As the race to replace Governor Willie Obiano as the next governor of Anambra state heats up, the main political parties in the race, the ruling All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and the All Progressives Congress (APC) are gearing up for a contest.
The preparations for the primaries of these two parties are on their highest level. Feelers are beginning to come in as to who the top contenders for the tickets are.
For APGA, the fact that there is a national factional crisis makes it difficult to do a proper analysis because the three factional national leaders all lay claims to legitimacy, and the Supreme Court might be employed to bell the cat. Chief Victor Ike Oye’s faction has disqualified many aspirants and favours former CBN Governor Professor Charles Soludo. Chief Jude Okeke and Chief Edozie Njoku all claim to be the authentic national chairman. While Chief Njoku has a long-enduring court order recognising him as the National Chairman of APGA, INEC does not recognise him. Nonetheless, he is going ahead, believing he will get a victory at the Supreme Court.
In the PDP, available polls and analysis at our disposal suggest that the PDP has four major contenders in the race for the party’s ticket.
- SENATOR UCHE EKWUNIFE
Uche Ekwunife represents Anambra Central Senatorial District at the Nigerian Senate and the most prominent female aspirant in the race. The chances for Ekwunife picking up the ticket continue to dim as the primary draws newar, especially after the ward congresses revealed that she is not the popular choice of the PDP at the grassroots.
On June 11, ahead of the primary election, the PDP held their ward congresses, producing a three-person ad-hoc delegation to vote at the primary in each ward. Not only did Senator Ekwunife perform poorly, but she also sought to rig the process by sponsoring agents who made away with result sheets Anaocha LGA, her home and other local government areas where she felt were her stronghold.
With this rogue move, Senator Ekwunife is losing the little support she may have had. One of the party stakeholders who have dumped the lawmaker in favour of another aspirant is the first elected Governor of Anambra State, Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife (Okwadike Ndigbo).
Okwadike switched camp from Ekwunife, whom he publicly refers to as his daughter, and who he accompanied to the PDP headquarters in April 2021 to pick up her gubernatorial nomination form. In an unprecedented move, the Igbo elder statesman endorsed Valentine Ozigbo, a respected business leader on camera, along with his wife, Mrs Grace Ezeife, sending a powerful signal to Ekwunife that he no longer believes in her aspirations.
Our findings reveal that the Catholic Bishops, who actively control 70 – 80 per cent of Anambra voters, have sent a message to Ekwunife through top political stakeholders, including Okwadike and immediate past Governor Peter Obi advising her to step down from the race as they would never support her candidacy.
The Catholic Bishops have also sent an advisory message to the top PDP leaders in the state and at the national level, including Prince Uche Secondus, the National Chairman and Chief Ndubuisi Nwobu, the State Chairman. According to our investigations, the Bishops warned the PDP that they would withdraw their support for the party if they produce Uche Ekwunife.
The Catholic Bishops say Senator Ekwunife comes to the table with many political scandals. She is perceived to be an immoral woman and is also from Anambra Central. With the Bishops fully behind the zoning arrangement, which makes it the turn of Anambra South to produce the next governor, an Ekwunife’s candidacy spells bad news for the PDP.
Furthermore, top PDP and political leadersin Anambra like Peter Obi, Olisa Metu, Senator Joy Emodi, Chief Edozie Ezeugo, Osita Chidoka, Oseloka Obaze, and Dr. Chukwuemene Ezeife and others are working hard to ensure that the party produces a candidate from Anambra South in line with the zoning arrangement.
So, despite her self-acclaimed political prowess, Ekwunife, who has unsuccessfully contested for governorship twice, is looking very much like the light is dimming on her aspiration.
- VALENTINE OZIGBO
Valentine Ozigbo is a respected Nigerian business leader who resigned from his position at the top of the corporate ladder in the country to contest for the Anambra gubernatorial position.
In less than two years of moving back to Anambra to engage with the grassroots, Valentine Ozigbo has demonstrated why he is a celebrated, award-winning global CEO.
Ozigbo has brought his track record of excellence which began from his childhood to his position as the President and Group CEO of Transcorp Plc. At Transcorp Plc, he performed what people called the 8th corporate wonder of the world and was mainly responsible for singlehandedly transforming the fortunes of Transcorp Hotel Plc, making the hotel the best business hotel in Africa and the most prestigious seven-star hotel in Nigeria.
Coming back to the politics and his chances at the poll, our findings and independent research suggest that he is the frontrunner in the race for the gubernatorial ticket in the primary election, and he has many things going for him.
First, he comes to the table with intimidating credentials and a profile that matches any aspirants that the other parties present in the race.
With the manner in which he has conducted his campaign, Valentine Ozigbo has also earned the respect and admiration of of the five political families in Anambra PDP. He has clinched a good number of political endorsements, the latest being the high-profile endorsement of the first democratic governor of the state, Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife (Okwadike Ndigbo). This endorsement is causing ripples in the race because Ezeife is widely regarded as an oracle of the Igbo race, and whatever Ezeife says is believed to have more power than just one man speaking.
Before now, he has earned the endorsement of all the former President-Generals of Anambra state. He has also received the endorsement of the Coalition of All National PDP Support Groups. As it stands now, Valentine Ozigbo is the only aspirant in the race who has earned open, public and documented endorsement of powerful groups for his candidacy.
