• APGA dedicates victory to Odumegwu-Ojukwu
• Jonathan congratulates Obiano, urges aggrieved stakeholders to seek judicial redress
CONTRARY to denials by leaders of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), the party had an unwritten understanding with the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) for the prosecution of the gubernatorial election in Anambra State which culminated in a supplementary poll on November 30, 2013, The Guardian has learnt.
The state Chairman of PDP, Ken Emeakayi and the governorship candidate of the party, Tony Nwoye, insisted that there was no understanding reached by PDP with the ruling APGA in Anambra State. Nwoye told The Guardian emphatically, “none, not at all.”
But investigations by The Guardian revealed that the pact with APGA was to the effect that after winning the November 16 governorship election, the candidate, Mr. Willie Obiano, and Governor Peter Obi’s supporters in APGA would be handed over the PDP structure in the state and “reduce the influence of cantankerous elements that made peace elusive in Anambra PDP.”
A source within the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP confided in The Guardian that the pact which was a closely guarded secret with some political actors in the Presidency set the second quarter of 2014 for Obi to lead the new Anambra governor to PDP so as to begin the process of firming up an effective support base for the President’s second term ambition.
“No matter what anybody will tell you, there was a pact for electoral collaboration between the Presidency and Governor Peter Obi’s faction in APGA. This understanding was the major reason the President was hesitant in settling the protracted crisis about who should fly the party’s flag for the Anambra gubernatorial election. The matter would have been curtailed if the President had waded in,” the source hinted.
He maintained that because of the decision to hand over the PDP structure in Anambra State to Obi and his supporters, President Goodluck Jonathan and his handlers allowed the party to weary itself in internal wrangling, stressing that it was discovered that nearly every politician in APGA in the state, including Obi, enjoyed PDP membership at some point.
The source declared: “The one issue that informed the pact was who could be fielded in PDP that could play the role Peter Obi is playing for the Presidency at this critical juncture when 2015 politics are near at hand?
“The fact is the man in charge (President) never wanted any man to defeat Obi and there was no way he could have said so unless by creating such massive crisis to ensure that PDP as it were, was destroyed in the eyes of the electorate. That is also why nobody can cancel the election; because you cannot cancel a thing the man who dictates the tune wanted for himself.”
He further disclosed that “APGA was seen to be better organised and well accepted by the masses in Anambra.”
According to him, if there is to be a presidential election, it makes sense that APGA would seek support for the President more than any incoming governor that may not enjoy followership yet to fight political battles.
“If you bring the new governor for instance, he may not have the clout to control all the governors of the South-East. Even if the next chairman of South-East Governors’ Forum comes from Ebonyi or Abia States, you can see that they won’t have the clout to galvanise support for the President within the geo-political zone. So, there are a lot of things going for APGA in the equation for the presidential election.
“There is also fear that some of the President’s friends are mere businessmen, even those with connections with Minna. That is also why you saw the Niger State governor dilly-dallying in his political moves because there is a grand plan to change the political equation in the country,” he said.
Confronted with the details of the alleged political understanding between his party and APGA, Emeakayi stated: “There is nothing like pact with APGA or any other party; we have filed a suit at the Federal High Court, Awka, seeking to disqualify Mr. Willie Obiano and APGA. Can this be said to be action of people on a kind of pact?”
Besides, the APGA has dedicated its victory to the memory of its late leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu.
Thanking the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for its dedication to conducting a free, fair and credible election in which Obiano emerged winner, the National Chairman of APGA, Chief Victor Umeh, said that the victory was a restoration of the true spirit of the party.
At the Government Lodge, Awka, yesterday, Umeh said that the victory had sustained the vision and legacy of Odumegwu-Ojukwu.
Addressing journalists, he added: “The light which Odumegwu-Ojukwu lit in his lifetime is now shinning more than ever.”
Thanking the people of the state and APGA’s supporters, the incumbent governor also appreciated Jonathan for “his commitment to democracy, fair-play that guaranteed this credible election. For the first time, an incumbent President is seeing to such a free and fair election. He is our President; we shall give him our support in 2015.”
Announcing the victory of APGA in INEC’s office in Awka at 12.41 a.m. yesterday morning under the watchful eyes of security men, the Returning Officer of the election, who is also the Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar, Prof. James Epoke, said Obiano polled 180,178 votes, the highest, and the majority spread in two-thirds of the local councils.
Obiano had actually won in 19 local councils out of the 21 in the state.
Declaring the results, Epoke explained that to win the governorship election, a candidate must either win the majority votes cast or a spread of 25 per cent in two-thirds of the local councils.
The first runner, Nwoye of the PDP, polled 97,300 votes while Senator Chris Ngige of the All Progressives Congress (APC) scored 95,963 while Ifeanyi Ubah of the Labour Party (LP) scored 37,195 votes.
