Special Correspondent, OKEY MADUFORO, examines the issues within the contending political parties in Anambra Central Senatorial District, as fresh election beckons.
The storm, literally, is gathering over Anambra Central Senatorial District. In similar vein, the gladiators are bracing up for a contest that many project as one of the toughest encounters in the state in recent time.
The Court of Appeal sitting in Enugu had ordered a fresh election in the zone, having dismissed the Senator hitherto representing the area, Uche Ekwunife, on the ground that she was not validly elected. Ekwunife, who ran for the office on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), recently dumped the party for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The judgment, which came about following the petition by All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate, Victor Umeh, thus, afforded all political parties that have fallen short of the provisions of the Independent National Electoral Comission’s (INEC) Electoral Act of 2010 yet another opportunity to return to the field.
Back on the blocks
Some 13 political parties are expected to go for the fresh contest. But many see the exercise as a straight fight for APGA, PDP and APC. The parties have, incidentally, commenced subtle campaigns for the vacant position.
In the case of APGA, Umeh, the former National chairman, who by the strength of his petition nullified the last election, has already commenced consultations and campaigns, given that his candidacy is not in contention. For the PDP, it is not an entirely smooth sail. It is, in fact, a return to the trenches with Dr. Obiora Okonkwo, Sylvester Okonkwo, Chief Annie Okonkwo and Edward Uyanwa battling for the ticket in a fresh party primary.
According to APC, in a resolution shortly after its stakeholders’ meeting, despite that its candidate in the election and currently Minister for Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, would not be in the contest, it would still field a candidate for the exercise.
Ngige had announced that he would not be contesting the election.
The communique signed by the state chairman of the party, Emeka Ibe, and Ngige himself explained that the party recognised the importance of the national assignment by Ngige in tackling the scourge of unemployment in the country, hence it urged him to continue with the task.
The statement added that APC would use its machinery in conjunction with its national party structure to nominate a credible substitute for the Minister. Ekwunife, who just joined the party some weeks ago, has been putting up appearances that tend to sell the impression that she is an automatic replacement for Ngige. The party has, however, rejected her as its candidate when during the week, the party’s women leader, Sharon Ikeazor was chosen in the place of Ekwunife.
Managing the enemy within
For APGA, though the issue of candidacy may have been sealed, internal bickering in its fold remains the main challenge staring the party in the face.
This fear heightened when a meeting was recently convened by a pressure group in the party known as APGA Renaissance, demanding compensation from the party as a condition to support the former national chairman. According to the coordinator, Augustine Nwanna, the group comprised some of the APGA chairmanship and councillorship candidates that were denied tickets when Umeh was in charge of the party.
“The party never took cognisance for our plight during the last election. Now they are asking for our support,” Nwanna said.
Umeh’s supporters, according to him, have been making overtures to the group for rapprochement, adding that for that to happen, members have listed conditions to be met by the APGA leadership.
“Our stand at this point is that since the tenure of the incumbent council chairman and councillors would end this month and the party is talking about appointing caretaker committees to man the affairs of the 21 local government areas, it would be only fair and just that we all be appointed as members of the committees. That is the only condition for us to support Victor Umeh. If that is not done, I am afraid that we shall likely join forces with either PDP or APC and we can guarantee you that our party would certainly suffer another setback in this fresh election,” he stated.
How Umeh will contend with these pockets of threat by some of his party faithful is yet to be seen. There are insinuations in some quarters that he may not be bothered, after all. On the contrary, he cuts the picture of a man who is focused and familiar with the political terrain.
He insists that the Appeal Court judgment against Ekwunife is a vindication of his earlier allegation of being robbed in the contest.
In a recent meeting with some clerics and church standard-bearers, Umeh noted: “The Appeal Court judgment is vindication of the fact that Uche Ekwunife did not win the election. It also shows that my victory was compromised by INEC, and this is a new beginning for us in APGA.
“I am going to the Senate, not to represent Anambra Central alone but to be the voice of the Igbo race. I am confident that I will win this election, like I did in the last election, though the process that led to the emergence of Ekwunife as PDP candidate was improper and the court also rejected it. Today PDP is calling for yet another primary election. While the party remains in crisis over the candidate, we in APGA have commenced our campaigns and we are already consolidating as a matter of fact.”
