Special Correspondent, AGWU-AGWU CHIJIOKE, looks at the factors and intrigues in the battle for the APC governorship ticket of Ebonyi in 2015 election
The battle for Ebonyi State Government House has continued to gather momentum with 2015 general elections clearly seven months away. Activities and movements of politicians in the state indicate that the battle has started in earnest. This is especially as politicians engage in antics that are intended to help outwit the others. When they are not making much of their strengths and chances, they are busy trying to smear or undermine their opponents. Some instances of assassinations, kidnappings and media war are even linked to the rat race.
In the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) as in other parties in the state, there have been instances of permutations, politicking and intrigues among its members.
The issue at stake now is over which zone among the three senatorial districts in the state would get the party’s ticket in the election.
APC, which is a fusion of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and a fraction of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), is believed to have following and goodwill in the state to challenge and possibly wrest power from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The power game is said to be revolving around the former governor of old Abia State and former national chairman of the defunct ANPP, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu; Dr. Steve Egbo, a university lecturer; Senator Julius Ucha, who represented Ebonyi Central at the National Assembly between 2003 and 2011 and ANPP gubernatorial candidate in 2011 election in the state; member representing Ezza North/ Ishielu Federal Constituency, Peter Ede; one time chairman of Ebonyi Local Government Area, Adol Awom; and Chief Emenike Orji, immediate past interim chairman of the party in the state.
The political horse-trading, permutations, intrigues and alliances within the party centre on the zone that would pick the ticket of the party despite consensus by many that a politician from southern part of the state should succeed Governor Martin Elechi in 2015.
Political analysts and commentators seem to be united in their belief that the extent to which the party will go in 2015 depends largely on how the party will handle two of its greatest challenges confronting it now: perceived differences among its ranks and issue of senatorial district that would be given the chance to produce its governorship flagbearer.
There is, for instance, the alleged misunderstanding between two of its foremost leaders in the state, Onu and Ucha, said to be locked in “irreconcilable differences” following the fall-out of the 2011 general elections in which the latter contested against Elechi for the number one seat in the state but failed.
Sources close to the duo claimed that their differences centred on alleged betrayal from Onu, during and after the 2011 general elections which saw the party losing at the Supreme Court. TheNiche learnt that since that loss at the Supreme Court, which made the former senator to move with his supporters to the now defunct ACN, the two have literally not been on talking terms, a development which is reportedly causing disaffection in the state chapter of the party.
Observers in the state are also of the position that the personality clash between the duo has something to do with the party’s governorship ticket.
Incidentally, while Onu is from the southern part of the state, Ucha is from the northern part. Ebonyi is standing on a tripod of senatorial districts namely Ebonyi North, Ebonyi Central and Ebonyi South.
The northern senatorial district had taken its turn in Dr. Sam Egwu’s eight years in office between 1999 and 2007, while the central senatorial district is currently in power with Elechi who is expected to leave in 2015 when he would have spent eight years in office. Our investigation indicated that members of the party from Ebonyi South are insistent on APC ticket to ensure equity, justice and sense of belonging in the state.
In a meeting by some Ebonyi South leaders and members of the party in Abakaliki recently, which was reportedly convened by the zone to analyse its chances of picking the party’s governorship ticket, they were said to have concluded to dump the party in 2015 in the event of their area not securing its governorship ticket. In the alternative, they were said to have vowed to vote for a PDP candidate that is likely to be from the zone, given Elechi’s consistent pledge that PDP will zone its governorship position to Ebonyi South, in the spirit of fairness and equity.
One of the leaders of the party from Ebonyi South, who didn’t want to be mentioned, said their decision to dump the party if it fails to give the ticket to them is that they would not vote against their own son or daughter from PDP in 2015, adding that they would be seen as saboteurs by their southern compatriots if they do so.
Egbo, one of the leaders of the party from the South, when contacted, refuted the allegation of plot to dump the party in 2015, adding, however, that Ebonyi South voters have good reasons to ask every party in the state to concede its gubernatorial ticket to them in 2015, given that it is the only senatorial zone in the state that is yet to enjoy the position.
Stating that APC has come to Ebonyi to effect positive changes, Egbo further appealed to all Ebonyians to imbibe the spirit of fairness and equity and allow the south to take their turn, adding that that is the only way to ensure sustainable unity and brotherly love in the state. He advised politicians from other zones who are interested in the governorship position to shelve the idea and wait for another time, stressing that “this is the turn of the south”.
Curiously, Orji, former interim state chairman of the party, had in April said that APC was a new party and therefore may not be willing to pander to popular sentiments concerning zoning, explaining that the party will consider a lot of things which include the strengths and popularity of an aspirant before taking into cognisance the place such aspirant is coming from.
For Ben Nwobashi, the state chairman of APC, the issue of who or where the party’s candidate will be picked from ahead of the 2015 general elections, is not the immediate challenge of the party for now, adding that as chairman, it is not his right or privilege to decide on who or where the party’s governorship ticket should go to.
“At the appropriate time, the party will come together as one family, deliberate, consult and take a position on them”, he said.
Our reporter, however, gathered that Ucha, who hails from Ebonyi Central, is currently studying his chances to join the race for the party’s gubernatorial ticket in 2015. As part of his plans to foreclose fierce opposition against his ambition, it was alleged that the former senator, in league with Egbo and Ede, who represent Ezza North/Ishielu in the House of Representatives; Enyi, a member of the State Assembly; and some other influential members of the party installed his loyalists in relevant positions in the party, including the state chairman, during its April state congresses.
But another APC faithful in the state who craved anonymity debunked the notion of Ucha being desperate to contest the governorship position in 2015. He rather alleged that Ucha is being pushed by Ede who is allegedly seeking re-election, just to use the former senator’s influence to actualise his dream as he did in 2011. The source noted that Ucha was disposed to a southern governorship candidate who must not be Onu or any of his loyalists.
Meanwhile, political watchers in the state are of the view that the greatest mistake APC will make in Ebonyi is to deny the southern district the chance to produce its flagbearer in 2015 general elections. They said that such decision will pit the party against the electorate in the state who would end up seeing it as a party trying to entrench the born-to-rule antics of some politicians in the state. This, they argue, may signal the end of the party in Ebonyi.