The Odds Against Soludo

Professor Chukwuma Soludo

Less than 60 days to the final countdown to the Anambra gubernatorial election, candidate of the People’s Democraic Party (PDP), Professor Chukwuma Soludo is yet to flag-off his campaign owing to opposition by members of his party
By Okechukwu Obenta, Awka
If the warning in the popular adage that “a House divided against itself can never stand” is anything to go by, no discerning political watcher will have any difficulty accepting the fact that the chances of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, emerging victorious in the forthcoming February 6, 2010 Anambra State gubernatorial election will be as tough as getting the proverbial horse to pass through the eyes of a needle.
For instance, as a result of the opposition to his candidature by some powerful forces within the party, Soludo has not been able to commence his campaign for the election less than 66 days to the conduct of the election. He has rather been locked in a bitter battle to extricate himself from the various legal actions instituted against his candidature by some aggrieved members of his party, as a result of which the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has refused to accord him recognition as the standard bearer of his party, insisting that it would only do that when all the legal issues have been resolved.
In fact, the PDP in Anambra State can at best be described as a house in tatters on account of the former CBN Governor’s emergence as the party’s candidate for the forthcoming gubernatorial election.
Based on an exparte order obtained by a member of the party, one Probity Adibe of Igbo-Ukwu ward I, Aguata local government area, which frustrated the conduct of the party’s gubernatorial primary earlier fixed for October 2, and the subsequent failure by the 47 aspirants who jostled for the party’s gubernatorial ticket to agree on a consensus candidate, the national hierarchy of the party had invoked its powers, as stipulated in the party’s constitution, and unilaterally nominated Soludo to carry the party's flag in the election and subsequently managed to submit his name to the INEC on the last day of the exercise stipulated by the commission.
But his emergence as the candidate of the party has rather balkanised members of the party, with the attendant acrimony exposing the party to such level of odium and ridicule that the popularity of the party in the state is seemingly nose-diving on daily basis.
Apart from the fact that over 26 out of the 47 governorship aspirants who vied for the party ticket are opposed to Soludo’s candidature, virtually all the major financiers of the PDP in the state, especially the acclaimed godfather of the state politics, Chief Chris Uba are opposed to the candidature of the former CBN governor. And they are believed to have sworn with their blood, that they would stop at nothing to make sure he does not fly the party flag on election day or emerge governor under the party’s platform.
Among the powerful forces against Soludo, apart from Chief Chris Uba and his elder brother, former Senior Special Assistant on Domestic Matters in the presidency, Dr. Andy Uba, are Prince C.N Ukachukwu, and Senator Annie Okonkwo. Even some other powerful forces like Senators Ikecukwu Obiora (Anambra South) and Joy Emodi (Anambra North), who were earlier believed to have given their backing to Soludo, appear to have started withdrawing support for him and this, according to sources within the party, is not helping matter. The Source learnt that Soludo has not been able to reach out to those powerful forces opposed to his candidature, including most of the other governorship aspirants who were edged out by the party’s national leadership to appease them and plead for their support.
A stalwart of the party who did not want his name mentioned in press, told The Source that all is not even well now between Soludo and his running mate, Senator Emma Anosike over his perceived arrogant disposition towards his suggestions. The Source learnt that for instance, Soludo was advised to commence house-to- house visit to all aggrieved powerful forces, especially the gubernatorial aspirants, to plead for their support, but that he has not done that.
As it is now, about five formidable forces have now emerged from the party. But the most ferocious of them, sources said, is the one led by Chief Chris Uba. According to political watchers, Uba’s camp constitutes the worst nightmare to Soludo’s gubernatorial dream because it is believed to wield overwhelming control of the PDP machinery at every level in the state, including, wards, local governments and state.
According to political watchers, it would, therefore, be very difficult for the PDP to win any election in a free and fair contest in the state without the backing of this camp.
