Please if you are anywhere inside Anambra state,kindly update us with the happenings in your areas.......
One man,one vote......

The PDP held her general campaign yesterday being saturday 9th nov,in Ekwueme square with many PDP stalwarts in attendance..
Meanwhile,all general party campaigns ends or stop on monday 11th Nov....according to INEC

As of yesterday,9th Nov,Anambra people have started witnessing the trooping in of the Police forces from some neigbouring states.The stage is getting set.....

SENATOR ANNIE OKONKWO PULLS OUT 10,000 APC SUPPORTERS FOR COMRADE TONY NWOYE.....Pharm Ikeagwuonwu Klinsmann
The Capital City of Awka was thrown into fanfare yesterday as Senator Annie Okonkwo pulled out his supporters from APC to support the PDP Governorship candidate Comrade Tony Nwoye.
The event took place at the Campaign office of Senator Annie Okonkwo located at the popular Kwata Junction along the Enugu Onitsha road, Awka.The supporters numbering more than 10,000 and drawn from the 21 Local Government Area of the state assembled at the Campaign office of Senator Annie Okonkwo in the early hours of Thursday Nov 7th,2013.
While speaking at the event, one of the leaders of the group from Nnewi South LGA Hon Uchenna Okafor explained that their supporters in Nnewi South are tired of the lies and deceits of APC and have therefore decided to support the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state especially now the party has Comrade Tony Nwoye as her candidate
Comrade Tony Nwoye and his entourage arrived the campaign office of Senator Annie Okonkwo exactly by 11.20am and were welcomed with drums; music and fanfare. They were immediately ushered in by the organisers of the event with directive from Senator Annie Okonkwo
In a short message delivered by Comrade Tony Nwoye at the event, he thanked the new entrants for the bold steps they took, their contributions and decisions to support the PDP and was humbled by the confidence and trust the group had on him and the Peoples Democratic Party and promised his Government will ensure an enabling environment that will usher in a horizontal development in all socio-economic sectors in the state
Comrade Tony Nwoye went further to explain that he had a cordial relationship with Senator Annie Okonkwo dating back to 2007 when he was the PDP Chairman of the state and also promised to absorb all members of Senator Okonkwo’s supporters to the party and to the Campaign Programme of his campaign organisation
The Campaign Train of Comrade Tony Nwoye later took some of the new entrants to the PDP office at the Udoka Housing Estate where they were issued PDP membership cards

D 3 major contenders in anambra election viz-a-viz obiano, ngige, ifeanyi uba r all catholics. So how did d comment suit only obi if d story is even true?
For ur info, mbadinuju an anglican introduced church politics into anambra politics. He hated d catholic church and had to tear gas d church members and priest during a peaceful protest against d 1 yrs NUT strike u rmbr?
On d issue of handing over school, do u expect schools built by catholics and forcefully taken over by d govt, to be handed to anglicans? The catholic mission came with schools and hospitals dats y it seems they r d major beneficiary.
Let me remind u that oko polytechnic has been hijacked by d anglicans courtesy of alex ekwueme. A non anglican can not be a rector in okopoly without a good fyt from d anglican church. Don't sound one sided its a battle d anglicans started tru ezeife and mbadinuju, so don't blame catholics if they wake up after all, anambra is a majority catholic state.

Seven days to the Governorship election in Anambra State, an opinion poll conducted in the state has ceded the result of the election to the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Chris Ngige.
The candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Willie Obiano, came second, while Comrade Tony Nwoye of the people’s Democratic party (PDP) came third with Labour Party’s (LP), Ifeanyi Ubah in fourth place.
The poll was conducted by Pollstar Opinion Poll and Survey, a policy, politics, economy, business and consultancy outfit wich has Obi Benedict Ekene as its Executive Director.
Others who followed the leaders included Godwin Ezeemo of the Progressive People’s Alliance (PPA) with 10 per cent; Ifeatu Ekelem of Advanced Congress of Democrats (ACD) with 5 per cent; Basil Iwuoba of PPN (3 per cent); Prince Akanegbu of UPP (2.5 per cent); Anayo Arinze of ACD (1.5 per cent) while the remaining 3.5 percent was shared by the remaining candidates.
In the poll result made available to reporters in Awka yesterday, Ngige’s APC scored 27 per cent, Obiano’s APGA polled 21 per cent while Nwoye’s PDP had 15 per cent.
According to Pollstar, “Key factors that will determine the election outcome include pedigree, organisational capacity, emotional attachment and to a larger extent, the political party platform.
“In organising this opinion poll on Anambra 2013 governorship election, our major aim is to instill further the spirit of sportsmanship into the election, which has characterised Anambra election in recent times, and to separate the real contenders from the pretenders.
“We have therefore exercised the highest level of objectivity in generating and analysing data, leading to a factual result which reflects the reality on the ground.
“Pollstar is the most respected opinion poll agency in Nigeria with our predictions reflecting close to 99 per cent clarity,” Ekene said. http://thenationonlineng.net /new/ngige-leads-candidates- pre-election-poll/

