The waning influence of godfathers in Anambra

Obi and Jega

After consultations in Abuja last week, contenders for the Peoples Democratic Party ticket for the fourthcoming Anambra State governorship election stormed Akwa, the state capital.

Each had a mission to prepare for the party’s governorship primaries due to hold in two months.

Many of them were seen setting up campaign offices while several others were holding meetings with supporters at different locations.

A similar scenario is playing out in other political parties albeit at a lesser level. Contenders in political parties like the All Progressives Grand Alliance and the Action Congress of Nigeria are not as upbeat as their counterparts in the PDP because a faction of APGA and the Congress for Progressive Change are in the process of joining the All Progressives Congress.

An aspirant, Mr. Ifeanyi Uba, who decamped from APGA seems to have taken control of the Labour Party, while Dr. Igwebuike Hygers, is about the only aspirant in the CPC.

It is curious that not much has been heard from the camp of the Ubas of Uga in the run-up to the governorship election.

One of them, Senator Andy Uba, has signified his intention to run for the office of governor but his camp is calm when compared with others.

For about one and a half decades, the Ubas — Chris, Andy and Ugochukwu  — practically decided who occupied public offices in  Anambra State and at the federal or state level.

Chris, a  close friend of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, was so powerful that he claimed credit for nominating all the 30 members of the state House of Assembly, 11 members of the House of Representatives, the three senators, the governor and deputy governor during this period.

The three sons of the late Philip Uba, were barely known before 1999 when Nigeria returned to civil rule. With close ties to Obasanjo who later emerged as President, Anambra was literarily handed over to them.

While Andy held forth in Aso Rock as the Special Assistant to Obasanjo on Domestic Affairs, Chris dictated the tune in Awka as political godfather.

Their eldest brother, Ugochukwu, was appointed a commissioner in the cabinet of Governor  Chinwoke Mbadinuju, to protect the family’s interests.

The 2003 general elections marked the height of the Uba hegemony. Basking in the support the family enjoyed from the Presidency, Chris took charge of affairs in Awka. The other significant godfather, Emeka Offor, having been schemed out, concentrated on his business in Sao Tome and Principe.

Chris had an initial problem. He did not have control of the state machinery of the ruling PDP.

A peace settlement brokered by the former Senate President Dr. Chuba Okadigbo, in 2000 had given Mbadinuju the privilege of nominating the Chairman and Secretary of the party, whose loyalty remained with him.

To ensure that the Ubas controlled affairs, the Chief Audu Ogbeh-led National Working Committee of the PDP drew up a fresh list of delegates. This effectively handed over the party structure to Chris.

It was learnt that Senator Ibrahim Mantu, who conducted the primaries at the Women Development Centre, Awka, explained to Mbadinuju that although his protest against the turn of events had merit, he was constrained to rely on the list endorsed by the national chairman.

The primaries which followed produced Dr. Chris Ngige as the party’s flagbearer; he was before then a senatorial aspirant. Ngige was conscripted and sponsored by Chris.

Earlier, an opportunity was given to other PDP aspirants to step down for Ngige. Those who complied were rewarded with tickets to the Senate, House of Representatives or simply compensated with appointments.

Those who benefited from this arrangement included: Senator Ikechukwu Abana, who was imposed as the party’s candidate for Anambra Central, Senator Emma Anosike for Anambra North, Dr. Jerry Ugokwe, who was returned to the House of Representatives for Idemili Federal Constituency.

Others were: Mr. Chudi Offodile for Awka Federal constituency and Dr. Okey Odunze, who became a Special Adviser to Ngige after he was inaugurated as governor.

It is interesting to note that except for Ugochukwu, all the candidates imposed by Chris on the PDP won the 2003 elections.

They were however kicked out by the Election Petition Tribunal which cited irregularities in their nominations as reason for the verdict. Senator Joy Emodi replaced Anosike, while Senator Ben Obi replaced Abana as the authentic candidates for the PDP.

The revolt by Ngige a few months later and the events which followed in 2003 through 2004, dealt a huge blow to the political empire of the Ubas. They however remained influential in the state courtesy of the Obasanjo-led Federal Government.

However, a family feud over who among them should contest the 2007 governorship election signaled the beginning of their decline.

While Chris preferred Ugochukwu for the job, Andy wanted it for himself. Confident of federal support, Andy took the plunge and the family is yet to recover from the political consequence of this action. Ugochukwu lost his senatorial seat, Chris was incarcerated soon afterwards. He left to join the Democratic Peoples Party.

Andy won and was sworn-in as governor. Two weeks later, a judgment of the Supreme Court cut short his victory dance. The court ruled that Peter Obi’s tenure was still subsisting and as such, Andy’s election was a nullity.

By 2010 when another governorship election was due, the family had reunited but its influence had waned. This time, they supported Andy’s aspiration. When he failed to get PDP’s nomination, the family joined the Labour Party, but the gamble failed. Governor Obi was re-elected for a second term.

Consolation came for him in 2011 when he contested and won the election for Anambra South using the platform of a faction of the PDP led by Chris. Andy’s opponents are still in court contesting the results of that senatorial election. The petitioners argue that the faction of the PDP that gave him the ticket was not the authentic one.

The calm in the Uba camp may have been informed by experiences from previous governorship elections. Although they won in the field, they eventually lost nearly everything at the tribunal.

A little history would suffice at this point. The family did not really sponsor a governorship candidate in 1999.

In 2003, they sponsored Ngige, who was declared winner by INEC in controversial circumstances, but lost eventually at the tribunal to  Obi.

In 2007, when Andy contested and won the governorship election, INEC disqualified three major contestants – Obi, Ngige and Nicholas Ukachukwu.

Although he is in the Senate, Andy’s tenure is still being threatened by Ukachukwu’s suit which follows the same thread as that of Senator Margery Okadigbo. Okadigbo’s suit overturned that of John Emeka who contested on the same factional lineup as Andy.

There are several odds stacked against the Ubas in the coming governorship election. Apart from the sentiments about their sordid past in the politics of the state, there are move by powerful elements in the state that insist that the governorship seat should move to Anambra North senatorial zone. This zone has not produced a governor for the state since it was created in 1991.

The Ubas, who hail from Uga, the Aguata Local Government Area, are from Anambra South Senatorial Zone, which has produced Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife and Dr. Chinwoke Mbadinuju as governors.

One of the proponents of this power shift to Anambra North is Obi whose capacity to influence things in the state is no longer in doubt.

Besides, there is growing unity among the people of Anambra North. They have increased the tempo of their campaign to get the other zones to support their claim to the governorship.

With the void being created by the absence of the Ubas in the political arena, observers predict that the outcome of the November 16 governorship election will be critical in determining the new power broker(s) in the state.

Already, Obi and Chief Arthur Eze are names that have been mentioned as being those that will define the political destiny of the state in the next four years.

Meanwhile, the clan of aspirants for the governorship poll has continued to increase. Some of them are: Dr. Alex Obiogbolu, Mr. Chijioke Ndubuisi, Mr. Ifeanyi Ubah, and Mr. Akachukwu Nwakpo.

Others are: Dr. Chike Obidigbo, Mr. Chinedu Idigo, Mr. Oseloka Obaze, Mr. Mike Okoye, Mr. Paul Odenigbo, Mr. Patrick Obianwu, Mrs. Uche Ekwunife, Ngige and Mr. Godwin Ezeemo. Whether the decline in the political fortunes of Anambra’s once powerful family is a temporal setback or a permanent one, only time will tell.

Culled from: Punch