There’s no ‘Mr.nice guy’in it.The worst of qualities expected of humankind are often always on display,especially when elections are are at hand.Which is why,to borrow the words of Bishop Matthew Kukah,elections in Nigeria are characterised by the “trinity of violence,rigging and money”. Anambra is the arena where all of these vices are commonplace.It’s not unkind to say that politics in Anambra goes beyond vices of trinity.Everything,the bad and ugly, is thrown into elections. These include blackmail,intimidation,mudslinging,name- dropping,just everything else to demonize an opponent.No wonder,the unfortunate death of tens of worshippers at Adoration Centre,Uke,a few days ago has become an election issue.With barely four days to go till the election ,the gubernatorial candidates are doing everything to win. Expectedly,in the final days of their campaigns,the candidates are stumping around every part of the state waging their own battles,some throwing away every sense of humanity.But some of them are doing what they ought to do at this stage,emphasising their strengths.Dr Chris Ngige,for instance,boasts with his past years as governor,his experience. He reminds his supporters he wants to continue from where he stopped in 2006.This is despite the unforgettable problem that beset his administration,especially with his estranged godfather,Chief Chris Ubah that made the state the butt of all jokes. APGA candidate,Chief Willie Obiano reminds people of his glittering credentials as a banker and has promised continuity with governor Obi’s legacy. He consistently reminds voters that any second chance to Ngige will be a risky choice,the same way he says, with the Labour Party candidate,Chief Ifeanyi Ubah,who one must say, has shown so much energy and even overzealousness if not desperation in his campaign trail where he has promised every conceivable thing on earth to get the votes on election day. Chief Tony Nwoye of the PDP is a late starter and may have a hard job making himself heard for the few days remaining before the election. It is understandable,considering the numerous court cases he had faced to see his name on the ballot. His Appalachian strategy is ambitious in a different way.It involves a promise of N7m to every ward that delivers its votes to PDP.This is not surprising.It’s a sign of going for broke and a measure of the tons of cash at his disposal,made possible by his godfather,Chief Arther Eze,who claimed he has spent billions for the emergence of the PDP candidate. On paper,the election seems to be be a three- pronged,fierce battle among APGA,APC and LP candidates.Perhaps Nwoye would have been a serious contender to the crown had the state PDP aspirants not chosen to destroy their father’s inheritance rather than share it through endless crises. But that is not to dismiss the party’s chances or that of other candidates to spring a surprise.But keep your gaze on APGA,APC and LP candidates . This is an election like no one before it.The candidates are now making their final pitches to the electorate,what Americans call “closing arguments”.Whichever candidate emerges winner with the most votes must the one that maximises voter turnout and vote share in his stronghold. This is one election that the frontrunners have base territory,there’s no battleground zone in the strict sense of it,as each candidate commands followship in his geo-political zone.Pundits are predicting an extremely close race.I don’t think so.I foresee a runner away winner in the first ballot. Public attention is now focused on Anambra.How the election goes,how free and fair and acceptable the outcome will be to eventual losers will largely depend on the performance of the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC).This is another litmus test for the commission. It must get its logistics right,beginning with the electoral materials and the voters register.The last governorship election in February, 2010,was almost marred by spurious voter register.In every election in Nigeria, the Police have been accused of been an accomplice of violence,rigging/ballot stuffing and all sorts of electoral malpractice. The fact that every politician and business tycon in Anambra moves around town with his own battery of policemen makes this election even more intriguing.In this regard,perhaps the assurance of President Jonathan that the Nov.16 governorship poll will be freer and fairer than that of Edo and Ondo,will be put to test. It also depends on the candidates.Sadly,rather than focus on bread-and-butter issues that matter to the electorate,some of them have spent the greater part of their campaigns attacking the ongoing governor,Mr Peter Obi.But the truth is that Obi has made the office more attractive,and is widely believed to have accomplished more than all his predecessors put together.He has saved somuch money for whoever succeeds him. At the time he was elected governor,the State was in confusion.It was a time of great pessimism in the State.The citizens were in despair.The vast majority of Ndi Anambra at that time had become disillusioned,indeed fed up with the ability of government to make things happen for them. Politics,they believed, had lost its true meaning as a veritable means to serving the people.It was so because their politicians turned themselves into warlords and the state their battleground to feather their own nests.The people watched helplessly as the resources of the state were shared and destroyed by the warlords. That was before Obi came in the saddle.Despite the sarcastic sneers of his critics,one of Obi’s great achievements was the restoration of the citizens’ confidence in their own future and belief that governance matters if entrusted in the hands of someone who knows why and what he was elected to do. But since every elected official must give way at some point as provided in the Constitution,that means that every outgoing government will,as a matter of fact, be concerned about who succeeds it.Something has made this issue worthy of re-visiting today.One of the super-rich aspirants,is already traversing the state and lagos,boasting how he will run over the governor to get elected.The same candidate has told a few confidants how he would probe Obi’s administration within the first 100 days if elected governor next week. The truth is that no sitting governor, will feel pretty good,personally and politically seeing someone of questionable character take the reins of power from him.I believe that is a major concern to Obi. It’s a worry borne out of the nature of Anambra politics. Getting the right successor is one of the biggest tasks any outgoing governor in Nigeria can engage his brain.The truth,however,is that the process of getting a good successor is much more nuanced than many people can complete .
Posted on: Wed, 13 Nov 2013 10:54:04 +0000
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