Anambra 2021: APGA’s succession intrigues may favour Soludo

As All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) prepares for the primary election in Anambra State, expected to hold on June 23, 2021, Associate Editor, Sam Egburonu, reports that the two most important factors that will come to play in deciding the party’s flagbearer would be zoning and the governor’s choice of the right successor

As All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the ruling political party in Anambra State, prepares for it primaries ahead of the November 6, 2021 Governorship Election in the state, The Nation learnt that succession intrigue remains a major threat to the unity of the party in the state.

This is because many chieftains of the party in the state, including some very close aides, associates of Governor Willie Obiano, and some APGA leaders in the state are secretly opposed to the governor’s obvious favorite successor.

The situation is deepened by the prolonged intra-party leadership squabble, which peaked when it divided the party to about several factions, including the ones led by Sir Victor Oye, Chief Edozie Njoku and Chief (Deacon) Jerry Obasi.

The current maneuverings for the right candidate to fly APGA’s governorship flag and succeed Obiano have become so tricky that some insiders still swore today that the governor’s wife, Mrs. Ebele Obiano, the politically powerful First Lady, may not have accepted Obiano’s choice of successor.

It would be recalled that for a while now, it has been rumoured that while Obiano has openly shown willingness to throw his executive weight around the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, some observers alleged that the governor’s wife could be more favorably disposed to the candidature of another candidate; a young billionaire.

Though this alleged disagreement remains a mere rumour, it however confirms the level of intrigues currently surrounding the subject of succession in Anambra State’s APGA.

The maneuverings could also be traced back to disagreements on the alleged interest of Governor Obiano over the prolonged leadership crisis that enmeshed APGA. At the height of the crisis, some APGA leaders had warned that Obiano should use the party’s constitution as the basis of reconciling all interests, adding that “despite the governor’s support for Victor Oye, various court rulings have invalidated the controversial convention that brought Oye back as the National Chairman.”

The matter became deepened when a group, Anambra State Elders Council, came into the picture and reportedly held a crucial meeting with Governor Obiano on the way forward. At the end of the meeting, a communiqué signed by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof. Solo Chukwudebelu, said the Anambra Elders Council and Governor Obiano, agreed to support a candidate from Anambra South Senatorial District for governor in 2021.

As would be expected, some stakeholders who saw the solidarity meeting as a calculated scheme to aide Obiano’s alleged plan to hand over to Soludo, vehemently opposed the development. One of such groups is a socio-political group identified as Anambrakunie.

The group criticised the elders “for going out of their way to praise-sing a former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Prof. Soludo into contesting the 2021 governorship poll.”

The President of AnambraKunie, Dr. Ifeanyi Anachusi, in a statement also said: “The recent meeting of the Council with Obiano in Awka, left much to be desired.

“We will also mobilise against the so-called elders if they insist on imposing any particular aspirant to succeed Obiano rather than allow the Anambra electorate, especially the women and youths, to work out a better future for the state.

“We have read the communiqué from their so-called meeting and it is very clear to us that the meeting was called to endorse a particular aspirant from Anambra South as the successor to Obiano, who is a resounding failure.

“We are not folding our arms. Anambra State also belongs to members of Anambra Ekunie, not just to the elders who have had a maddening run on the state since its creation. We have been hearing their names since time immemorial. Therefore, they cannot continue to determine the fate of our people.”

Anachusi added that “the people have resolved to rescue Anambra from the clutches of APGA and its failed policies, remarking that it was shameful that the so-called elders were invited to watch Obiano’s achievements on video clips.

“Those elders must be made to know that zoning gave Anambra an Obiano who has reversed every development he inherited from Peter Obi. It is amusing that Obiano is thinking of Anambra of 2070, when he has not been able to develop any part of the state, even his Anambra North zone since 2014 that he assumed office,” Anachusi said.

 

Will the intrigues favour Soludo?

There is no doubt that Professor Chukwuma Soludo, a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, has emerged one of the frontline governorship aspirants on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC).

Since he formally declared interest to fly the party’s flag in the forthcoming elections, he has been identified by informed insiders and analysts as a major contender to watch. While many openly said he is Governor Willie Obiano’s favourite to succeed him, others said he is also favoured both by his pedigree as a former CBN governor and by the unwritten zoning understanding in the state.

Our checks during the week confirmed that most voters in the state consider zoning a very crucial factor in the forthcoming election. “There is no doubt that most of the aspirants today are very successful men and women. They all know that except they have made it in their various fields they do not have a chance. So, virtually all the aspirants in all the leading political parties are people who have what it takes to govern Anambra. Some people have described the 2021 governorship election in Anambra as the battle of the billionaires. To an extent, that is true. But I think it is more than that. The billionaires that have dared to throw in their caps are the ones that also have knowledge, exposure and others.

“Since they all have these, I can tell you that the choice would be determined more by the zoning factor, which we all seem to accept will help to sustain peace and a sense of belonging in the state,” said Dr. Ifeanyi Okeke, a public commentator.

Okeke added that “if zoning eventually takes the leading position, Prof. Soludo will easily pick the APGA ticket and if he does, his chances of winning the governorship election would be bright.”

According to him, “Obiano’s support could very well ensure that Soludo clinches the APGA ticket and the governorship seat ahead of other equally formidable candidates in what will be a contest of Anambra South Senatorial District or the old Aguata zone, whose turn, by the state’s unwritten rotation principle, it is to produce the next governor.”

It would be recalled that the zoning policy has favoured all the three senatorial zones since 1999 when it started. At the return of Democracy in 1999, Chinweoke Mbadinuju from the South Senatorial District emerged the governor. He however, could not have a second term as he lost the PDP ticket following the rifts he had with his then godfather, Emeka Offor, to Chris Ngige, who subsequently became the governor in 2003 under the PDP platform. Ironically, Ngige, from the Central Senatorial Zone, was eventually replaced by Peter Obi, also from the zone. Obi went on to complete eight years before handing over to Willie Obiano who is from Anambra North. So, when Obiano leaves office after eight years, many argue that the seat should naturally return to Anambra South.

This possibly explains why almost all the notable contenders for the governorship seat today in all the leading political parties are individuals from the South Senatorial zone.

So, as APGA prepares for the primary expected to hold on June 23, insiders say the two most important factors that will come to play in deciding the party’s flagbearer would be zoning and the governor’s choice of the right successor.

As at today, about eight aspirants have reportedly bought nomination forms to contest for the primary elections on the platform of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA.

Among the eight aspirants that have collected the nomination forms so far are, former Governor of the Centre Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo, Hon. Chukwuma Umeoji, Hon. Carter Umeh, Chief Damian Okoro, Chief Akachukwu Nwankpo, Hon. Okwudili Nwankwo and  Hon. ThankGod Kenechukwu Ibeh.

Three of the aspirants are serving members of the Anambra State House of Assembly.