Governor Willie Obiano may well leave office before August this year should the Anambra State House of Assembly vote held yesterday, April 11, produce a result similar to the Senate and House of Representatives election on March 28.
His relationship with his predecessor, Peter Obi, has been frosty since Obi defected from the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) last year.
And, despite the intervention of President Goodluck Jonathan, all levers of power are being pulled by the PDP to impeach Obiano.
Alleged PDP strategy
It was learnt that the state PDP planned to win 26 of the 30 seats in the state Assembly vote yesterday, in order to secure the two-thirds majority to get rid of him.
The PDP reportedly left Idemili North and Idemili South seats for Senator Chris Ngige of the All Progressives Congress (APC), being his political strongholds; and Anambra East and West seats for Obiano.
On March 28, the PDP won nine of the 11 National Assembly (NASS) seats in Anambra and all the three senatorial slots, a result Obiano described as a daylight robbery and a rape of democracy.
Obiano also accused the PDP of masterminding “the denial of the mandate of the people” through alleged rigging, which led to the defeat of the three APGA senatorial candidates – the party’s National Chairman, Victor Umeh, Earnest Ndukwe, and Dubem Obaze.
But the victory of APC presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, appears to have jolted the alleged PDP plot against Obiano, who sees it as a stepping stone to avert the hijacking of state Assembly seats.
Counter move by APGA, APC
It is not clear if there is an alliance with the state APC, but Obiano’s body language and disposition to Ngige suggests that both APGA and the APC may close ranks to battle the PDP to a standstill.
Fueling this suspicion of a grand plan are the reactions of state APGA Chairman, Mike Kwentoh, and his APC counterpart, Emeka Ibeh.
Kwentoh said “the brazen show of thuggery and manipulation of the National Assembly election in Anambra will not repeat itself this time around, the state Assembly election is our election and votes must count.
“The PDP played god and you all saw what happened. They cannot try this again and Anambra people will certainly stand to defend their governor. How can one plan for such an illegal act just to overheat the polity and the state in general?
“Is the PDP sure of winning up to five seats in the election, let alone having a majority?”
Emeka Ibeh of the APC added that the PDP is on a wild goose chase but should go home and nurse its rejection by Nigerians in the presidential vote.
“What powers do they have in sharing Assembly seats among political parties in Anambra?” he wondered.
The alignment favours Obiano and his foot soldiers are said to be meeting with APC members to prevent his sack.
A source confided that “we have been meeting and it is not only APC and some progressive PDP members but also APGA. We have been meeting so that those days of confusion in Anambra will not come back.
“It is a meeting of those who love Anambra and you will be surprised at the calibre of people who would stand behind Obiano if these people try anything funny.”
Obiano faces opposition in APC
However, a chieftain of the state APC, Victor Ogene, a member of the House of Representatives, insisted that Obiano is not welcomed in the party, amid speculation of his defection to it.
A statement Ogene issued in Awka argued that it would be hypocritical for Obiano to benefit from his “perfidy” of only a few days ago when he deployed state apparatus against Buhari in the presidential ballot on March 28.
His words: “For a Pharoah, like Obiano, who obviously does not know any Joseph, attempting to cross over to the APC with his liabilities and attitude of polluting any environment he finds himself – like the dire straits he has left APGA after only one year – his entry into the APC would only stunt the expected resurgence of the party in the state and the entire South East.”
Ogene, who is House Committee on Media and Public Affairs Deputy Chairman, wondered what value Obiano would add to the APC, after leading APGA, in cohort with Umeh, down the part of extinction through autocracy, vindictiveness, haughtiness and a crass disposition of self-adulation.
“Is the man we are talking about not the one who, in the words of famed novelist, the late Chinua Achebe, had his palm kernel cracked for him by benevolent spirits, yet he refused to be humble.
“Where is former Governor Peter Obi? Where are the five House of Representatives members Obiano inherited when he became Governor? How many seats did he lead APGA to win in the just concluded elections?
“The questions are legion, yet very few optimistic answers.”
Ogene advised Obiano to remain in APGA and clean up the mess before embarking on another fruitless political voyage.
