2015: The exodus of APGA lawmakers and the war within... They may not have been the leading opposition but they were a bunch that could bite. And they did when occasion demanded it as their number fetched them a place in the mainstream opposition. But as far as the 7th assembly of the House of Representatives is concerned, they are no more because their number has been pruned to two out of seven persons who gave their political party a national significance at the dawn of the present dispensation in 2011. This is the situation with All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, at the moment. The party’s numerical fortunes in the House began to dwindle in September, 2013 when, in one fell swoop, some 37 lawmakers from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, defected to the opposition All Progressive Congress, APC. Ordinarily, nothing in the development was of any concern to the APGA lawmakers. This is according to some analysts, but for seeming political reasons, two members of the party got taken by APC, leaving the party with five members. Understandably, the two defectors came from Imo State and so followed their governor, Rochas Okorocha, who helped to form APC. But barely one year after the development, the largest of all blows visited APGA. This time, it was a well calculated attempt by its members in the House to finally snuff life out the party. At the centre of the current development is Hon. Uche Ekwenife, member representing Anaocha/Njikoka/Dunukofia Federal Constituency of Anambra State in the House. To keen observers of Ekwenife’s exploits, her action is not entirely a novelty. Tutored in the political dynasty of former governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chinwoke Mbadinuju, Ekwenife has since understood appropriate moves that could pay off. First, she launched a grip on PDP, secure the ticket, contested for the national parliament and won. But hardly had her first term elapsed when she threw in the towel for a governorship contest in 2010. Aware of the hurdles in the Anambra PDP which lowered her chances of grabbing the ticket, the banker-turned-politician headed for the Progressive Peoples Alliance, PPA. Ekwunife grabbed the PPA ticket, contested but failed. But she was not not perturbed. Her consolation apparently came from the fact that her term was still running at the National Assembly. Of course, she headed back to the House. But not too long, campaigns for the 2011 elections came on stream. Again, aware of her slim chances with PPA to return to the parliament, Ekwunife migrated to the ruling APGA. APGA favored her and she got re-elected on the party’s platform. Until August, no one thought that Ekwunife, who is also the House Committee Chairman on Environment, would ditch APGA for any other party. But far from it. Early August, the lawmaker packed her things and joined the chorus in the PDP. She would rather not move alone as she dragged four other lawmakers with her, leaving APGA bleeding in the parliament. On the heels of the defection filtered the news that Hon. Victor Ogene, member representing Ogbaru federal constituency of the state in the national parliament followed suit. But this has long been proved to hold no water as Ogene himself refuted the claim, authenticating his tenacity in APGA. In fact, if there is any one who has decided to swim and sink with APGA, it is Ogene. He did not defect. He has been joined by his colleague and member representing Akwa south and Awka North, Hon. Emeka Nwogu. Ogene, who is the Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, has reasons he would not move. One: he wants to remain grateful to the party under which he got elected in 2011. Two: His people have assured him of their unflinching support in the 2011 race, after all, such was the case in 2011 when they ignored all the entreaties of a sitting representative from the PDP and voted for him. Perhaps, the biggest of the reasons Ogene is staying back in APGA is yet another call by the people of Ogbaru federal constituency to him to return to the National Assembly in 2015. This way, they would show appreciation to a worthy ambassador who has, in the last three and a half years of his political career, made altruism his watchword. Again, repudiated as the shining face of APGA upon the exit of Ekwunife and co; it will be easy ride for him as the people would pour in their sympathy. Ogene’s strides Within the period under review, a plethora of unassailable feats now stand conspicuous on every nook and cranny of Ogbaru despite the fact that as a legislator, he is more lawmaking-oriented than he is in the provision of social infrastructures. But even before providing the infrastructures, Ogene, who is an accomplished journalist cum editor, had decided to start from the basics. This is better elucidated in an interview he granted recently. His words: “First and foremost, when I entered the fray as it were, I made it clear that I was not going to be sharing money because I was not coming into the field as a money bag. Secondly, I told the people that I was not going to build skyscraper, because it was not in my line of duty to do so. However, I still have my campaign pamphlets because I asked them to keep it safe and secure; that that would be the basis upon which they