By Ejimonu Udenka
It is a new political season of sorts in Anambra State with
all manner of political parties, groups/associations crawling out of the
crevices to stake claims ahead of the November 18, 2017 gubernatorial
election. To gain a share of voice, some have resorted to the boring tactics of
picking at the symbols of the Chief Willie Obiano achievements in the last
three years with the imposing flyovers as their main target.
Prominent amongst the wanna-be landlords of Anawbia
Governor's Lodge is the All Progressives Congress (APC) led choristers who have
been shouting themselves hoarse in a futile attempt to explain their befuddled
view and mission in Anambra. They have recently ratcheted up their loud-mouth
strategy with the announcement of a “Take-Over Committee for Anambra.”
The APC
“Take-over” commanders include former Governors, Jim Nwobodo of Enugu State,
and Orji Kalu of Abia State; Sen. Ifeanyi Ararume of Imo State, Sen.
Azu-Agboti from Ebonyi, Nkechi Nwaogu of Abia, Chief Nweke Gbazuagu of Enugu
State and Chief Cosmas Madugba from Imo State. They are mandated to direct the
APC blitzkrieg to ensure the capture of Anambra State, the Light of the Nation
for the pleasure of their masters.
Evidently, none of the APC Commanders for the Anambra
operation is from the state, thus lending credence to the growing feeling of
the assemblage of an invasion force coming to upset the peace and stability
enjoyed by Ndi Anambra in the past three years all in a bid to make it part of
the APC fiefdom. More so, the antecedents and current strengths of each member
of the team show apparent lack of touch with reality and appreciation of the
resolve of Ndi Anambra not to be taken back to the years of the locust. It is
therefore safe to conclude that the APC “Take-over” team for Anambra and their
scheme is dead on arrival.
Presently two facts are crystal clear in the Anambra
political sphere; that Governor Obiano’s stellar performance in ensuring the
security of lives and property, his agricultural revolution that birthed the
popular Anambra rice, infrastructural development beyond the new emerging Awka,
and sustained workers welfare to mention but a few are widely acknowledged as
good enough to earn him a second mandate come November 2017. The other fact is
that the surfeit of candidates lining-up to contest against him in the
up-coming election have an uphill task convincing Anambra electorates
otherwise.
What is perhaps most baffling to many is that the APC’s
record at the national level and indeed the twenty four states where it holds
sway does not give the party any traction in Anambra beyond the loud
sabre-rattling induced by its so called “federal might.” So what can these APC
take-over commanders bring to their quest for Anambra?
A quick search-light on the team reveals a number of
interesting facts. The seventy-seven year old former Governor of old Anambra
State(1979-1983), Sen. Jim Nwobodo is perhaps the most illustrious of the team
as a political son of late Nnamdi Azikiwe. But political strategists argue
that the man who carries the baggage of the N100m Dasuki largesse with the
EFCC’s probing eyes over his shoulder, may have been selected to re-enact his
inglorious role in the betrayal of Chief Alex Ekwueme at the NPN 1998 Jos
Convention. Someone may have to remind Jim that whereas the language in Jos was
Hausa, no amount of gang ups can sway the gods in the Igbo heartland.
Another former Governor, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu is perhaps
known for creating the mess of stagnation in Abia which was sustained by his
protégé to the detriment of the people especially the residents of the now
decrepit Enyimba city of Aba. A brash and street-wise freebooter with obvious
credibility deficit, Orji also has the EFCC yoke over his neck, and his
mercantile reputation never spared him from being severally out-foxed by his
mentee, Sen. Theodore Orji leading to two consecutive defeats in Senatorial
elections. Yet another case of playing the piper's tune for survival, but
someone needs to remind him that Anambra is in a different class.
Others are former Senators Ifeanyi Ararume, Azu Agboti and
Nkechi Nwaogu. Whereas Ararume was recently appointed into the board of NCC,
Agboti, the secretary of the group and Nwaogu are amongst the new paper-weight
APC converts from the PDP. A businessman and politician from Isunjaba, Chief
Cosmas Maduba, and Chief Gbazuagu Nweke Gbazuagu from Enugu state complete the
list. One common denominator among these gentlemen and lady is that they were
until few months ago members of the PDP whose history of brazen electoral heist
over the years was felt at various levels. Perhaps, the APC wants to tap into
the PDP expertise. But the big question to the APC and its converging squadron
is, do you really think that Anambra State and its citizens are dumb?
Udenka writes from Orumba(ejimonu247@gmail.com)
