By Abuchi Obiora
Primaries by delegates across the political parties registered by the INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission) to compete for the elective office of the executive governor of Anambra State in November 2021 have come and gone with winners and losers celebrating and introspecting, respectively.
But that was just the beginning of the game; the real game has actually started with the electioneering campaign of the successful gubernatorial candidates across the political parties to woe the hearts of Ndi Anambra.
At the campaign, political party flag bearers will try to outdo one another to curry both the sympathy and love of the electorate. As usual and common to Nigerian politicians, these governorship aspirants will use different methods which may include ‘Greek’ gifts to buy over the Anambra electorate.
The Kaleidoscope, in no way, doubts the competence of any of the gubernatorial aspirants so elected at their parties’ primaries, yet the kaleidoscope believes that it is an obligation it owes to Ndi Anambra to analyze and comment on the real situations on ground in the battle for the Agu Awka Government House.
This thought quickly leads us to one of the candidates, who for good reasons, may be regarded as the ‘primus inter pas’ (first amongst equals) in the assembly of the men standing to be elected as the Executive Governor of Anambra state.
That man is Senator Andy Uba, a former Senator of the Federal Republic and the APC gubernatorial candidate for Anambra 2021. Senator Andy Uba comes to mind easily as the most experienced and versatile politician amongst his peers.
Having worked for, and actually being a member of the inner circles of previous Central Government in Nigeria from 1999-2007 and a two-term Senator, Andy Uba most probably has more experience in the nascent Nigerian political chessboard characterized by the need to secure regional or State interests.
“Onye buru ibe ya uzo sibe nri na-aka ibe ya enwe nkponkpo eku na nkponkpo oku”. This means to say that Senator Andy Uba, the APC gubernatorial candidate in the on-coming Anambra election evidently has what it takes, more than his competitors, to secure the interests of Ndi Anambra.
Compared to other States in Nigeria, there is a dearth of federal government presence in Anambra in terms of central government investment and infrastructural development. If we are to go by his experience and exposure to many governments, Senator Andy Uba can be said to have a better advantage to secure federal presence to Anambra State. The second advantage Senator Andy Uba have is that he is being presented to Ndi Anambra by the political party controlling power at the national level.
Hitherto, Igbo in Nigeria especially Ndi Anambra have voted for their regional political party, APGA, to the disadvantage of Anambra and the Igbo States of South East Nigeria. Political expediency in Nigeria today demands that States or even Nigerian ethnic nationalities must align themselves to the central government to be able to share equitably from the proverbial national cake.
This is not the way it is supposed to be, but that is where we have found ourselves, till the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians for a restructure of the polity sees the light of day. As a matter of fact, and in view of this, it becomes political immaturity in the present day Nigeria for any state not to align itself to the centre to secure its interest simply because President Mohammadu Buhari, regarded by a cross section of the Igbos as an ‘Igbo hater’ is in power.
“Anodu nti nso, amaya ura.” Ndi Anambra should learn some lessons from some States in the Western part of the country. By aligning themselves with a government perceived by many people to be nepotic, the Yorubas have actually gained in the same government that the Igbos lost out. The Yorubas exhibited political maturity and the Igbos of Anambra State origin must learn this lesson and use the opportunity of the gubernatorial election of November 6, 2021 to correct this costly mistake earlier made by them.
What should be of concern to us is that Ndi Anambra have presented one of their best who is also well-positioned in his political party, to secure their interests at the centre.
Having said these, a few things seen as not fixing up well could become the albatross to the realization of the dream of Senator Andy Uba and the APC political party to sit at the Agu Awka Government House for the next four years.
For example, The Kaleidoscope has consistently observed a barrage of negative media report about the person of Senator Andy Uba and it is surprising that nothing has been done to checkmate, or at least throw some light on these negative media reports which have been fed to the public space by either competitors or people aggrieved by one thing or the other.
Most surprisingly, Senator Andy Uba lacks media presence and this could be inimical to his Anambra State governorship project. The lack of media presence by Senator Andy Uba may cause him his dream of being the Executive Governor of Anambra State.
Secondly, Senator Andy Uba is said to have an unpleasant social image of being elitist and grossly inaccessible to Ndi Anambra. Generally, he is also regarded as being an aloof personality lacking the required and necessary media follow-up to counter what may be wrong opinions about himself, his APC political party and the general conception by a section of Ndi Anambra that President Mohammadu Buhari is anti-Igbo.
For these reasons, though he is unarguably the candidate to beat in the coming Anambra State gubernatorial election because of his long association with government, experience and deep knowledge of the intrigues and intricacies of power play at the centre.
Senator Andy Ubah, also seen as not having effective grassroots support with yet another burden of being seen as having contempt for people, may not after all become the Governor of Anambra State, if nothing is done now and urgently too, to re-position him in a better light before the Anambra gubernatorial election of November 2021 takes place.
ABUCHI OBIORA
abuchiobiora@gmail.com
FOR:
Global Upfront Newspapers
www.globalupfront.com
REMARK:
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