Another formidable camp is the Senator Annie Okonkwo and Prince C.N. Ukachukwu camps. Okonkwo’s camp is believed to be the major force behind Uche Ekwunife’s gubernatorial ambition under the Progressive People’s Alliance (PPA). Ekwunife is already rated as one of the first three most popular gubernatorial aspirants in the forthcoming election. After the incumbent Governor, Peter Obi, the APGA flagbearer, Ekwunife under the PPA platform is rated second in popularity, followed by former Governor Chris Ngige of the Action Congress (AC).
Although Ukachukwu has not been identified with any other political party or gubernatorial candidate, he is, however, believed not to be supporting Soludo. He has a strong support base both in PDP and at the grassroots, such that his political influence constitutes a major factor any day in the state’s power tussle. Other powerful camps within the PDP include the Senator Ikechukwu Obiorah and Dr. Andy Uba camps. Although it is not yet clear where the Obiora camp will shift its support to–if it eventually decides to pull out from Soludo–Andy Uba’s camp, according to sources, is still testing the waters to determine whether he will take part in the gubernatorial contest under the platform of another party or not. The two political parties whose names have been in the public domain as those that Andy might likely run under one of its platform were the Labour Party (LP) and Congress for Democratic Change (CDC). But even this possibility has been eroded by the lapse of the November 30 deadline for the subsitution of candidates.
Meanwhile, The Source learnt that pressure is being mounted strongly on the former Senior Adviser in the presidency by the INEC chairman, Professor Maurice Iwu, to forget about joining the race. Iwu was said to have told Andy that as things stand now, it might be difficult to assist him in the election owing to the fact that the eyes of the world is focused on the election and that it might be risky for anybody to attempt to manipulate the exercise.
Although most of the various camps within the PDP have their respective interests in the forthcoming gubernatorial election, one common feature among them is their opposition to Soludo’s candidature. The Source learnt that, they view the manner the party’s national hierarchy foisted Soludo then, despite their opposition to such action as an affront on collective pedigree.
For instance, Chris Uba, Annie Okonkwo, C.N. Ukachukwu and Andy Uba are said to be of the opinion that they have committed so much of their personal resources, time and energy in sustaining the party for the national leadership to have brought Soludo from nowhere and impose him as candidate against their interest.
In fact, the level of worry the PDP national hierarchy has over the opposition to Soludo’s candidature was recently underscored by the presence of former Vice-President Alex Ekwueme at the party stakeholders’ meeting, which was the first he was attending in the state since the current democratic era. Ekwueme had pleaded profusely with members of the party to put behind them all their grievances and go into the gubernatorial election as one family in order to ensure that the state returned to the party. He lamented that even though the PDP commands overwhelming popularity, the state’s gubernatorial seat has been a source of bitter acrimony amongst members.
Meanwhile, to most political watchers at the PDP meeting, the absence of most of the powerful forces within the state including, Chris Uba as well as their political foot-soldiers and most of those who contested the party nomination with Soludo, was a pointer that the intervention of the former Vice-President, who incidentally is one of the founding fathers of the party, did not yield the desired result after all. Those who attended the meeting were largely members of the Soludo Campaign Organisation, with former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Agunwa Anaekwe as Director-General (DG).
Among the 47 gubernatorial aspirants who attended the meeting were Tony Nwoye, B.C. Okeke, Okey Muo-Aroh and Chika Ibeneme. Also at the meeting was Speaker of the Second Republic Anambra State House of Assembly, Chief Ifeanyichukwu Enechukwu. In fact, the poor attendance at the meeting by those who hold the nerve of the party in the state was a clear pointer that the meeting was a failed effort. C.I.D Maduabum, member representing Nnewi North, Nnewi South and Ekwusigo federal constituency, was the only National Assembly member from the state that attended the meeting. Also, out of the 30-member PDP- controlled state House of Assembly, not more than five of them attended. Those who attended were former deputy speaker, Ozo Ughammadu, Paulinus Obichukwu and Emeka Idu.
