Court refuses Agabso’s request to stop Obiano

    A Federal High Court in Abuja has rejected the prayer of factional leader of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Martin Agbaso, for an injunction restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising Anambra State Governor Obiano as the party’s governorship candidate in the November 18 election.

    Justice John Tsoho, in an ex-parte ruling on October 25, also declined Agbaso’s prayer for an injunction restraining Obiano from parading himself as APGA candidate for the election.

    The Nation sighted a certified true copy (CTC) of the enrolled order issued by the court on the ruling.

    The ruling was on a motion ex-parte Agbaso filed on September 28.

    The suit has Agbaso and APGA as plaintiffs, with INEC and Obiano as defendants.

    Agbaso had sought five reliefs in the motion ex-parte, out of which the court granted three.

    The court granted the first, second and fifth reliefs but rejected the third and fourth reliefs.

    It granted an order abridging time from 30 days to 10 within which the defendants will enter appearance to defend the suit.

    The court also granted an order of substituted service of copies of court processes on Obiano through substituted service by publishing them in a national daily and pasting same on the walls of Anambra State Liaison Office in Abuja and the state’s Governor’s Lodge.

    The third relief granted was an order for accelerated hearing of the suit.

    The reliefs declined by the court are:

    • An order of injunction restraining the first defendant (INEC) from recognising the second defendant as the governorship candidate of the second plaintiff (APGA) in the governorship election of November 18 in Anambra State pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.

     

    * An order of interim injunction directing the second defendant from parading or representing himself as the governorship candidate of the second plaintiff in the forthcoming election of November 18 in Anambra State pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.

    Justice Tsoho adjourned further proceedings till November 9.

    Agbaso, who claimed to be the authentic leader of the party, is challenging Obiano’s emergence as APGA’s candidate.

     

  • I won’t betray Aguata, Anambra political leaders, says Nwoye

    Anambra State governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Tony Nwoye, has pledged not to dash the hope the people placed in him with his endorsement by two prominent political groups – the Anambra Political Stakeholders’ Forum and Leaders of Thought of Aguata II (North) Constituency.

    The two groups, in separate communiqués, endorsed Nwoye ahead of the November 18 governorship poll through different dispatches to him, a statement by the Tony Nwoye Campaign said yesterday.

    The Anambra Political Stakeholders Forum, with Okey Umeano as chairman and Nnamdi Mekoh as Secretary, wrote to Nwoye that the group had adopted him as its candidate for the election.

    Quoting from the endorsement letter, dated October 25, Anambra Political Stakeholders Forum said “subject to further discussion with you, has adopted you as its candidate for the governorship election on November 18 and will mobilise, not only our members but the entire political class to vote you in”.

    A similar endorsement by the Elders and Leaders of Thought of Aguata II (North) State Constituency reportedly happened at its meeting on October 10.

    The group said it resolved that the interests of the people of the area would be best projected and protected by Dr. Nwoye as governor.

    The communiqué said: “The Aguata North Political Forum is of a strong opinion that its interests and aspirations in the present political dispensation will be best actualised, protected and advanced through the APC platform by supporting the governorship ambition of Dr. Tny Nwoye.

    “Aguata North Political Forum has found in Dr. Nwoye, the APC governorship candidate a soul mate to work with because of his people-oriented policies he intends to execute for the good people of Anambra State when elected governor in the November 18 election.

    “We in Aguata North Political Forum hereby adopt and endorse the APC governorship candidate, Dr. Nwoye, as our candidate in the forthcoming governorship election in Anambra State on November 18.”

    Responding to the endorsements, Nwoye said: “These were endorsements not just of my person but of my policies and promises. By God’s grace, I pledge not to disappoint these highly placed individuals and groups who have reposed their confidence in me.

    “I am fired up by the fact that such respected personalities from across Anambra and the elders of the people of Aguata, who have been so disappointed by the failure of governance under the APGA government, have found in me and my party a platform to stem the rot in the state.”

     

  • Rangers International FC to be on Nigerian Stock Exchange soon

    Rangers International FC to be on Nigerian Stock Exchange soon

    Rangers International Football Club of Enugu will soon be floated on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), an official of the Administrative Commission of Inquiry on Rangers confirmed on Tuesday.

    Based on the submissions mate by the commission, the Enugu State Government will likely divest its shares and stakes in Rangers soon.

    About two months ago the state government had set up the Administrative Commission of Inquiry, which had been looking into the club’s activities.

    The seven-time league champions who won the 2015/2016 title about 32 years after the last time had a poor outing in the 2016/2017 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) season.

    A member of the commission, Norbert Okolie, told NAN on Tuesday that putting the club’s shares at the NSE was part of the major recommendations made by the commission.

