ANXIETY trails Monday’s governorship primary of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) to select who flies the party’s banner in the November 16, 2013 election in Anambra State.
While the anticipation of who emerges as candidate is high, there are fears that the trumpeted peace accord recently reached between the State Governor, Peter Obi, and APGA’s National Chairman, Chief Victor Umeh, might unbundle in the process of picking the party’s candidate.
Already, the battle lines have been drawn between Obi and Umeh after the party’s screening panel, disqualified six aspirants, five of who are from Anambra North — the zone, which Obi insists must produce his successor.
For example, Obi and Umeh cannot agree on who should be the party’s governorship candidate. Obi opposed Umeh’s support for the former governor of the Central Bank and former governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2010 polls, Prof. Charles Soludo, as APGA’s candidate.
According to sources close to Umeh, “the national chairman wanted Soludo because he believes that he (Soludo) has the credentials, stature and charisma to defeat anyone in the November election. He is aware that the former central bank governor came second behind Obi in the 2010 election and that, but for the division in the PDP, he would have won that election considering the number of votes Obi got.”
But Obi is rooting for a retired banker and former Executive Director of Fidelity Bank, Chief Willy Obiano, who, it was learnt, was drafted into the race only two weeks ago.
Obiano does not have the support of the Umeh group, which sees him, not only as an outsider, but also worries that “he does not have the political value to win an election in the state against any candidate. He does not have a name that can win an election. He is also seen as a man who could starve the party and its men of funds.
“Of course, there are more viable options in Anambra North, but we are watching how the governor will pull it through on Monday,” said a source.
The signs of the present trouble and anxiety showed up shortly after the Appeal Court ruling, which reinstated Umeh and ruled that there should be a return to status quo. This was interpreted to mean that all those elected with Umeh at all levels should return to their positions. Most of the elected party officials had pitched their tents with Umeh during the crisis and they returned determined to take their pound of flesh from Obi.
They saw their first chance when they drew up the guidelines for the council polls. It was gathered that they ensured that nobody from the transition committee at the councils was eligible to contest the October council election. This was a ploy to oust Obi’s men, who had held sway and looked forward to the council elections as a chance to continue their tenure.
Having seen his men lose grounds ahead of the council election, of more worry for Obi is the fact that he is facing an uphill task trying to push forward a proposal that will ensure that his commissioners are selected as delegates for the governorship primary.
Umeh’s group is insisting that the commissioners will not be allowed as delegates.
The Guardian learnt that “core members of APGA are trying to ensure that they hold the aces in the choice of who emerges on Monday and they want to ensure that the delegates list doesn’t not give the governor any edge.”
One of the disqualified aspirants from Anambra North said yesterday in Awka: “It is becoming increasingly unlikely that Obi will be able to push through his choice of anybody without full support from Umeh and the party hierarchy. With Soludo out, he thought that the coast was clear for him, but the point is that his man is not Umeh’s choice and he can’t go it alone.”
Already, there are speculations that Paul Odenigbo might be the surprise choice if the plan to shut out Obi’s commissioners as delegates succeeds. Odenigbo was the Secretary to the State Government, a former political adviser to Obi and a man considered as very close to Umeh.
He stood by Umeh during the crisis and is seen as a core party man.
Another choice from the North before the delegates is John Emeka Junior, a former junior minister of transport under the late President, Musa Yar’Adua. Emeka, who left PDP to join APGA, comes from a political family and enjoys the popularity of his late father, John Emeka Snr, an astute politician, industrialist, hotelier and businessman.
His younger brother, Chinedu Emeka, was deputy governor under Chinwoke Mbadinuju.
Sources close to the party in Anambra disclosed that there are deep fears that APGA’s failure to pick the right candidate might spell doom for the party in November.”
Meanwhile, it was gathered that Anambra North Senatorial zone has moved against Obi’s nominee, Obiano, saying that the Governor reneged against his promise to the zone that he would support whoever they collectively select for the governorship.
Sources said the opposition to Obiano followed a complaint letter by one of the disqualified aspirants, Dr. Chike Obidigbo to the leaders of Anambra North Senatorial zone chronicling how Obi took them through the rigours of selecting a consensus candidate and recommending same to him for support, but the governor jettisoned the zone’s choice for his own preferred candidate.
According to the sources: “It is against this background of new disagreement in the party that Uche Ekwuenife, Emeka Nwogbo might emerge as the candidate of APGA.
“It has been found that Obiano has not been in the party for more than two weeks before his anointing when others were disqualified for such rationale.”
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