Anambra 2025 in view: APGA as a party has tried enough for the state and it is time to take a bow. Another ride in its vehicle in the next four years will be an invitation to mishap. The euphoria of turning Anambra State into Dubai/Taiwan, the fake promise upon which the party’s government snatched victory at the polls in 2021, has long vanished in a puff of illusive smoke… It is not clear what will happen in the coming days, but the general feeling in the state is that of disillusionment. The hope of good governance and unlocking of economic potentials promised the people has been dashed.
By Chinedu Amadi-Asonwu
On the face of it, it will be speculative to have an opinion on the Anambra governorship election that will be held sometime in 2025. Perhaps because it is still way off and political activities are yet to commence. Perhaps because the full range of aspirants is still muted in conversation.
Whatever the case, the days are already bearing signs of a tough election – one that will be keenly contested and will yield no advantage to any of the contestants. Power of incumbency, often a vital factor in such elections, will be too ordinary to offer any meaningful support. The election will be negotiated anew.
It will be a surprise if the nearly two decades of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) dominance in the state is not ended with the election. The party’s influence in the state has been taken for granted and the people are no longer impressed. Anything capable of erasing the ill feeling will only push its candidate through the mill. But there is little hope.
Party affinity, blind support, highfalutin speeches and fake promises will no longer hold firm. In much the same way arrogance, delusion of grandeur, condescension, opinionatedness, and micromanagement which have put the people through the wringer will be rebuffed. In fact, it will be a cold day in July if highhandedness is allowed another chance to unleash disdain on the people.
No doubt, the campaigns will be invasive at least enough to attempt disabling the opposition and forcing it to capitulate. The four-is-better-than-eight slogan, contrived sometime in the past to confuse ndi Anambra and make them vote for a preordained candidate, will resurface and mouthed with greater effort. But like the fugitive effects of light, the idea will disappear as soon as it is mooted. Like a ruse, designed to deceive the people into voting the wrong candidate, it will be roundly rejected.
Already the search for a credible candidate is in the offing. The fear of spending eight years where four is readily available has been allayed with the aspiration of Mr. Valentine Chineto Ozigbo. He has promised to do a term of four years if he gets lucky. He hopes to make good his promise in the contract (manifesto) he will sign with ndi Anambra, and will officially swear an affidavit to that effect in the fullness of time.
By the way, Ozigbo contested the last governorship election in the state where he came second. Though he lost, but before he did, as a result of intra party wrangling, he showed uncommon grasp of statecraft. At a debate hosted by the Arise Television few days to the election he dissected governance and made his co-contestants who were busy spewing bile look too ordinary.
Today, with the benefit of hindsight, Ozigbo would have made a better governor. He is deep and has a better skill in managing men and resources. He is also imbued with fair knowledge of the politics of the state, and would have navigated her away from the avoidable crises of today. Although he hardly reflects the manners of a career politician, but he is no less skilled in the art.
Ozigbo may be self-effacing, scarcely indulging in political braggadocio of the politician in the street, but he cuts straight and is open to advice. He has no delusion of grandeur and does not appropriate knowledge of any kind to himself. Perhaps that explained his impressive record from the private sector. What he did at the Transnational Corporation of Nigeria PLC (Transcorp), a conglomerate of strategic investments with core interests in agribusiness, hospitality, and energy sectors will take some beating. Unlike some of those angling to govern the state with heavy debt overhang, Ozigbo left Transcorp better than he met it. He is not contesting the governorship of Anambra State as a cash cow to offset a humongous debt. He is coming to build the state up and unlock her potentials for investment.
Ozigbo is a good manager of resources with strong aversion for waste. He will work well with investors for rapid transformation of the state.
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APGA as a party has tried enough for the state and it is time to take a bow. Another ride in its vehicle in the next four years will be an invitation to mishap. The euphoria of turning Anambra State into Dubai/Taiwan, the fake promise upon which the party’s government snatched victory at the polls in 2021, has long vanished in a puff of illusive smoke. Hardly is anything said or done in that regard. The promise of a gentrified Okpoko – the notorious skid row in the commercial city of Onitsha has also been abandoned, leaving the place in worse state than it was previously. It is not better in other aspects of the state economy where no appreciable impact is felt. The tax burden has continued to weigh heavily on the people with nothing to show for the effort. Security in the state relatively better managed by the previous government was caused to become worse through tactlessness. Many do not recall that security collapsed in the state with the indiscreet order to end the senseless sit-at-home-order without first dealing with the fine details. It is not rocket science to know that no one decrees security. It is either the menace is tackled with superior firepower or it is negotiated. It is not done differently.
It is not clear what will happen in the coming days, but the general feeling in the state is that of disillusionment. The hope of good governance and unlocking of economic potentials promised the people has been dashed. In its place, the dull and uninspiring art of chasing tax payers, has returned with unmitigated violence. Louts now roam the streets, especially in Onitsha, unleashing terror on citizens. Unfortunately, the state has no answer to the parlous state of affair. Government shrugs off reports and carries on unconcernedly with aggressors re-offending with more impetus. Perhaps only a change will correct the mistakes and set the state on the path of development. Enough said.
- Chinedu Amadi- Asonwu writes from Onitsha