    Okolie, who is also the Chairman of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria ( SWAN ), Enugu State, said the commission’s report was submitted to the state governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, on Friday.

    He said the commission, after duly considering a deluge of memoranda submitted, noted that Rangers being a big brand in the football business should enjoy and leverage on this.

    “This can only be, by lifting the burden of sponsorship from the state government.’’

    Okolie disclosed that the commission also suggested that the club’s ownership should be spread to other South-East states and other lovers of the club.

    “Thirty-five per cent of the shares will be reserved for the Enugu State Government, while 32 per cent will be for the four states of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi and Imo at 8 per cent each.

    “Twenty-five per cent will be for the general public, six per cent for the Amalgamated Traders Association, one per cent for Rangers Supporters’ Club and one per cent for Ohaneze Ndigbo.

    “This is what was suggested by the commission headed by Prof. Gab Agu,’’ he said.

    Okolie also said the formation of Rangers’ female football club and basketball team were equally recommended by the commission.

    “This is for maximum benefits to be gained by the shareholders and teeming youths of the states in particular and the nation in general,’’ he said

    Ugwuanyi, while receiving the commission’s 52-page report, had promised to present the document for State Executive Committee (SEC) deliberations and quick implementation of recommendations.

    NAN

  • Anambra best in SDGs projects in Nigeria – Obiano’s aide

    Anambra best in SDGs projects in Nigeria – Obiano’s aide

    Mr Geoffrey Uba, the Senior Special Assistant ( SSA ) to the governor of Anambra on Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs ), says Anambra is one of the best in the implementation of sustainable development goals projects in Nigeria.

    He said the state was also among the best three in the country in terms of security, road networks, economic development, and collaborations with international donor organisations.

    Uba in Awka on Monday that Anambra which was listed among the educationally disadvantaged states in the South-East now ranked the first in education.

    The governor`s attributed the successes recorded in the state to the well articulate manifesto of the All Progressives Grand Alliance ( APGA ) and prudent management ability of Gov. Willie Obiano.

    Uba, however, dismissed the rating of APGA by some people as a one state party, saying “APGA is a national party.’’

    “ Let me emphasize that APGA is a national party. It is not a one state party. We have elected members at the state and national assemblies. In Abuja, we have a mayor of APGA extraction,” he said.

    Uba, a chieftain of the party, said that Nigerians should remember that Imo used to be an APGA state before it joined the All Progressives Congress.

    He said that the party was proud of the achievements of Gov. Willie Obiano of Anambra in three and half years.

    “APGA has achieved a lot in Anambra state. Anambra used to be ranked as one the backward states in the country.

    According to Uba, Gov. Obiano has used the party`s platform to take the state to greater heights and will do more if re-elected on Nov. 18.

    “These are the core democracy dividends and Anambra people are very happy and we will demonstrate this happiness on Nov. 18 election.

    “Anambra state under Willie Obiano has demonstrated so much passion for the welfare of the people,” the SSA said.

    NAN

  • Why Anambra should reject Obiano, by APC

    Why Anambra should reject Obiano, by APC

    The All  Progressives Congress (APC) in Anambra State has urged the people to reject Governor Willie Obiano at the poll.

    The party said the governor has failed to rebrand the state.

    APC candidate  Tony Nwoye’s running mate Dozie Ikedife said Obiano has failed to maintain the infrastructure in the state.

    He lamented that roads constructed and rehabilitated by his predecessors have not been maintained.

    Ikedife lamented the governor’s failure to give attention to infrastructural development, “except the three fragile flyovers built in Awka, which many people have said should be dismantled before they cause national calamity.”

    Ikedife said instead of channelling  resources into the development of human capital, Obiano was busy employing scores of special assistants and personal aides on whom he  spent over two billion monthly as salaries.

    He said the scores of appointees never added any value to Obiano’s administration, adding that  most of them did not have the governor’s contacts.

    Ikedife said the APC government in Anambra would empower the youths through skill acquisition and establishment of cottage industries that would absorb thousands of unemployed youths, irrespective of their party affiliations and background.

    He said the APC would revolutionalise the industrial sector  by backing up its investment in the sector by regular power supply.

    He added: “This did not mean that aides and personal assistants would not be employed under the APC administration, but greater attention would be paid to empowerment of a greater number of youths substantially, who would even get to the level of employing others.

    “All the promises of the APC would be easy to achieve since the incoming governor and his deputy belong to the youth generation and  they are coming to take over with the passion to alleviate the sufferings of the people of Anambra State.

    “We have a young man as our candidate and the youths of Anambra State have embraced our campaign across the State.”

  • Anambra: Time to protect APGA

    If recent developments in All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) are anything to go by, then, some of my fears are fast becoming real.