Echoing similar sentiment, APGA National Publicity Secretary, Ifeatu Obiokoye, assured TheNiche that the brigandage that trailed the last exercise would not repeat itself in the coming encounter.
“The federal might that we saw in display where the military, including strong military hardware, were used to snatch result sheets would not happen again. Even if we tried on that day to stop them, we couldn’t have penetrated where they were. The last senatorial results were written on the same table with the result of (the presidential election). There was this Obosi Factor. It was so porous that as much as 21,000 votes were entered in favour of the PDP from Obosi community alone. In the last 10 years, the community has not produced up to 2,000 votes for any political party.
“In the last gubernatorial election, before the National Assembly election, a total of 1,600 votes were cast in the same Obosi for all the political parties. The PDP won Obosi in that poll with little less than 600 votes. So I am safe to say that it is porous how they managed to garner 21,000 votes in the National Assembly election.”
PDP in discordant tunes
PDP is yet to get its acts together for the election. At a stakeholders’ meeting in its Udoka Estate office, the state chairman, Kenneth Emeakayi, announced that “ordinarily there wouldn’t have been any need for fresh primaries; but since the court said the primaries were nullified, we have to conduct another one. We shall give everyone a level-playing ground to participate, and I wish to appeal to all the aspirants to work together for whoever that emerges as the winner. That is the only way to ensure that our party remains in control at the National Assembly for Anambra Central, Anambra North and Anambra South as well as the House of Representatives.”
The aspirants have already agreed to play by the rules, but the undercurrents speak volume of a tough battle ahead.
Obiora Okonkwo told TheNiche that the primaries would certainly produce a better candidate for the party.
“I am confident that our party would still be in charge of Anambra Central Senatorial seat and it is only a candidate made of my personality that would do that. I am also happy that our insistence that the last primaries were compromised have been upheld by the court and this fresh primaries would produce better candidate for our great party,” he enthused.
Same is the view of other aspirants in the party that are laying claim to the ticket.
However, the silence of self-styled godfather, Chris Uba, is seen by observers as very uncomfortable for the party.
Uba’s candidate for the district is Annie Okonkwo who is also in court insisting that he was the party’s candidate that won the election for the zone.
There are fears that a certain court order may be thrown up to rubbish the fresh primaries of the party.
The INEC factor
The role of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in ensuring a free and fair election in the district has come under focus, lately. Based on allegations of unfairness against the commission in the nullified election, it has been at the receiving end of public opinion as the build-up to the election gathers steam. Petitions were alleged to have reached its headquarters in Abuja accusing its staff in Awka of being on the payroll of a certain candidate.
According to a body known as Anambra Central Forum (ACF) led by its Acting chairman, Maximus Udemba, “the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance in Anambra State has been holding meetings with some INEC officials in order to select returning officers from the four other states of the South East as well as Delta, Edo and Akwa Ibom states favourable to it to conduct the election.
Udemba contended that the forum was desirous of a credible election and would resist any attempt by any political party to manipulate the electoral process. He remarked that if APGA as a party feels that it is popular in Anambra, there is no need for it to go about petitioning and making malicious allegations against officials and staff of INEC or spending weeks in Abuja trying to impose list of returning officers on the electoral body.
“This indeed shows desperation and pettiness on the party of APGA. One wonders why APGA is afraid of going for a fresh election when the Appeal Court vindicated it in its petition at the tribunal,” he sniggered.
Obikoye, however, has put a lie to the existence of any group or body known as ACF, insisting that they are faceless.
“Such bodies are desperate people seeking recognition. They are faceless, contrary to the issues they raised. You can agree with me that no political party in this country can dictate for INEC who it would use for election. They are merely flying a kite to whip up sentiments.
“We in APGA are not afraid of the election. The revered judges of the Appeal Court have delivered their judgment and we have no choice but to abide by it. So, those who are afraid of going into this contest should go home and prepare, instead of crying wolf where there is none. Anambra is APGA state. That is the position,” he said.