APGA won in 19 local councils, the PDP won in nine local councils, the APC in seven, while LP won in one. After the supplementary results, Epoke explained that out of the 1,770,127 total registered voters in the state, 405,891 were accredited, 425,254 were declared invalid and 16,988 were rejected.
Obiano’s victory came at the end of a supplementary election on November 30 after the INEC declared the November 16 election inconclusive following irregularities that led to the cancellation of 113,113 votes in many polling units in the state. Although the supplementary election was conducted in 16 local councils, the most affected area was Idemili North, in Anambra Central, where about 160 polling booths were cancelled.
Obiano started his career as a banker with First Bank of Nigeria in 1981. From there, he moved to Texaco Nigeria Plc., an oil marketing company as a lead accountant specialising in bunkering, lube-blending and refinery audits. He rose through the corporate ladder to the position of Chief Internal Auditor in Texaco before joining Fidelity Bank Plc.
He joined Fidelity in 1991 as Deputy Manager and Head of Audit. He was speedily promoted again. He became Assistant General Manager in 1993, Deputy General Manager in 2000 and General Manager in 2002. In 2003, he became an Executive Director of Business Banking at Fidelity Bank Plc.
While in Fidelity, he worked in various departments from operations to marketing and internal audit. He served as an Executive Director of Fidelity Bank Plc. Obiano, a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) holds a B.Sc in Accounting and MBA from the University of Lagos.
Obiano was drafted into the race for the governorship two weeks to the primary of his party, where he polled 817 votes, ahead of his closest opponent and member of the House of Representatives Mrs. Uche Ekwunife, who scored 150 votes.
His emergence attracted mixed reactions even within his party. He was seen as an imposition from Obi, who single-handedly championed the power shift to Anambra North Senatorial District. He was also seen as Obi’s lackey considering his lack of political experience. The theme of his campaign was ‘continuity.’
Last night at his expansive country home in Aguleri, Obiano re-echoed the same sentiment. Surrounded by jubilant family members, kinsmen, supporters and associates as he read his acceptance speech “Sustaining Our Steady March To Progress,” he stated: “In voting Dr. Nkem Okeke and me as Deputy Governor and Governor-elect, you have also expressed your wish that the tradition of excellence, which my brother, His Excellency, Governor Peter Obi, has entrenched in Anambra State these past eight years, should be sustained. I wish to assure you that Nkem and I are ready and adequately prepared to expand the boundaries of our development and place Anambra State on the map of rapidly advancing states on all parameters of development.
“Ndi be anyi, I stand here tonight in the shadow of history. You made history when on November 16 and today, you cast your votes in favour of APGA. In doing so, you have affirmed the life-long struggle of our great father, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu. You also upheld his view that our people should preserve our heritage through one united political roof. Ndi Anambra, I want to thank you for honouring the memory of the late Ikemba.”
Obiano called on his former contestants in the governorship election to join him in the task ahead in developing the state.
He acknowledged that the in-coming government would “need the goodwill and support of everyone to build on the great foundations we have inherited. And I hope we will get it.”
Adding that this was one call that he expected everyone to answer, he added: “I reach out my hand of fellowship to all my brothers who contested this election with me. I specifically urge my brothers, Tony Nwoye, Ifeanyi Ubah, Senator Chris Ngige, Godwin Ezeemo and many others that I cannot easily mention now for lack of time, to join us in the march to make Anambra State a better place. Please always remember that the blood that binds us is thicker than the politics that separates us!”
Relieving the acrimony of the campaign era, he said: “Give peace a chance, our victory came from a collective appreciation from our people in recognition of what the current administration is doing. Remember that the interest of the state should be placed high in all that we do.”
Jonathan, who congratulated Obiano yesterday, advised stakeholders who are opposed to the outcome of the governorship election to seek judicial redress in conformity with the tenets of democracy.
In a statement by his Spokesman on media and publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati in Abuja, Jonathan said: “As Chief Obiano prepares to assume office in March next year, President Jonathan urges him to dedicate himself to building on the laudable achievements of his illustrious predecessor, Mr. Peter Obi.”
Umeh and Obi have described the victory of their party as a confirmation of their growing strength.
At a brief press briefing at the Governor’s Lodge, Awka, Umeh said that the victory did not come as a surprise, but “came through the collective performance of Obi, APGA and the entire people of Anambra State.
“The governor’s performance was the tonic that turned the victory. While it is an emphatic victory by the people of the state who made us score the required 25 per cent in 19 out of the 21 local councils of the state, our victory is a further affirmation of our acceptance by the people.”
Obi said that many people were not aware or would not want to give APGA its credit and place in history in Anambra. He observed that APGA made it possible for a sitting governor to come back after impeachment. APGA went to court to settle the ambiguity over the tenure after taking the oath. When no one gave APGA a chance, it has become the first party, not only to do a second term, but to succeed itself in power. This back-to-back is a testimony to the staying power of the party.
“APGA faced challenges and when people didn’t give us a chance, we survived. We will remain together for APGA to be stronger.”
Source: Guardian
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