    “The coming into being of APGA in the first place as a political party did not go down well with those who thought the Igbo had finished as far as having a party the people could look up to in the entity called Nigeria was concerned.

    “The notion was, and still is, that the Igbo lack the capacity to organise themselves into one common umbrella for the purpose of furthering their interest…

    “Whatever dimension the plots against APGA may be…. no effort will be spared to stop anybody from using or destroying APGA for ….selfish interest. As long as God lives, the sins of all those who have constituted themselves into Judas Iscariot in APGA will find them out.”

    The above excerpt written by yours sincerely five years ago (August 2012), entitled: APGA: How will posterity judge Obi?, is still relevant in today’s political calculation with regard to the coming Anambra State governorship contest.

    The final battle for who becomes the governor of Anambra State is barely three weeks away. November 18, the day for the election is almost here.

    The flag-off of the campaigns and the electioneering proper have seen all the candidates, both the pretenders and the serious ones traversing the nooks and crannies of the 21 local government areas that make up Anambra.

    A look at the candidates will reveal a pack of highly qualified contenders, but in politics, qualification is not always taken into consideration. And that is part of the reasons for this intervention.

    For those who do not know, Anambra means a lot to the South-East zone in particular and in general, to Nigeria. Whatever happens in Anambra, positively or negatively, reverberates in other parts of the South-East.

    Also, because of the itinerant nature of the Igbo due to their industry and commercial mindedness, any positive or negative event that happens in Anambra would automatically be felt in other parts of the country.

    Suffice to say that one state that nobody can afford to toy with in Nigeria because of the high level of political awareness of the indigenes, their educational prowess, their international exposure to business (trade and commerce), as well as their depth of knowledge in socio-cultural and religious matters, is Anambra.

    Since Nigeria’s return to civil rule in 1999, Anambra has remained one of the few states in the country that you can be sure has not got it wrong in terms of who governs the people.

    In fact, to be qualified to run the state you must have made your mark in your chosen area of competence.

    This narrative is significant for us to appreciate the calibre of candidates that are lining up to be made governor on November 18 by Ndi Anambra.

    But the history of modern Anambra political journey will not be complete if we fail to capture the role played by late Nigerian statesman and Biafra warlord, Dim Chukwuemeka Odimegwu-Ojukwu, who, through the instrumentality of APGA, envisioned the Anambra of tomorrow.

    Ojukwu thought of a party that would capture the real essence of the Igbo in the Project Nigeria without necessarily braking away from the union. He saw in APGA a strong negotiation tool and mouth piece for Ndi-Igbo and had wanted the people to congregate around the party to pursue their destiny in Nigeria.

    Fast forward to the eight years of former Governor Peter Obi under whose tenure APGA was first tested; you will appreciate while the governor is either wasting his time in PDP or would soon get frustrated and exit himself.

    APGA’s journey over the years has no doubt, been tortuous. Even while Ojukwu was still alive and politically active, APGA’s journey was with issues like what anyone can see in other political parties. During the tenure of the Pioneer Chairman of the party, Chief Chekwas Okorie, there were issues that tended to tear the party apart, but reason prevailed that made it possible for APGA to be retrieved from the jaws of those who were out to tear it apart.

    That is why the coming election in November 18 is for Obiano to lose. The contest is between Obiano and the rest and all the contenders know that as fact. Call it incumbency factor, but it goes beyond that because the election is between APGA that has done so much for Ndi Anambra in the past 12 years and the other parties.

    Former Governor Peter Obi, no doubt, is one of the greatest beneficiaries of what APGA stands for. His rise to political limelight is linked more to his membership of APGA than his so-called current appellation of political sagacity and sense of prudence in management of state resources.

    Yes, he did his best for Anambra as governor under APGA, but that he wants the party dead by all means tells a lot about his politics. Granted, he handed over to Obiano who has just done four years, but should Obiano, whose second term will also come and go, be the issue or the party that fielded Obiano, which will remain forever if properly managed?

    If Obi does not know, the body language of most eligible Anambra electorate is that his preferred candidate, Oseloka Obaze of the PDP will be rejected on November 18, not because Ndi Anambra hate him, but because the masquerade behind him is seen as a betrayer of APGA course of which he was a huge beneficiary.

    The insinuations that other parties are thinking of going into unholy alliance just to stop Obiano won’t even fly. Why? That alliance, if it takes place, will go a long way in exposing to the people of Anambra who their real enemies and agents of darkness are.

    My take is that the Anambra electorate must be vigilant by resisting every attempt to compromise the election. They must also keep keen eye on the officials of the INEC most of who are experts in result manipulation.

