Thursday, March 28, 2024

Anambra governorship: Obiano on cliffhanger, as rift with Obi deepens

Efforts aimed at reconciling the Anambra State governor, Chief Willie Obiano, with his immediate predecessor, Mr. Peter Obi, reportedly collapsed at the weekend, amid what inside sources described as “damage beyond repairs”, in the relationship between the two leaders.

In the Anambra governorship election, no fewer than 30 contestants have indicated interest with Obiano being the only candidate of the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA; a party which his estranged godfather, Obi, had long abandoned

There has been no love lost between Obiano and his erstwhile political godfather, Obi, a situation that cropped up shortly after Obi ensured victory for Obiano, widely renowned as the ex-governor’s godson.

With peace moves to reconcile the duo ending in a fiasco, there are fears that this may have a debilitating effect on the re-election bid of Governor Obiano come next November.

In the Anambra governorship election, no fewer than 30 contestants have indicated interest with Obiano being the only candidate of the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA; a party which his estranged godfather, Obi, had long abandoned.

Speaking with our correspondent on the failed bid to resolve the dispute between Obi and Obiano, an aide to the former, who opted for anonymity, said despite that emissaries such as former Vice President Alex Ekwueme, and a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Dr. Charles Soludo, had lately intervened in the dispute, “the attitude of Obiano has not shown in any way that he is keen about making peace.”

The source added, “Though we learnt that the governor himself initiated the peace moves because of the approaching election, he is still telling people around that ‘Oh, Obi is begging me.

“Ask the governor to tell the whole world the offence committed by Obi against him. Ask him if It was a sin that Obi virtually foisted him on APGA to become governor when he least deserved to be considered for the position,” Obi’s aide questioned.

Investigations by The Point revealed that since the beginning of this year, all efforts by friends to both Obi and Obiano to resolve their dispute had failed, thus putting pressure on the governor to work extra hard towards realising his second term aspiration.

Obi, shortly after ensuring that he was succeeded through the APGA by Obiano, his old school mate and subordinate at Fidelity Bank, dumped the party to join the Peoples Democratic Party, for the purpose of working for the reelection of then President Goodluck Jonathan.

But Obi’s critics at the period said he left for the personal aspiration of picking up a cabinet job in the eventual victory of Jonathan, an insinuation that Obi denied, claiming that he went because of the need to be a competitor and not a spectator, in national politics.

APGA at the time he was leaving as governor, was controlling only Anambra State, as Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State had also defected from the APGA to the All Progressives Congress, APC.

CAUSE OF FRICTION

It was reliably gathered that at the time that Obi left for PDP, he had expected Obiano to join him but that the governor was dissuaded by some of his aides and friends who claimed that since the APGA was formed by the late former Biafran warlord, Chief Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, an Anambra indigene, no other party could upstage APGA in the state.

Ojukwu had worked for the reelection of Obi and upon the former’s death, the APGA leaders in Anambra saw in Obi, a man who would take up the mantle of the departed ex-warlord-turned-politician.

It was also gathered that Obiano, in refusing to go to the PDP with Obi, saw the prospect of emerging as Ojukwu’s successor and that his hobnobbing with Obi would belittle his acceptance as the new leader of APGA in not only Anambra State, but also in the entire Igboland.

For these factors, the dissonance between the governor and his godfather soon got worse. Obiano, shortly after he took up office as governor, hit at Obi through a statement credited to his Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Solo Chukwulobelu. The SSG claimed that Obi left only N9bn in the state’s coffers as against N75bn claimed by the exgovernor. The SSG, who apparently was speaking on behalf of the governor, added that the Obiano government inherited a total contract sum of N185.1bn as liability from the Obi era.

Obi’s people quickly denied the allegations with facts and figures, thus opening a floodgate of accusations and counter-accusations that have built up what is today, an intractable hostility.

The brouhaha between them got to a head in 2015 when Obiano booted out his Special Adviser on Political Affairs, Chief Joemartins Uzodike, who was Commissioner for Information in the Obi administration.

