Anambra 2017: APC’s Plot To Unseat Obiano Thickens
Before now, many believed that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), is the party that will give Governor Willie Obiano the runs for his money in this year’s coming governorship election in the State .
But events of the last few months showing how the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has used its federal might to crush its opponents in the governorship elections held in Edo, Ondo States recently and lately, the Rivers State National and State Assemblies Rerun if not for the political Governor Nyeso Wike’s grass root support and political sagacity , have no doubt changed the view of many pundits.
Governor Obiano himself, it seem to have understood the enormity of APC federal might and how it was deployed to cow the opponents and snatch victory at all cost in other States. He also seemed to have understood the enormity of the APC plot to unseat him at all cost, using the machinery of the Federal Government machinery, including the electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in spite of its claim of being impartial, which it ought to be .
Hence Governor Obiano’s recent speculated move to abandon his All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), and cross over to APC, so as to run the coming governorship election on the platform of the party. But it was gathered that the overtures hit the rock as APC top hierarchy had insisted that there will be no automatic ticket for him or any other candidate, rather every aspirasnt must face the primaries. Governor Obiano’s media managers have since denied his speculated overtures to dump APGA for APC.
The massive cross-over of big time politicians and business moguls to the ruling APC in Anambra State in recent time gave the people imp0ression here that there was grand plot to unseat Governor Obiano from Government House Awka. At the last count, business moguls in the State who were chieftain and financiers of PDP such as Chief Arthur Eze, Dr. Ifeanyi Uba, Chief Obinna Uzor among others were said to have dumped their former party PDP and pitched tent with APC.
Frontline politicians in the State were also not left out as Tony Nwoye, former PDP chairman of PDP in Anambra State was said to have since joined APC in preparation for the contest of the governorship of the State on the platform of the party. Senator Andy Uba, representing Anambra South Senatorial zone in the Senate of the Federal Republic for the second time was said to be still perfecting how to move over to the party. In fact he was said to have made the initial move through his political god father and former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusagun Obasanjo, who led him to President Mohammed Buhari to anoint him as the automatic candidate for APC but Buhari turned it down.
What then is attracting these people to APC even when the party at the Federal and the State it is controlling is not particularly doing well? Many political observers believe most of these people will not add value to the party in term of bringing broad and grass root support but people who believe3 that election can always be worn through manipulation. And it is only the Federal Government that can provide the instruments of that manipulation to win an election at all cost.
APC as a party in the last two years it assumed power at the Federal level has raised the use of Federal might to win election in the country to a level of State policy. Unfortunately, the party that accused PDP of using the Nigerian Army, other armed forces as well as other security apparatus of the Federal Government and INEC in the last general election that brought in Gen. Mohammed Buhari, set up a panel that investigated the activities of some Army officers and soldiers and later dismissed some are today bare-facedly using the same soldiers, other security agencies such as police, Directorate of State Security (DSS), Civil Defence against their opponents.
They have also gone ahead to arm—twist Independent National Electoral INEC officials who seemly do not follow their script as is the case with the INEC staff in Rivers State who have now been sacked for allegedly manipulating the elections for PDP.
However, the business moguls in the State were said to have been lured into the party to protect their business interest and to that extent have given a firm promise to President Buhari and the leadership of APC deliver not only Anambra State but the entire South East to APC in subsequent elections.
It was gathered that the APC may have met and agreed on not only how to take over Anambra State in 2017 but also the entire South East in 2019, using the machineries of the Federal Government. And they will use Anambra State as a test case.
Part of the plot it was learnt was to give some of these dramatis persone mouth watering incentives such contracts and payment of debt owed them by the past administration, which will be difficult for them to resist. It was also gathered that one of them was paid a whopping sum of N9 billion which the Federal Government owed him in his oil business, while another business tycoon was said to have been awarded a fresh contract amounting to about a trillion naira from which the party will fund the 2017 governorship election in Anambra State.
Nonethless, many were of the view that where the party will encounter trouble is when they will select the flag-bearer as virtually all the flag-bearers living nothing undone and bent to pick the ticket of the party.
As at last count, no fewer than about seven persons, all prominent in their own right, have indicated their intention to run for the governorship of the State on the ticket of APC. They include the national auditor of the party, Chief George Moghalu, an industrialist and a former governorship aspirant on the platform of APGA, Dr. Chike Obidigbo, a former governorship candidate for PDP in the last election, who has moved over to APC, and now House of Representative member, Tony Nwoye, businessman and a former governorship candidate, Chief Obinna Uzoh, Senator Andy Uba, Mrs. Uche Ekwunife, a businessman, Chief Pat Nwibe among others.
APC stalwarts in the state have not hidden their determination to unseat Obiano as the Governor of the State in the coming election. Dr. Chris Ngige, the Minister of Labour seen as the leader of the party in the State had emphatically expressed that the party will chase Obiano out from Government House Awka in Anambra State after the election. Ngige was quoted as saying that Obiano has failed the people of Anambra State and rubbished the three fly-over bridge built by Obiano in Awka. He was said to have vowed that APC government that would be installed after the Anambra 2017 election will demolish the three bridges, which he said had distorted the Awka capital territory.
Ngige’s outburst was followed up by Moghalu, who was being speculated as the party’s anointed aspirant for the APC’S ticket. Moghalu, a veteran politician was quoted as boasting that he will beat Obiano even in his constituency because he (Obiano) has not done anything for the Anambra people
Many were of the opinion that Ngige, Moghalu and other APC chieftains in the State were just testing the ground to know how APGA and the people of the State will respond to likely use of Federal might in the coming election.
Unfortunately, Obiano and APGA were yet to respond to Ngige and Moghalu as well as the seemly plot to unseat him during the coming election. All efforts to get the Governor’s spokesman, James Eze and his Commissioner for Information, Ogbuefi Tony Nnacheta failed failed. We howeer learnt the Governor who is said to be making overtures to the Presidency does not want to be drawn into reckless controversy that will anger the power that be and further jeopardise his chances in the coming election.
But the source said that Obiano and APGA were not in anyway threatened by the seemly gang-up by some businessmen and politicians in the State through APC, stressing that Obiano has his own game plan up his chest and will unfold it when the time comes.
“Don’t forget he is the incumbent Governor. He has his game plan. I will assure you this plot will crumble. You will see it” said the source who preferred to be anonymous..
