The governorship primaries of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Anambra State is expected to hold today (Saturday) where only one from a dozen candidates would be picked ahead of the November 18 contest. However, the date has been shifted to August 26 due to what the party described as “logistic constraints.” However, it seems there is more to this shift than meets the eye.
The Anambra State Chairman of the APC, Mr. Emeka Ibeh, said at a conference in Awka, less than 48 hours to the primary election, that the whole process has been shifted by one week to give room for adequate arrangement and provide accommodation for the over 5000 delegates.
However, many sources say the reasons for the postponement go beyond the need to secure accommodation as there are contentious issues over the authenticity of the delegates’ list and the need to guard against any action that will work in favour of the ruling APGA in the state.
Also, some pundits see the move as a way to avoid a repeat of events that trailed the recent Osun-West Senatorial District by-election primary.
Ibe who made reference to the issue on the delegates’ list, blamed the misunderstanding over the list on the fact that some party members still paraded an old delegates’ list used in 2014. He said the list could not stand because some people had left the party, while others had pitched tent with it.
APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, has assured all the aspirants that the party would not only conduct a free and fair primary election, but that it would also ensure a level-playing ground.
Chief Odigie-Oyegun gave the assurance when he met the 12 APC aspirants for an interactive session at the APC national secretariat in Abuja.
Who picks the ticket?
A seven-member committee chaired by Ondo State Deputy Governor, Agboola Ajayi, has cleared the 12 aspirants who will slug it out at the primary election ahead of the November 18 poll.
The chairman of the screening committee said the party generated the sum of N60.5m through the payment of N5.5m by each candidate for the nomination and expression of interest forms, with the exception of the single female aspirant, who received the documents free of charge.
APC National Organising Secretary, Osita Izunaso, said penultimate Saturday in Abuja, while announcing the outcome of the screening that, “I have scanned through the report and I discovered that all of you (the aspirants) have been cleared to contest. They have scored you in line with the party’s guidelines and some of you have A’s, some B’s and others C’s; but the most important thing is that you have been cleared to contest.” He said they had already signed an undertaken to support whoever emerged winner.
However, the question on the lips of many is whether the aspirants would live by their words when one of them emerged at the end of the day or not.
The successful aspirants, who also seamlessly scaled through the hurdle of the screening committee was led by the Minister of Communications, Barrister Adebayo Shittu, include Chief George Moghalu, Senator Andy Uba, Engineer Bart Nwibe, Chukwuma Paul, Barrister Nonso Madu, Patrick Nwike, Tony Nwoye, Obidigbo Chike, Dr. Obinna Uzoh, Okonwko D, Onunkwo Johnbosco and Uchegbu Adoabi.
Chief George Moghalu
Moghalu recently resigned as the National Auditor of the ruling APC to contest the party’s sole ticket ahead of the November 18, election. Dr. Moghalu is also a former National Secretary of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP). He also once served as the secretary of the party’s recently constituted National Rebuilding and Inter-party Contact Committee. Besides, he is a former ANPP gubernatorial candidate in Anambra State. His dedication to opposition is recognised. He is said to have laid the administrative structure for the ANPP.
Chief Moghalu who fielded questions from journalists in Abuja said he had the capacity, the credibility and the character to defeat any of the APC aspirants at the primary election. He also voiced his belief that Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State could be defeated since the incumbency factor had been demystified in Nigeria.
Moghalu said he had drawn up his manifesto to address challenges in the areas of power, industry, infrastructure, agriculture, education and health. The former APC National Auditor also pledged to conduct local government election within six months if given opportunity to serve as a governor.
Senator Andy Uba
Uba is going into the race with the impression that he has the support of all the APC senators. Some senators, including Shehu Sani, Danjuma Goje, Dino Melaye and Usman Bayero Nafada, among others accompanied Senator Uba to obtain the governorship forms.
Uba who fielded questions from journalists after picking the Nomination and Expression of Interest forms, said 41 senators followed him to the national secretariat of the ruling APC.
He said he remained the only aspirant who had the capacity to remove Governor Willie Obiano of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), having had the opportunity to become governor and two-time senator.
One issue that has been trailing him is the purported report of an alleged certificate forgery and the insinuation that he was planning to return to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). But Uba said, “It is a very wicked lie. It is blackmail. They are just trying to sabotage me. They know that I’m on the ground. They know what I have done for Anambra State and my constituency. You can go and check. No senator has done what I have done in Anambra State. So, I have evidence, it is there.
“What my opponents are doing is to blackmail me. It is a total lie. I stand by the APC. I’m in APC now and nothing can make me go to another party. I’m not somebody who runs up and down, you know me,” he concluded.
Tony Nwoye
Nwoye is an aspirant who must not be underrated. He is a former PDP governorship candidate in the 2013 election. He is also a former Member of the House of Representatives (Anambra East/West Constituency). He also served as the state PDP chairman. Nwoye, who left the PDP last year, is said to have received the blessing and support of Chief Arthur Eze.
Dr. Obinna Uzoh
Though not a popular aspirant, Dr. Uzoh says he is the most qualified person to emerge the party’s flag bearer and will win the November 18 election. He contested the governorship in 2003 on the platform of the National Democratic Party (NDP). He, thereafter, joined the PDP 2014. He later left the PDP for the APC.
Dr. Uzoh, who spoke after returning his Expression of Interest and Nomination forms at the party’s headquarters in Abuja, assured that he would focus in industrialising the state and empowering the youths.
He argued that his experience in both public and private life stood him out from the other aspirants.
He said, “having being into business for a long time now, I have all it takes to reposition Anambra State. I am not a new person in the game, having contested for the same position in 2003. I have garnered enough experience from that mission and even prior to it, I had gathered enough experience on governance.
“My mission is to bring good governance to Anambra and make the state great again. I will go beyond the basic infrastructural provision of social amenities to implementing the party manifesto. It is not a good record that my state has not been privileged to be governed with the party at the centre.
“We want to be with the government at the centre so that the state can enjoy the benefits. I believe that with the great leadership of our National Chairman and President Muhammadu Buhari, we can get the dividends of democracy to my people.
“I strongly believe that I am the most qualified person to govern Anambra State going by my antecedents, experience as a seasoned lawyer and businessman, public and private life.
“As a great philanthropist, I have done lots of things to my people and I believe that I will do more than what I had done in the past if I have the opportunity to serve Anambra. I can tell you that I am mentally and psychologically ready to govern Anambra.
“You know that the most important basic need in my state is human capacity building. I have been on this for a long time now and I intend to continue.
“I am a very versatile and well-equipped person when it comes to electricity generation, transmission and distribution. We will do our best to bring in electricity generation, distribution and transmission to help my people in the areas of industry and agriculture,” he said.
Barrister Nonso Madu
Madu, who spoke with journalists at the APC national secretariat after he had obtained his Nomination and Expression of Interest forms, said he was, “capable, intellectually and financially” for the task. “For me, politics is service to the people,” he added.
Johnbosco Onunkwo
Though an underdog, Onunkwo said if given the opportunity, after obtaining the APC ticket, he would be a digital governor. He said Anambra was in dire need of a digital governor who could network locally and internationally.
“I’m a solution provider who can wipe out the tears of Anambra people.