    The APGA leadership and particularly the Willie Obiano Election Committee had done well to sensitise Ndi Anambra on the need for continuity for Obiano. All their efforts must not be allowed to be truncated by a gang of politicians, no matter how highly placed, operating within Anambra and from Abuja who will feel good if the joy APGA has brought to Ndi Anambra in the past 12 years and still ready to sustain, is terminated. APGA has been awake in Anambra since the days of Ikemba Nnewi. The time for it to sleep cannot be now. Never!
    •Ubochi, a political analyst wrote from Owerri

  • Day APC stormed Anambra

    Day APC stormed Anambra

    The crowd that witnessed the recent flag-off of the campaign of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the November 18 governorship election in Anambra State was unprecedented. NWANOSIKE ONU, who witnessed the campaign, reports. 

    From all indications, the campaign for the November 18,  governorship election in Anambra State has started. The three major political parties contesting the election have flagged off their campaign rallies. The parties are the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    The three rallies witnessed huge crowds. While the ruling APGA held its rally at Dr. Alex Ekwueme Square in Awka, the state capital, the PDP and APC chose the All Saints Cathedral Church, Onitsha, for the event.

    Among the key parties participating in the election, only the Progressive Peoples’ Alliance (PPA) is yet to flag-off its campaign. The PPA is scheduled to begin its campaign for the election this Saturday and it has equally chosen the All Saints Cathedral Church, Onitsha, as the venue.

    Going by the crowd that attended the APC rally, where Dr. Tony Nwoye was formally presented to the people, observers are beginning to re-evaluate the chances of the party in the election. Before now, the party was perceived as fringe player that has no chance of winning the election, because of the alleged marginalization of the Southeast zone in the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    But, after the flag-off of the party’s campaign, the perception has changed. The rally was witnessed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, 12 APC governors 17 ministers, 22 senators and many members of the House of Representatives.

    The roll call of dignitaries also included members of the diplomatic corps and frontline business men and women. Apart from the dignitaries, many members of the ruling party at the centre from far and near also stormed Awka for the rally, in solidarity with Dr. Nwoye.

    Former governor of the old Anambra State, Senator Jim Nwobodo, told the gathering that the late President of Nigeria, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, presented him to the people of Anambra in 1979, when he was 39 years. He said he is presenting Nwoye to the people in the same way.

    The National Organizing Secretary of the APC, Senator Osita Izunaso, Southeast Chairman of the party, Emma Enukwu, among others, spoke in the same vein. They all said that if the APC fails to capture Anambra State, which is regarded as the gateway to Igboland, the development will spell doom for the party in the Southeast come 2019.

    The APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, told the mammoth crowd that Anambra State represents an opportunity for the party to take over Southeast, particularly with Nwoye as its flag bearer.

    For the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, the APC is now in a position to win Anambra, unlike in the past. He said jocularly in Pidgin English: “Before, we no get papa and mama, but today we get them. That was why the APC was losing election in the state, but that era has gone; it is time for them to cry now.”

    Nwoye, whose voice became croaky, nearly wept for joy, as he looked at the crowd that graced his flag-off and told the people that he would never disappoint them, if he is elected governor on November 18.

    To the delight of the gathering, Nwoye told Vice President Osinbajo that the Onitsha-Enugu Expressway should be repaired, because the condition of the road is causing untold hardship to the people of the zone.

    He said his major priority as a physician would be on primary health care, agriculture and job creation for the youths, who according to him, had really suffered for lack of job opportunities.

    Kaduna State Governor Mallam Nasir El-Rufai narrated his experience in the hands of former Governor Peter Obi and former President Goodluck Jonathan, when he was arrested and detained in a hotel in the state during the 2013 election.

    El-Rufai said his only offence for being detained in 2013 was because he was a member of an opposition party. He added: “But, here I am today, as governor and I can now freely talk in Anambra and nobody can arrest today in a similar manner.”

    Osinbajo said two million dollars had already been paid by the Federal Government on the Second Niger Bridge.  He also said the railway project linking Lagos and Calabar would pass through Onitsha and that the two projects and the repair work on some federal roads in the Southeast were captured in the 2018 budget.

    He said President Buhari loves the people of Anambra and that he wants to do everything that would please them. The Vice President added that Federal Government would not make fake promises.

    Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha, who is the Chairman of the APC Governors’ Forum, said he had been a lone ranger in the zone, as governor, adding that Nwoye would soon join him.

    The Chairman of the Tony Nwoye Campaign Committee and Bauchj State Governor Mohammed Abubarka, said he would deliver Anambra State for the APC come November 18.

    The Anambra APC Secretary, Chukwuma Agufugo, said from the turnout for the rally that it is obvious that the party is going to win the election.