By Emeka Alex Duru
General Editor
By the time Anambra State Governor Willie Obiano inaugurated an 87-man re-election campaign committee in Awka, on Thursday, August 3, 2017, it was apparent that his bid for a second term had effectively taken off.
And in what seemed a follow-up, the governor, on August 11, submitted his nomination form to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) national secretariat in Abuja.
In the subsequent primary of the party, he merged its governorship candidate.
Even as his political platform, APGA, struggles with the leadership crisis that has seen its ranks torn between the Victor Oye and Martin Agbaso factions, the move by Obiano, in several ways, set off activities leading to the November 18 governorship election in the state.
Other political parties have subsequently selected their flag-bearers for the race.
The governor’s re-election committee has the immediate past National Chairman of APGA, Victor Umeh, as Chairman. Other members are the Deputy Governor, Nkem Okeke; Special Adviser to the Governor on Political Matters, Chinedu Obidigwe; State Chairman of APGA, Norbert Obi; as well as party members at both national and state assemblies.
Representatives from the Board of Trustees (BoT) and National Working Committee (NWC) of the party, the transition chairmen and ex-local government chairmen, Councillors’ Forum, APGA stakeholders from the 21 local government areas, youths and women groups, among others, are also members of the committee.
Wife of the Governor, Ebelechukwu, is a special nominee, while Primus Odili is to serve as secretary of the committee.
The battle begins
While inaugurating the committee, Obiano charged the members to remain focused and utilise their experiences in the state’s political terrain to ensure victory for the party in the forthcoming election.
In response, Umeh assured that they would deliver on target, especially given the performance profile of the governor, which he hoped would guarantee him reciprocal gesture from the people.
For Umeh, what is particularly needed in actualising the task ahead is aggressive grassroots mobilisation that will be hinged on disseminating adequate information on the achievements of the administration.
Squaring up with other combatants
Analysts are of the view that considering the trademark political sophistication of the average Anambra electorate, advertising the performance record of the governor remains the most enduring path for him to return to the Government House in Awka.
This is especially as the governor will be squaring up with the rejuvenated Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s candidate, Oseloka Obaze, All Progressives Congress (APC)’s Tony Nwoye, United Peoples Party (UPP)’s Osita Chidoka, Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA)’s Godwin Ezeemo, among others.
Though the various candidates of the parties enjoy high reputation and influence in the state, the battle is essentially seen as an encounter involving Obiano and the flag-bearers of APC and PDP.
In PDP, with such tested hands as former Governor Peter Obi and Senator Ben Obi, among others, though not running, their network of influence in the state can throw off an incumbent that is not adequately prepared for the encounter. Obiano should, thus, be understandably concerned.
The challenge also exists in APC. Aside the support from the federal government, the presence of former governor of the state and Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige, with his grassroots appeal, George Muoghalu, Senator Andy Ubah and influential businessman, Arthur Ezeh, can swing the poll in favour an APC candidate in any election.
Thus, for Obiano, solid alignment with the people, driven by an unyielding campaign committee, is essentially what he needs if his ambition for a second term would be achieved.
“It is not only in advertising the achievements of his administration in the media would the governor make it. Some of those who watch the adverts or stories in a particular Lagos-based television station may not be around for voting. The voters are those in the rural communities that may not even have access to the satellite television.
“He therefore needs those who would be ready and willing to roll up their sleeves and go to the people to explain to them how far he has gone in serving them in the last three and half years.
These are the people who would explain to the electorate the challenges of the administration, what it has achieved and what it hopes to achieve if given another four years,” said a Senior Lecturer in History, Nnamdi Azikiwe University (NAU), Awka, in a telephone interview with our reporter.
Drawing from the Umeh factor
These considerations, TheNiche learnt, may have informed the choice of Umeh as the arrowhead of the campaign. For a man that is not given to shying away from legal and political battles no matter the magnitude, his selection for the tough job is akin to returning to a familiar terrain.
The heavy weight politicians that will drive the fight from PDP and APC camps are his contemporaries and opponents at one time or another. He, thus, knows the terrain and understands the intrigues of Anambra politics, profoundly, many agree.
Umeh has also seen action at the national front. In his present battle over the conduct of Anambra Central senatorial election, he has chalked in victories at various layers of the courts.
Even his eventual pronouncement as the national chairman of the party was through tortuous paths. And on emerging the chairman, he took APGA through a period that remains its finest moment.
Within that period, Umeh ensured consolidation of the party in Anambra, in a daring effort that resulted in the re-election of Obi, the first of such feats in the state, aside winning more seats in the state’s legislature in 2011 elections.
The party also made commendable in-road in Imo, ensuring the election of Governor Rochas Okorocha, in addition to more members in the state’s assembly. Okorocha later crossed to the then Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), that eventually fused with other parties to form APC.
APGA, under Umeh, also made appreciable impact at the national level, where it, at a time, had members in the Senate and House of Representatives.
This is a feat Obiano undoubtedly expects Umeh to re-enact with his committee. Ordinary eyes interpret the task as daunting. But close associates of the former APGA chairman are convinced that with adequate cooperation from the relevant authorities, he will accomplish the assignment.
Umeh has incidentally assured on meeting the target. What may work for his committee in returning the governor is the governor’s performance profile that looks enticing to his supporters.
The other time when this reporter visited Anambra, there were exciting stories on how the administration had successfully arrested the challenge of insecurity that had posed the greatest obstacle to the development agenda of the state.
Part of the story was that Obiano had, on coming to office, mapped out clear agenda to make Anambra crime-free, to realise his vision of making the state first choice investment destination and a hub for industrialisation and commercial activities.
Obiano even spoke on the issue. “I knew that no investor would go to a crime-ridden environment. So, we launched an all-out war against kidnappers, armed robbers, drug-dealers and child-traffickers.
“For the first time since the creation of this great state, we made sure that Anambra was effectively covered on the land, in the waters and in the sky! With that effort, we achieved 360 degrees security coverage of the state,” he said.
The result, according to officials of the state, is that Anambra currently ranks among the safest states in the land.
It was also gathered that aside the strategic investment on security and allied engagements, what also seems to be driving the crime rate low in the state is the unprecedented involvement of the government in capacity building of the citizens. Education, for instance, has been receiving unparalleled attention from the state. The administration is also not relenting on infrastructure development, it was learnt.
These are some of the indices the Umeh committee may table before the Anambra voters in asking them to give Obiano another term. They look good and enchanting. And may work for the governor.
But that will depend more on how APGA manages its unsettling leadership crisis, in the build-up to the November 18 election.
