By James Orji
When Governor Willy Obiano appealed to voters in Idemili Local government area of Anambra state to deliver the same votes they gave him in 2017 to Professor Charles Soludo, the Candidate of the APGA in the just concluded governorship election, he probably knew that the LGA will play a crucial role in determining who becomes his successor.
Addressing the electorate and other stakeholders during APGA’s campaign tour of the area, on October 26, Obiano recalled that Idemili North gave him 12,000 votes during his re-election in 2017, urged the voters to mobilise more votes for the APGA candidate on November 6.
Thus, with the results announced so far by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC from 21 LGAs Professor Soludo has become winner of the keenly contested election, including wining Idemili North LGA where the former CBN Governor polled 5358 votes to defeat the candidates of the PDP and YPP who polled 2312 and 902 votes, respectively.
What this means is that the former apex bank governor will succeed Governor Obiano who played a crucial role in his election as the next governor of the state, despite seeming challenges to APGA fortunes weeks before the election after notable members of the ruling party defected to the APC.
In fact, some political pundits had predicted that the election was for APC to lose following the defections of notable members of APGA such as the Deputy Governor, Nkem Okeke and some lawmakers of the state house of Assembly to APC before the election.
Citing reasons for dumping his former party, Okeke said he had been unfairly treated by the governor and that their relationship has broken down completely. He denied allegation that he was lured into APC with huge sums of money.
According to him, “I have heard people asking me to resign, but I will never resign. The decision I made to join the APC is in my interest, the interest of my family and also in the best interest of members of my constituency, Njikoka, who I represent.
“I have people who have advised me that the position I hold is not for me alone but for the people of my constituency, so I represent them. I was elected on the same ticket as the governor of Anambra State, and I did not beg him to choose me as his running mate for a second time, it was he who came to me and said I will run with him for a second term and we won.”
The support Senator Uba received from members of opposition party who swelled the ranks of APC with their members must have given him the confidence that he was going to win.
Apart from this, the prediction by a United States-based research and political risk consultancy firm, Hallmark International Consulting Company, HICC that Senator Uba will win the election may have further boosted his confidence.
HICC had on November 1 said, “Senator Andy Uba, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress may win in a hotly contested election with a margin of error of between three to four per cent probability ratings in Anambra State governorship election”.
“In addition to the Federal Government projects, as a senator for eight years for Anambra South District, I have chains of projects done and scores of persons I empowered through one way or another,” the APC candidate said during his campaigns, adding that his party was poised to win the crucial election.
The APC candidate further received a boost to his campaign after popular priest, Rev. Fr. Camilus Mbaka, said a few days before the election that he saw “the cloud of Glory sitting on your (Una’s) head and what’s written is written”.
The predictions, obviously have failed to come to pass, with serious consequence for Senator Uba’s political future and other political big wigs from the state, analysts said, adding that the outcome of the election has jolted pundits who predicted a win for the former Senior Special Assistant to President Olusegun Obasanjo.
The implication of what happened in the just concluded election, analysts insist is that Governor Obiano has emerged as one of the power brokers in the state politics, despite the initial suggestion that his popularity has nosedived after eight years in office as the helmsman of one of Nigeria’s leading commercial centres.
Other influential politicians from the state include former Governors Peter Obi, Chris Ngige and Senator Andy Uba who failed in his quest to win the election in last Saturday governorship election, despite initial reports that he will defeat other candidates, due to his war chest and state power at his disposal as a result of his membership of the ruling APC.
Also, Senator Ifeanyi Ubah of the YPP could be added to the list due to his ability to remain relevant in the state’s politics despite the fact that his party is quite unpopular like other political parties such as the APC and PDP. Senator Ubah won his local government after polling 6,485 votes to beat APGA Soludo, who polled 3,369.
With Professor Soludo ready to be declared winner by INEC, keen watchers of the state’s politics said many things are about to change in the political configuration of state.