judge my tenure at the end of my tour of duty. First, I offered to give my people a voice within the larger Nigerian spectrum. “By that I mean, in not too recent past, when you ask anybody from my own sub-ethnic group within the larger Igbo nation; the Ogbaru people are on the banks of the great River Niger, and when you ask where are you from, and we say we are from Ogbaru, the next question is where is Ogbaru? You now begin to explain that it is where the highlife king, Stephen Osita Osadebe comes from. If the person does not catch the drift, you now say okay, do you know Prof. Ben Nwabueze, the foremost constitutional lawyer, you say yes that is where I come from, close to Onitsha. “But I said that because we are a proud people and we ought to be a lot more visible, and I started that even right from the campaigns by setting up the Ogbaru Voice, a community tabloid, which we have sustained. We are into our fifteenth edition, and we give it out free. Besides giving it out as an identity for an Ogbaru man, it also serves as a kind of feedback position for our representation. “So, whatever we do, we put it there alongside other community based stories. Then moving from there, on the floor of the House of Representatives, we also have not been quiet. Virtually everybody, the other 359 members now know Ogbaru. At the mention of the word Ogbaru, you know it is in Anambra state, associated with Hon. Victor Afam Ogene. So, through my interactions with the media, contributions, Ogbaru now has added impetus”. Not long ago, Ogene empowered over 150 of his constituents who were essentially youths. The youths graduated from a skill acquisition programme of the Fidelis Ogene Memorial Foundation, an institution founded in memory of Ogene’s father at his home in Atani community. However, the training programme was in conjunction with the National Directorate of Employment (NDE). The event, which attracted the presence of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, as the Special Guest of Honour, APGA National Chairman, Chief Victor Umeh amongst other party stalwarts, had the youths graduate in the different fields which included computer application, fashion and designing, electrical installation, barbing, hairdressing, catering and GSM repair. Items distributed to the graduands included 250 sewing machines, 100 grinding machines, 25 hair dryers, 25 gas cookers, 50 laptop computers, 15 wheelchairs, 20 electricity generating sets, clippers, 20 tool boxes containing components for GSM repair, 25 tool boxes for electrical installation, and additional 10 motorcycles, apart from 80 pieces he had donated earlier, and five block-moulding machines. Also, over 350 men, women and the physically-challenged, benefitted from the lawmaker’s generosity, as they went home with various items of empowerment. Besides all these, by Ogene’s efforts, some communities in his constituency had been connected to the national grid of Power Holding of Nigeria, PHCN through the distribution of transformers. Hurdles But despite these strides, Ogene faces some challenges in his ambition to stage a come back to the House in 2015. At the center of the challenge is the Speaker of his state Assembly, Rt. Hon. Chinwe Nwaebili, who is eying Ogene’s seat. Ordinary, there is nothing wrong with her ambition but many people think that the way she is going about defies every conceivable political nuances. For instance, she allegedly stopped her father, Igwe P.C.U Afubera, who is incidentally the traditional ruler of Ogbakuba, Ogbaru, from conferring on Ogene a chieftaincy. Ogene displayed maturity and asked for a postponement of the exercise which was originally slated to hold on July 26, 2014. Last week, the wife of the governor of the state, Mrs. Ebelechukwu Obiano, during her maiden familiarization tour of Ogbaru local government, also defied every political decorum and pronounced Nwaebili the choice of the party for Ogene’s seat. But for the interventions of elders of the community, a free -for -all would have ensued between the supporters of both parties. Outside Chinwe’s muzzle-flexing, the former occupant of the seat, Hon. Chukwu Onyema, who was roundly defeated by Ogene, is also angling for a return to the National Assembly. Sources say his hope is hinged on his brother, Mr. Oscar Onyema, who is currently the Director- General of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE. Already, signs that a dirty battle is imminent between the trio are everywhere with the stealing of voter cards in the area. On September 2, unknown persons broke into INEC’s office at Atani, headquarters of Ogbaru local government and carted away permanent voters cards of people. Though the matter is before a magistrate court in the area upon the arraignment of some three INEC security staffers, the elites and major contenders for the seat have continued to point accusing fingers against each other. ...The people to decide Though the game has completely assumed a dimension where money has become the language now, Ogene, who has the support of the common people, believes that his good works in the constituency and his finesse would sway the people to his side during the primary elections.
Posted on: Mon, 29 Sep 2014 00:31:21 +0000
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