At the period, an angry Uzodike blew hot, exposing “a lot of atrocities perpetrated by Obiano.” Uzodike, who was Director General of Obiano’s Campaign Organisation, said of the governor: “It is clear to everybody that nobody voted for Chief Willie Obiano. Anambra people, in voting for APGA, said it clearly that they were voting for Obi’s third tenure.

They hoped that anybody brought by Obi would be, like him, totally committed, humble and simple. Obi went ahead to charge his Exco members to ensure they work hard to deliver Obiano as governor.

“To this end, almost all of them worked relentlessly to achieve this and even committed huge sums of money to energise the campaign and win grassroots support in their respective localities. This was in the spirit of continuity for which the Exco members were expected to work with Obiano for at least two years, to stabilise his government.

“However, on assumption of office after swearing-in, the governor sacked the commissioners after two weeks, despite my advice. Immediately after the elections were fought and won, Obiano started to show signs of unprecedented ingratitude. First, he collected all the remaining money and said he was travelling to the USA to rest.

“He took ingratitude to another level on the day of handover. Not even Obiano, his wife or relations thought it necessary to see Obi off to the airport. Shocking still was that one week after the handover, he did not call Obi on phone, because as the head of his Campaign Organisation, I reminded him how important that was.

“When I later reminded him of the need to call Obi, he merely told me that he was too busy with a number of issues and that he wanted to move on quickly with appointments and other matters in order not to lose track,” Uzodike narrated.

OBIANO’S SECOND TERM STRATEGY

Having lost the friendship of his godfather, Obi, Governor Obiano has now resorted to courting other political leaders and traditional rulers across the state. Apart from securing the support of Ekwueme and Soludo, Obiano has reportedly attracted the friendship of other stakeholders such as Dame Virgy Etiaba, a former deputy governor in the state; Chief Emeka Sibeudu, another former deputy governor; Senators Ben Obi, Annie Okonkwo and Emma Anosike.

It was also gathered that Obiano, in refusing to go to the PDP with Obi, saw the prospect of emerging as Ojukwu’s successor and that his hobnobbing with Obi would belittle his acceptance as the new leader of APGA in not only Anambra State, but also in the entire Igboland

Others being reportedly courted by the governor are Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, a former Education Minister; Chief Emeka Anyaoku, former Commonwealth Secretary-General, and Chief Innocent Chukwuma, owner of Innoson Car Manufacturing Company.

Confirming this new strategy of courting new friends ahead of the governorship election, the governor’s Special Adviser on Media, Mr. Chuks Ileogbunam, in a statement, said another factor that would work for the re-election of Obiano were his various achievements in the last three and half years.

Ileogbunam quoted Soludo as saying, “How do you treat someone who has done very well? Of course, you ask them to continue with their good work. So, why mend it if it is not broken? This is a time of crisis and you don’t change the General in the middle of a war, especially the General that has led you through successes in battles.”

OBI OPTS FOR PDP CANDIDATE

However, sources close to former Governor Obi told The Point that he had chosen to remain in the PDP and support whoever emerge in the party’s primary election. It was gathered that though there are many contestants in the PDP, three of them are now the raves of the moment. They are the former corps marshal of the Federal Road Safety Commission and ex-Aviation minister, Mr. Osita Chidoka; oil magnate, Ifeanyi Ubah, and a former governorship aspirant in the APGA, Dr. Alex Obiogbolu. Obi, sources said, might encourage the PDP to come up with a consensus candidate.

APC AND CROWD OF ASPIRANTS

While Obi’s PDP is ready for an epic battle with Obiano come November, the APC, which is the ruling party at the centre, also has a full pack of contestants out of whom one strong candidate is expected to emerge soon, to also tackle the governor. Of the about 20 aspirants in the party, the following come tops: Andy Ubah, Chike Obidigbo, Godwin Ezeemo, Tony Nwoye, George Muoghalu, Barth Nwibe and Obinna Uzor.

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