On Wednesday, June 11, campaigns for the governorship contest of Anambra State began. Ikeugonna Eleke highlights the contenders and their visibility among electorate.
Anambra is one of the eight states that hold off-season Governorship Elections in Nigeria. In fact, it was the first to introduce the trend through the doggedness of former Governor of the state, Mr Peter Obi, who contested his removal from office after a Governorship Election was held in 2007 to remove him without completing his four-year term. He sought the interpretation of his tenure and was later returned to office through the verdict of the country’s Supreme Court for him to complete his tenure.
Since after then, other states where Governors were able to return to power through court verdict after being rigged out, have joined the off-season election effortlessly, and this depends on when they complete their tenure. Currently, seven other states which practice this include; Bayelsa, Kogi, Edo, Ondo, Ekiti, Osun and Imo States.
In Anambra, the state will hold its Governorship Election on November 8 as already announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The process has been on since last year, and currently, candidates have emerged from all the interested political parties. On June 11, INEC lifted the ban on campaigns and candidates are now expected to move into the 21 local government areas, 179 communities and 326 political wards in the state to seek for votes.
Though there are 16 Governorship Candidates angling to take the Governorship seat in the state, only about eight are noticeable. Their popularity may stem from the strength of their political parties, the clout of the candidate himself, or others. The candidates include the incumbent Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo; Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu; Sir Paul Chukwuma; Mr John Nwosu; Hon Jude Ezenwafor; Chief Jeff Nweke; Dr George Moghalu/Jude Umennajiego, among others.
How they stand
Prof Chukwuma Soludo
Unarguably, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, the incumbent Governor of the state, who is also seeking re-election is the most popular. Besides being the Governor of the state and having put up what many consider a sterling performance within three years in the saddle, Soludo is a technocrat whose ability is not in doubt. His name far precedes him, and this he owes to his tenure as Governor of the nation’s apex bank, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), where he initiated unsettling but very useful reforms that up till date have sustained the banking industry in Nigeria.
Beyond his work as Governor of CBN, Soludo’s performance in three years as Governor of Anambra State has etched his name in the hearts of the people of the state, including rural dwellers who the Governor’s work has not been lost on; especially the opening up of roads in rural places, bridges and other infrastructural projects.
He will be going into the election with bags of endorsements, both from numerous political support groups, apolitical individuals, elder statesmen, market groups and many others. His highest support may also be the seeming open endorsement of him, pronounced by President Bola Tinubu recently, during a visit to the state after touring his projects. Soludo is highly favoured for the seat, just as his party, All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) is now synonymous with the state. It won’t be a miracle if he achieves a landslide victory on November 8.
Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu
Businessman, Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu, is the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC). His emergence was seen as highly controversial, but what is important is that either by hook or crook, he has whipped all those who protested his emergence into line and also gained the acceptance of both the leader of the party, President Tinubu, and the national leadership of the party, led by Alhaji Umar Ganduje. He was recently hosted at the villa by the President, where he was handed the party’s flag, and he used the opportunity to introduce his running mate, Senator Uche Ekwunife, to the President.
Many believe that Ukachukwu, by every standard, is no match for Soludo or some other candidates in the race, but three things may work for him. They are; the power of his money, as he is believed to be very rich; his party, which is the ruling political party in the centre and controls state apparatus; and thirdly, the strength of his running mate, Ekwunife, who is widely known to be a grassroots mobilizer.
With Ukachukwu and Ekwunife on the ballot, many believe the contest may no longer be as cheap as was early thought. As campaigns progress, his popularity in the state or otherwise will become clearer.
Sir Paul Chukwuma
Educationist and businessman, Sir Paul Chukwuma is the candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP). Until a day to the APC primary election, he was a big force to reckon with in APC and was very well favored for the ticket of the party. He is well known as a party man and has held several positions in the APC, including National Auditor, Director General of campaigns for Senator Andy Uba, and a major financier of the party in Anambra State. His exit from APC led the party to lose a significant membership, most of who joined him to YPP. Going into YPP also helped him to inherit the structure already built by the late Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, just as some of Ubah’s followers from APC left APC to join him. He hails from Umueri in Anambra East LGA in Anambra North. He will be on the ballot on November 8, but although many may argue that his victory remains doubtful, especially because he comes from the north which only recently had Chief Willie Obiano as Governor, he remains confident of upsetting the apple cart.
Mr John Nwosu
Businessman and founder of ICT based company, Jetlink Limited, is the candidate of African Democratic Congress (ADC). He hails from Nnewi North LGA in Anambra South Senatorial Zone. He was an aspirant of the Labour Party but lost and recently picked the ticket of ADC through substitution. He prides himself as the one who has the solution to Anambra’s perennial insecurity and promises to tackle it through technology.
His choice of ADC is strategic, especially with the ongoing talks of alliance, and if the coalition works, top politicians across the country who are involved in the alliance may join forces to boost his chances. But on the whole, some may consider him as a refined gentleman, who is not fit for the murky waters of politics.
Ozo Jeff Nweke
Property magnate and security expert, Ozo Jeff Nweke is the candidate of Action Alliance (AA). He is an Awka indigene in Awka South LGA of Anambra Central Senatorial Zone and considered highly controversial. He has the moniker, ”Revolutionary Nigger”. He will be contesting the election at a time when he is also standing trial for the alleged disappearance of a businessman, Mr Benjamin Ezemma, also known as Big Ben. Some people have said his enlistment in the race is just to boost his CV, but Nweke during a session with the media, insisted he was in the race to win. He affirmed that though not as rich as some people in the race, including the Governor of the state, he would be the biblical David that killed the Goliath with a mere stone. He insists he is coming into the race prepared and ready to win.
Jude Ezenwafor
Not many know Jude Ezenwafor, the Candidate of People’s Democratic Party (PDP). Considering the pedigree of PDP, many would have expected that a candidate that had clout would be running on its platform, but the intractable problems at the national level of the party seem to have taken a heavy toll on the Anambra Chapter of the party.
Ezenwafor was earlier touted to be a placeholder for a bigger candidate, but with the date for substitution over, it is now clear that no one wants to gamble their resources with PDP, and Ezenwafor is stuck with the ticket. It is not in doubt that PDP’s showing in the election will be less than abysmal. Even days ago, its former state Chairman, Chief Ndubisi Nwobu, dumped the party for ADC where he is now the running mate of Nwosu.
George Moghalu/Jude Umennajiego
Both Dr George Moghalu and Hon Jude Umennajiego are laying claims to being the candidate of the Labour Party. While Moghalu is recognized by INEC as the candidate, Umennajiego is relying on the recent judgement of the Supreme Court, which affirmed the Senator Nenadi Usman-led caretaker executive of the party. While both men are laying claim to the ticket, it is almost clear that the fire of Labour Party, which was the attraction, has died down, while the man behind the fire, Mr Peter Obi, doesn’t seem to be interested in who flies the party’s flag in Anambra, his own backyard. He is believed to be toying with the idea of joining another platform ahead of the expected coalition of some parties.
Additional report from Jude Atupulazi
