Anambra 2021: Capacity Is Not Making Wild Claims But Proving It.
By Tai Emeka Obasi
After the different party primaries, the Anambra 2021 Guber campaigns took a very different turn. Major contenders from major parties faced serious challenges.
The 2021 Guber party primaries exposed ndi Anambra for what they are – fierce competitors! Apart from YPP, every other major party presented a bogus number of aspirants, none willing to be sidelined. From bizarre disqualifications to 11th hour introduction of super delegates, down to stataco direct primaries, all the three major parties invited more than their monies’ worth of problems.
Unknown to these major aspirants that emerged their parties’ declared candidates, ndi Anambra took up their binoculars and telescopes. The first major test of capacity was staring the would-be governors on the face. It was time to prove to ndi Anambra that they have the required capacity to manage a very difficult set of individuals, especially the elites that every aspirant can be rightly described as.
Despite his party holding what was perceived by many as the worst primary out of the three major parties, Senator Andy Uba took up the gauntlet to demonstrate an unprecedented capacity to quell very evident crisis, got his warring colleagues under one umbrella and affirmed Igwebuike in very camaraderie fashion.
Instead of the other parties to learn the art of genuine reconciliation from the Uga-born politician, they rolled out propaganda machine, claiming all over the place that President Muhammadu Buhari did not endorse the candidacy of Senator Uba. It didn’t take long for that obvious lie to expire.
They started another, claiming APC can never win Anambra State no matter who emerged as candidate. But what most of these media vuvuzelas failed to grasp, either out of ignorance or simply being insensitive to realities on ground, is that the Anambra State which Gov Willie Obiano will be handing over on March 17, 2022, is a state on its knees – completely devastated in all facets of development, including the security he used to boast with.
Ndi Anambra that know the kind of character required to get us out of that depth of mismanagement saw exactly that in the APC candidate. Governance is not a winner-takes-all. The one lucky to become the governor out of about eight million others should be able to show he/she will run an inclusive government irrespective of the party that brought him to power. He/She must show the capacity to bring qualified ndi Anambra together, particularly at this stage of APGA-induced decay, to get our state back to the level of the eight glorious years of HE Peter Obi.
The only candidate that excellently demonstrated that wholesome capacity has been Senator Uba. That is why those that know started joining APC in droves. Without his party having either a Federal Rep or State Rep from Anambra, Uba has cornered a serving senator, five serving HoR members, eight serving HoA members since he was declared the party’s candidate. It’s akin to performing a miracle for those that understand the feat. And it didn’t end there…a serving deputy governor has joined Uba camp. If this is not a death knell to the ruling party in the state, nothing ever will be more devastating.
But what do we get? While the APC candidate quietly builds up tsunami-like momentum, the other parties went to town with their bogus lies in name of propaganda that the former presidential aide was inducing them with tons of cash. So suddenly, Uba is richer and will to spend more than Obiano, the sitting governor? If it was all about cash, what moral justification has an aspirant who shared over $4000 per delegate just for one vote to become his party’s candidate to talk about money politics? But it’s all about negative politics borne out of frustration that the quietly working man from Uga has stirred his widely expected turbulent ambition to a very smooth-running vessel that is daily gathering tons of admirers. Put your ears to the ground – more defections will happen.
They tell you that the decampees don’t have any politcal value. That none of their supporters defected with them. How laughable! Do these media janglovers ever visit their respective wards? Yet same set swim in the very deep waters of hypocrisy by excessively celebrating any little defection in their favour. Many of our politicians are truly bad but much more of our social media practitioners are far worse.
Of course, everywhere you turn you hear APC is coming to rig and never depending on votes. Yet videos of tours by all parties indicate otherwise. A lot of Anambra politicians hitherto underrated the APC candidate but the humble driver of the Igwebuike train has proved tomorrow’s Anambra will be safe in his hands. That’s why you see the unprecedented massive defections in his favour. A man planning to rig doesn’t go to such extra mile in mobilising the grassroots. I’ve looked deeply – the man fondly called Andy will win it free-and-fair. Those that know already acknowledge that his time is finally here. Don’t listen to propaganda borne out of those that spew hatred and frustration of getting post-primary activities bungled. Andy has proved and still proving that he has the necessary capacity.
