Dissecting the Anambra Governorship Candidates

On Saturday, November 6, the Anambra people will hit the polls to elect a new governor, who will take over from the incumbent, Chief Willie Obiano. Though the candidates are 18 in number, David-Chyddy Eleke examines the chances of the top 10 in the race, dwelling on their strengths and weaknesses, ahead of today’s debate organised by the Arise News Channel

A lot of factors will determine the advantage and disadvantage of the Anambra governorship candidates next Saturday. Among them are political parties, support from top politicians, popularity among the people, religious denomination, antecedents and even financial standing among others. These factors, largely reveal the weakness and strength of each candidate.

There are three most popular political parties in the state and they are the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC). Though there are other fringe parties that stand a chance of springing a surprise, the level of hard work needed to push the three most dominant parties under would be more than the ordinary.

The dominance of the Catholic and Anglican churches in the politics of the state is also another factor, which has remained constant in the politics of the state, so also is the antecedents of all the participating candidates. But one area, where all the candidates seem to have strength is war chest. Though some of the candidates are far more accomplished than the others, they cannot also be denied the right of being money bags.

Chukwuma Soludo

He is the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), which is seen to be thedominant political party in the state, being the ruling party. He is highly popular and his antecedents at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), where he worked as the governor and helped to turn things around in the banking sector is one of his major strengths. His education, cerebral nature and power of ideas are also to his advantage. He has a cult following among people at all levels, age and status.

His only weakness, which in fact is also part of his strength, is the avowed resolution of the incumbent governor to deliver him as the next governor. But his opponents use it against him, saying such may amount to bringing back godfatherism, which has long been done away with in the state.

Valentine Ozigbo

Being a candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is Ozigbo’s greatest strength. Though many believe he is new in politics, having been a banker and business mogul all along, his ability to wrest power from known names in the party during the primaries is his biggest strength. Today, he is rated ahead of many other candidates. He is known to be very cerebral and also very innovative. His catch phrase Ka Anambra Chawapu, has caught uplike wild fire. His age, and religious denomination (Catholicism) are all to his advantage.

Ozigbo is not known to have any visible weakness, as he has discharged himself creditably since he arrived the Anambra political turf. However, the support he enjoys from a former governor of the state, Mr Peter Obi, has been misinterpreted as that of a godfather and godson relationship, and has been used too many times to taunt him as one who is taking Anambra back to the era of political godfatherism.

Andy Uba

He is running on the platform of the national ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC), and has a lot of top politicians behind him from across Nigeria, and people in the presidency. Uba is not in short supply of money to prosecute his election, and has successfully wooed most prominent politicians in the state, including top office holders to his party. What is Uba’s greatest strength is the fact that he is a great political thinker, and as always his taciturn self, never boasts, nor openly discloses his political strategies, until he plays them. He is an Anglican, and considering the fact that Catholics have been dominant in the politics of the state, it may be the turn of his church to rally round him and produce a governor.

Uba has a past about Anambra politics that is not so palatable to the ears, and has been severally accused of being responsible for the misfortune that befell Anambra between 2000 and 2006, when public properties were destroyed, and a former governor of the state kidnapped and mandated to resign from office. He is not also gifted with oratory, so, whatever his plans for the state are, he finds it difficult to convey them in simple and understandable language.

Ifeanyi Ubah

The Young Democratic Party (YPP) candidate is his own man: rich, young, popular and highly accepted among people at all levels, age and denomination. He is a Catholic, and uses his sponsorship of football, and his philanthropy to drag people to his fold. He has a large cult-like following, and has used the instrumentality of his media outfits, Authority FM, Authority Newspaper, his football club – Ifeanyi Ubah FC, to rack up support for himself. He is a practical person and believes in the evidence of the things he has done before now.

His business dealings with some of his associates, and AMCON, and indebtedness to them has always been played up by his opponents to the level that he has been taunted as seeking Anambra governorship as a means to settle his debt and also use the cover of immunity to evade any prosecution that may be planned against him. He has, however, explained that his dealings with AMCON and the federal government has long been taken care of, but he seems not to be convincing enough as the attacks remain.

Obiora Okonkwo

He is rich, educated, relatively young and highly exposed. He has following from people of all strata of the society, and is said to be a personification of humility. A culture enthusiast, and a philanthropist, Okonkwo has used his sponsorship of cultural activities and philanthropy to gather followership for himself. A successful businessman and owner of United Nigeria Airline, his successes have complemented his political life too. He is loved for his innovative ideas, and is a supporter of the Catholic Church, which has the highest voting strength in the state. He is his own man and has no political baggage.

Dikeora as he is most popularly known, he’s running on the platform of a less popular political party, Zenith Labour Party (ZLP). Another weakness about Okonkwo is that he hails from Anambra Central zone, and is contesting at a time, when many believe that power should shift to the Southern zone.

Godwin Maduka

An accomplished medical doctor and owner of Las Vegas Pain Institute in USA, he is a community builder and has done a lot for his community, Umuchukwu, what no other politician in the state has done. His strength in the contest is mostly about what he has accomplished as a private individual, reason his campaign is titled: ‘Evidence 2021.’ He has also made promises about using his experience as one, who has lived in US to fix things in the state. He is rich and capable of prosecuting his election. He is not known to be pushed by any godfather.

His first attempt to accomplish his aspiration on the platform of the PDP was strategic, because of the strength of the party. Today, he is the candidate of Accord, a small and less known platform, even though it is the first on the ballot.

Chidozie Nwankwo

Having been running chains of companies belonging to him, and known to be a shrewd manager of men and resources, Nwankwo stands a good chance to effectively manageAnambra State than most of his fellow contenders. He is rich, well connected and known to be one of the very few members of Pentecostal churches in the race. He had earlier tried to bank on the dominant nature of the Catholic and Anglican Churches to sway the Pentecostal for a pool vote for him, but it is not known if the plan has been perfected.

He is not known to be a politician, and just as he was dribbled out of the APC, where he first sought to run, there are no indications that he would not again be dribbled. He is today running on the platform of African Action Congress (AAC), which is less known in the state. Nwankwo is not also a very popular candidate.

Obiora Agbasimalo

Long before he came into the race for the Anambra governorship, Agbasimalo’s Oga Ndi Oga Movement, an NGO has been liberating many from poverty through hospital visitations, youth empowerment and job creation. Though he is less known, his entry into politics saw a conversion of his beneficiaries into his supporters, and they are in their thousands too. He has a cult-like following in the state, and known to be a young and likeable politician.

He is not known to have a formidable political structure, nor known to be a popular politician. His NGO is far more popular, and his supporters have been working hard to use the NGO to boost his popularity.

Akachukwu Nwankpo

He is an orator, highly intelligent and full of Ideas. He was special adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan, and known to be a strategic thinker. He hails from the Southern senatorial zone, which is a credit to his ambition. Another credit is his party, African Democratic Congress (ADC), which many see as an off shoot of the popular APGA.

He is more of a technocrat than he is a politician. He is not known to have any political structure, nor can he be said to be very popular in the state.

Ben Etiaba

Scion of the Etiaba family in Nnewi, he is an accountant by profession – highly knowledgeable and not lacking in ideas.

He is not known to be very popular in the state, and cannot also be said to be a known politician. He is more of a technocrat than he is a politician.

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