In his speech, Prince Kenneth Emeakayi, former Commissioner for Works and member of the Ukachukwu camp, made it clear to Soludo that unless he embarked on house-to- house peace mission to all those opposed to his candidature and ensure that he reconciled with them, his gubernatorial ambition under the party might be difficult to sail through. Besides, Emeakayi advised him to make sure funds were available for both lobbying of aggrieved party faithful and campaigns.
Idu, member representing Onitsha-North I state constituency, was however to let the cat out of the bag when he made it known at the meeting that the reason why they returned a list of nominees for membership of the State Independent Electoral Commission (ANSIEC) sent to the State Assembly for screening and approval by the state Governor, Peter Obi, was to frustrate the plan by the state government to conduct council election before the forthcoming gubernatorial election. The reason for the action, according to the lawmaker, was that if the election was allowed to hold ahead of the gubernatorial election, there will be no way any other political party could beat the incumbent governor in the election. He, therefore, advised Soludo to deploy enough funds to the State Assembly to make sure that the list of nominees to reconstitute ANSIEC was not approved by the House of Assembly.
The Source however learnt that even though Governor Obi was not desperate to conduct the council election, he was determined to reconstitute the commission with persons who would guarantee credible, free and fair council election whenever it was held. Those who made the list were believed to be persons with impeccable character and were reportedly selected by Obi, in consultation with some respected elders and leaders of major church organisations in the state.
Despite the perceived daunting obstacles against his governorship aspiration, Soludo however appears unruffled. He told journalists on Tuesday, December 1, at the Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity, Onitsha that opposition is a normal phenomenon in a democracy.
Concerning the various court actions against his candidature, he said that it was normal and that he would not even be surprised if some of such actions remained in courts even after the gubernatorial election. He also told The Source later in interview that contrary to the insinuations that he had not reached out to Okonkwo, Ukachukwu, and the rest, there was no truth in such claims.
Also, his running mate, Senator Anosike in interview dispelled the rumours making the rounds in the last few days that he had been engaged in serious disagreements with his principal political. Sources had alleged that Anosike even threatened to quit as running mate because of the perceived arrogance and refusal by Soludo to release funds for their campaigns.
In fact, from the calculations on ground, political pundits are basically of the view that the incumbent Governor Obi would be the greatest beneficiary of current bickering among members of the PDP. While the PDP is still busy breaking each others heads over the party ticket, Obi, observers say, has been seriously endearing himself to the electorate with the numerous achievements of his administration which he has been showcasing through the projects tour of his administration flagged-off since the past four months for different segments of people in the state.
It is estimated that over one million people in the state within the voting age bracket have so far participated in the tour of the various projects of his administration across the state.
Those who have participated in the project tour include members of the state’s Elders Forum, President- Generals of Town Unions, leaders of political parties, labour unions, civil society groups, media practitioners, teachers, okada riders, traders, legal practitioners, various church organisations, retirees, musicians, Nollywood actors, et cetera. At the end of the tours, each group normally retired to the Governor’s Lodge where they freely expressed their opinion on the performances of the administration and offer advice on areas that required improvement. Basically, there has no group that participated in the tour that did not endorse Obi for a second term in office.
Obi’s wife, Margaret has also been on a vigorous mobilisation and sensitisation of people of the state, especially at the grassroots levels. So far, the governor’s wife has toured all the 177 communities in the state twice and at each stop distributed assorted poverty alleviation items to indigenes in the host communities, ranging from cash to food items among others.
Meanwhile, one of the worst odds against Soludo is the realisation that his strongest backers appear to be forces outside the state. People like the former chairman of PDP Board of Trustees, Chief Tony Anenih, who was at one time quoted as having said that he was ready to change his name from Anenih to “Anene,” if that was what it would require to install Soludo as governor of the state.
Not a few elders of the state, including the immediate past President-General of the pan-Igbo socio-cultural umbrella, Ohaneze Ndigbo, Dr. Dozie Ikedife, has described the statement as an affront on the integrity of not only the people of the state, but the Igbo nation at large.