ABIA GUBER: PDP In Battle Of Its Life

  The political scenario in Abia State is bound to present a spectacle in the coming days, as struggle for political of­fices reaches fever pitch. The road to the Umuahia Government House in 2015 may be tough but there will be no incumbent to stand in the way of contenders. For one, Governor Theodore Orji, aka Ochendo, is barred from contest­ing for that office. He must willy-nil­ly vacate office of governor on May 29, 2015 for another person, having served for eight years of two terms. Since another person must take over as governor, the battle is fierce. However, the incumbent has anointed someone. That person has emerged standard-bearer for the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Whether he will win in the upcoming elections is another cup of tea, as the groundswell of opposition is overwhelming. Long before the PDP primaries,
Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, backed by Gover­nor Orji, was touted to be the man programmed to emerge as standard bearer. Other parties have oiled their machinery and thrown their hat in the fray. The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has gone to the ruling party to pick one of their own, Dr. Alex Otti, to square up with Ikpeazu and other contenders. The All Progressives Congress (APC) has fielded Nyerere Anyim and the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) has put forward Sir Chikwe Udensi, a former chieftain of the ALGON, in a move that has the trappings of a game changer in the race. Before the candidates emerged from the horde of aspirants, several factors played defining roles. The zoning hurdle Over time, the principle of zoning has come to the front burner in Ni­geria’s political annals. The concept tends to be deployed by politicians to meet political ends rather than achieve the even spread of power, as intended. In the wake of party primaries in Abia, there became an orchestrated cry for zoning in which the agitators said time was ripe for the pendulum of power to swing to Abia South. The argument is that that section of the state had yet to have one of its own govern the state. When Daily Sun visited Abia days to the primaries, Boro Nwaiwu, a chieftain of PDP in the state, who also coor­dinates Association of True Gover­nance, said he had been an advocate for zoning before other members of the party began rooting for it. “I have taken a historical look at the governorship race in the state and it is obvious that Abia South needs to take its turn in producing the next governor of Abia State. In the days of National Republican Convention (NRC) and Social Democratic Party (SDP), as created by the regime of Ibrahim Babangida, it was Dr. Og­bonaya Onu, who governed the state, before that regime was truncated and part of Abia was ceded to the new state of Ebonyi created by the Sani Abacha regime. When democracy returned in 1999, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu won the election under the PDP when he contested with Chief Vincent Ogbulafor of the All peoples Party (APP) at that time. He won a second term in 2003. In 2007, Governor Orji won under the PPA. None of these governors came from the northern part of the state. So, equity demands that that Abia South produces the next gover­nor, argued Nwaiwu. In other wards, the Ukwa-Ngwa axis should get a shot at the coveted office. There tended to be a move by the powers-that-be to move in that direc­tion, so much so that they moved to get the ruling party to give a stamp of authority to that decision at the centre. But some of the contestants at the primary elections fought the concept with all they could muster. Dr. Uche Ogah, a business man with enormous resources, who would have been edged out of the race, had PDP formally endorsed zoning, fought against the concept in pursuit of what he described as ‘a divine mandate’ to govern the state. The party jet­tisoned the concept and declared the contest open to all comers in the state, irrespective of which part of the state they hailed from. That tended to be a respite for contestants from other parts of the state. But it was temporary within the PDP fold. When the primaries came, the state authori­ties still made sure a man from Abia South emerged as winner in a contest that was said to be controversial. That stage has long gone. The real election comes ahead. One contes­tant whose political barometer saw the foregoing in the PDP was Dr. Alex Otti. He resigned as the helms­man at Diamond Bank Plc. to throw his hat into the ring for the contest. He quickly pitched his tent with the APGA when it became clear that PDP big wigs in the state were working from the answer to the question, in the matter of getting candidate for the party. Ikpeazu became the answer even before the question arose. When Daily Sun visited the state, shortly after the PDP candidate emerged, some party faithful said the application of zoning in the state was skewed. Peter Elezie, a hotelier and political activist, said there was more than meets the eye in the so-called zoning formula. “If you look closely, you will see that just one local government in Abia South is benefiting from the so-called zoning. The people of Obingwa local council seem to be benefiting from the zoning project. As we speak, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe got back his ticket to return to the Senate on the platform of the ruling party in the state. We hear it was a trade off for his governorship ambition. Honourable Eziuche Ubani also has the ticket to re-contest for the House of Representatives. Then the big one is the governorship ticket, which the ruling party has given to Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu. All these people I have mentioned come from Ob­ingwa Local Government Area. Even the Chairman of Abia State council of Traditional rulers, Eze Ebere Dick­son, is from the same local govern­ment. It means the whole thing about zoning is skewed to only one local government in Abia North. I do not think this zoning thing is real,” he told the reporter. There is more to the ground swell of opposition in the brand of zoning in the state. The next ready example is a similar case in Abia Central where one family has the ticket of the PDP to contest for the senatorial seat and the state House of Assembly. Governor Orji has the nod of the PDP to run for the Senate and in sheer display of a firm grip over the party, his son, Chinedu Orji, alias Ikuku, has the party’s ticket for state House of Assembly. Political pundits say the game plan is for Chinedu to emerge speaker of the state of House As­sembly. Projections are that the move would put the governor in check, given that the speaker can always wave the impeachment stick at him should he begin to ‘grow wings.’ But the real contention is that the zon­ing formula was stood on the head in Abia State. It was intended to skew power to predetermined persons, a decoy to mask underlying intentions. Contenders forge on The contest is underway and it would seem that the people have seen through the real intentions. Such contenders as Otti, who jumped ship to pursue his ambition on another platform, saw the bubble early. He now flies the flag of APGA, although there seems to be a clog in the wheel, given the insistence of Chief Reagan Ufomba, who had the ticket in the 2011 polls, that he is the authentic candidate of the party. Otti is said to be a strong contender and has incurred the wrath of powers-that-be, resulting in defacing and occa­sional pulling down of his billboards by agents believed to be from the government. Otti has cried out over the debilitating action but has since revved up his campaign, hitting the road in pursuit of his ambition. A statement from his campaign of­fice said the candidate would not be distracted. He has remained focused on his pursuit. Otti is believed to have been encouraged to put his hat in the ring by the incumbent gover­nor. When the former banker saw the encouragement as not deep-rooted, he made a detour to his new party. He has remained in the trenches, hoping to carry the day. He seems to be popular and is the name on the lips of many people. However, political pundits say his structures are not deep given that he had not been entrenched in the politics of the state. “Otti has garnered support from his colleagues in the corporate environ­ment. How that can translate to pen­etrating the structure in the grassroots is a different ball game. But he is generally popular but as you know in elections, you may be popular but fail to move to the next level,” said Inno­cent Kalu, a seasoned journalist, who publishes a bi-weekly newspaper in the Umuahia. How far Otti can turn his popular­ity into political fortunes remains to be seen as the polls inch closer. Chinenye Nyerere Anyim: He flies the All Progressives Congress (APC) flag. He has been a long busi­ness associate of Governor Rochas Okorocha. Some insiders say he actually runs the governor’s business. It has also been said that the man rode on Okorocha’s back to get the ticket. He has not moved crowds in the wake of the campaign but those in his camp say if his party wins at the national level, he may reap from the bandwagon effect that may fol­low. Anyim is no greenhorn in Abia politics, having run for primaries for senatorial seat in the past without success. Sir Chikwe Udensi: This is the PPA candidate. He was formerly a top runner in APGA, holding the structure of the party before Otti joined and was handed the ticket. Udensi had to defect to PPA, a party which won the governorship seat in 2007, against the PDP. Past leader of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Udensi has revved up the PPA and added what he brought from APGA. The other day, he upped the ante in the Abia guber race when he reportedly commenced rehabilita­tion of eight kilometres of roads and clearing of refuse in Aba with his personal funds. The roads being re­habilitated by Chomen Construction Company are old express road, along Slaughter House Road, St. Peter’s Catholic Church Road, Eziukwu, Ohanku and St. John’s Catholic Church Road. Udensi said he was moved by compassion to undertake the rehabilitation and clearing of refuse. “I went to do some sensitisation at Eziukwu Aba and I was shocked to see where people live and the roads that lead to their houses. I felt that before I become governor, rain would have started and I said to myself, I would not leave these people the way I met them. That was why I needed to start some level of roadwork…I was moved to tears when I got to Dan­fodio Market. The way the people complained about their predicament to me, as if I was the governor, was quite touching. You will see the feeling of rejection and dejec­tion on their faces. I had no choice but to move into action. I promised them that the refuse and the debris would be packed the next day and as I speak to you the refuse has been packed and the people are happy,” he said. With his grassroots strength gar­nered as ALGON chief, Udensi, who also grew up in Aba, is penetrating the hearts of voters. Okezie Ikpeazu: This is the candidate of PDP. He was the former boss of the state’s waste management agency and was anointed by Gover­nor Orji and his son. However, in­stead of the governor’s support to be a plus, it seems to be a minus. This is so because the resentment of the governor, who many believed has not performed well in office, has been transferred to him. Apart from this, Ikpeazu has some issue with his tax payment. In fact, two governorship aspirants have taken him to court over his tax payment. As it seems, his fate hangs on the tax cases. If he loses before the election, Ogah, who came second in the primaries would become the candidate. If, on the other hand, he wins the election and loses the eligibility case bordering on his tax, Ogah will become governor. What to expect The gubernatorial election in Abia is too close to call. What seems to be obvious is that the state’s resi­dents and indigenes are not happy with Governor Orji. And that’s why Ikpeazu of the PDP has a problem. Political watchers say that if a proper and transparent election is conducted in Abia, the PDP candidate would lose, as protest vote is imminent.
source:sun