In addition to all that he has going for him, our findings reveal that Ozigbo is in the good books of the eight catholic bishops in Anambra State and has privately earned the endorsement of not less than three of them. Being a devout Roman Catholic, the chances of Valentine Ozigbo earning the endorsements of the Catholic Bishops if he wins the party’s ticket, is bright.
Valentine Ozigbo hails from Anambra South Senatorial Zone, so zoning favours him. Valentine Ozigbo is a bridge builder and unifier, an essential quality required to unite and unify the party towards the general election. This attribute is a major consideration of over 60% of PDP delegates who told an independent polling company that they will support his candidacy.
Ozigbo has been able to bridge the gap and has demonstrated his track record for excellence by building the best and most robust gubernatorial campaign organisation in less than two years. He has the most prominent Anambra politicians in his camp. He has digitised his operations. This singular act has earned him the respect of his fellow aspirants because he has done what appeared impossible for people from the corporate world. He has demonstrated that he has what it takes to be a CEO, build from the ground up, and has a track record of prudent management of resources.
Finally, Ozigbo is regarded as having the billions required to sponsor his gubernatorial campaign. Valentine Ozigbo belongs to the billionaire class of Nigerian business entrepreneurs, and he is close friends with prominent Forbes-listed billionaires in Nigeria.
- HON CHRIS AZUBOGU
Engr Chris Azubogu is a three-time federal lawmaker, widely known as Mr Project because he appropriates Federal Government projects in his constituency as his achievements and touts his ability to attract projects to the state.
Azubogu’s key selling point is his medical outreaches which, according to his last post, saw seven hundred people benefit from free surgeries.
Feedback from PDP delegates shows that Azubogu is not viable enough to contest against APGA. In a situation where APGA presents someone like Soludo, Azubogu will be swept away in the race. The primary concern is that his credentials do not match those of the likely APGA aspirant.
Azubogu is from Nnewi, and it is believed that he will not deliver his local government for the party because he has a serious challenger in Nnewi in Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, who has clinched the ticket for the Young Progressive Party (YPP).
In addition, Azubogu comes with many political enemies who have sworn never to see him emerge as PDP’s candidate, including Chief Chris Ubah, who believes that Azubogu betrayed him in the 2019 general election. Chief Ubah attributes his loss to Ifeanyi Ubah at the senatorial election to the tracheary of Azubogu. Our findings reveal that Chris Ubah is working night and day to make sure Azubogu does not win the party’s ticket, which is bad news for any aspirant.
Chris Azubogu also has a deficiency in that he came into the race, wearing the Anglican tag and claiming that it is “the turn of the Anglicans”. This narrative has not gained any traction but has attracted the rejection of the Catholic community. In this regard, things are not looking good for Azubogu.
His campaign is also perceived to be cash strapped. The Nnewi billionaires whom he was hoping to clinch their endorsement, having lobbied them for months, Chief Clement Ibeto being the most prominent, has gone for Prof Soludo. So his last hope to get funding for the primary, which is three days away, has gone up in smoke.
It is reported that Engr. Azubogu is owing his media aides for months and promises that he will pay them after he wins the primary. This approach has led to a lacklustre media outing for his aspiration, and it’s not looking good for him. He is not winning delegates, he is not winning friends, he is not winning the necessary support, and he is not a top contender.
- CHIEF OBIORA OKONKWO
Chief Obiora Okonkwo is the chairman and CEO of the United Nigeria airline, a businessman and a prominent PDP stalwart. Chief Obiora is a Roman Catholic, and he touts his ability to sponsor his campaign as one of his strengths.
The main drawback for Okonkwo’s candidacy is that he is from Anambra Central Zone, and the zoning agreement in the state makes it the turn of the South to produce the governor. Because of this singular issue, this businessman has been unable to gather the support that he requires from the delegates and from key stakeholders in Anambra State despite his financial muscle.
It is reported that the Catholic Bishops have privately advised him to drop his aspirations for this election cycle because he would not be able to overcome the momentum that the zoning gives the Southern aspirants.
Chief Obiora Okonkwo continues on his campaign despite these red lights being given to him from very influential quarters because he feels that it is now the time for the PDP to reward him as a long-time member. But the narrative is not working because the party wants to win the November election. Therefore, fielding a candidate that is not from Anambra South is more, or less, a guaranteed 4th place for the PDP, especially since APGA, APC, and YPP are set to respect the zoning agreement in the state.
Okonkwo is not getting the support he needs from key stakeholders in the party. He is also reportedly at loggerheads with Mr Peter Obi, who is the leader of the PDP in Anambra state, for instance. He is considered to be arrogant by many of the delegates we spoke to and perceived as someone who will bully others if given power.
Of the five political families in Anambra state, Obiora Okonkwo only has the half-hearted support of one of the political families in the Central. His inability to gain key stakeholder endorsements will work against him at the polls.
“If this was the turn of Anambra Central, Obiora Okonkwo would most likely pick the ticket, but the PDD does not want to risk or experiment the ticket with someone who is not from the South,” a PDP delegate from Awka North, who spoke on the condition of anonymity told our correspondent in Awka this weekend.
So there you have it. The poll is 3 days away and we are watching closely. In politics, you can never say for sure till it is truly over. We wish the 16 PDP aspirants luck.