Who win amongst this contestants ?
The candidates.......
Okeke Chika Jerry (AA)
Chukwuemeka Nwankwo (ACCORD)
Dr Ifeatu Ekelem (ACD)
Engr Anthony Anene (ACPN)
Comrade Aaron Igweze (AD)
Chief Anayo Arinze (ADC)
Patrick Chukwuka Ibeziako (APA)
Senator Chris Ngige (APC)
Chief Willie Obiano (APGA)
Chief Austin Nwangwu (CPP)
Chijioke Geofrey Ndubuisi (DPP)
Christian Ikechukwu Otti (ID)
Chief Dennis Nwaforka Oguge (KOWA)
Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah (LP)
Pastor Simon Okafor (MPPP)
Okoknkwo Webster (NCP)
Prince Leonard Uchendu (NNPP)
Nicholas Ukachukwu (PDP)
Godwin Ezeemo (PPA)
Hon Basil Ijedinma (PPN)
Onuarah Onyeachonam (SDP)
Barr Okoye Godson (UDP)
Prince Akaneebu Ogochukwu (UPP).

AS the November 16 governorship election in Anambra State fast approaches,KUNLE ODEREMIcaptures the twists and turns in the campaigns of the leading candidates.
AT the moment, Anambra State is in the news for two reasons. One of them is the tragedy that claimed no fewer than 28 lives following a stampede at a crusade ground. The calamity is currently a subject of controversy among some political gladiators in the state.
Another fundamental issue that has placed Anambra in the front burner of national discourse is the governorship election slated for November 16 in the state. While the men have been separated from the boys, the political atmosphere has been animated by the emergence of five leading candidates for the seat of Governor Peter Obi, whose two terms of four years each as allowed by the 1999 Constitution, ends early next year.
The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Tony Nwoye only got a clean bill of health on Monday via the Supreme Court, rather than Nicholas Ukachukwu. The legal battle had apparently denied the stakeholders in the state the opportunity to watch Nwoye during the political debates that featured other contestants like Dr. Chris Ngige of All Progressives Congress (APC); Dr Willie Obiano, of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and Dr Ifeanyi Uba, of the Labour Party (LP) and the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA), Chief Godwin Ezeemo.
Expectedly, the debates threw up a number of critical issues that affect the welfare of the citizenry and general development of the state. All but the candidate of PDP used the debates to showcase their programme for the state, as well as their positions on social vices like corruption among public officials, immunity for erring governors and their deputies and the advocacy for state police, two issues that have consistently elicited a lot of passion across the country.
It was apparent during the public political engagements involving the current leading political gladiators that late warlord, Chief Odumegwu Ojukwu remains a major issue in the politics of Anambra, which is home to a number of eminent personalities, both living and dead, in the entire South-East. While Ifeanyi Ubah claimed Ojukwu was not just his kinsman but a brother, Obiano promised to follow the footstep of his 'godfather,' Mr. Peter Obi, in his reverence to the deceased. However, Ubah promised to remain independent-minded and create a niche for himself as one man, who came and truly touched the lives of the vast majority of the people of Anambra. In other words, the campaigns of all the candidates have been an admixture of tantrums, mudslinging and banters, the mundane to the serious.
Travails of Obi
In 2003, Obi had contested on the APGA platform, but the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Ngige, who at that time the candidate of PDP, the winner of the governorship election. His victory was later overturned by a Court of Appeal on March 15, 2006. So, Obi was sworn in as governor on March 17, 2006, only for him to be impeached on November 2, 2006 by the state House of Assembly. His deputy, Virginia Etiaba, became state governor until Obi bounced back to power on February 9, 2007 on the order of the Court of Appeal sitting in Enugu. However, the political chess took another twist when PDP candidate, Andy Uba, defeated Obi in the 2007 governorship election, leading to another round of litigations, which eventually culminated in his return to the Government House, Awka in March 2006. The battle still dragged to the Supreme Court, which eventually nullified the grounds sought by Uba. The icing on the cake was the second four-year term secured at the polls on February 6, 2010.
Ubah
He is a business mogul with major interest in the oil and gas sector. He defected from APGA after he could not siecure its governorship ticket and his entry into LP is believed to have added pep and value to LP's machinery in Anambra. A popular philanthropist, he reportedly single handedly rebuilt the old Catholic Church Cathedral in his native Nnewi in Anambra South zone. Some say he has a large following at the grassroots. Ubah is pledging to make a lot of difference if elected, noting that he had shown his worth so far through his series of empowerment programmes. His words, "Politicians have to be sincere with what they say; the most important thing for us is to conduct local government election within 90 days of this government.
Anybody that is here must confirm to people that they should conduct local government election within 90 days.
"Ojukwu is my brother and you cannot be more Catholic than the Pope; you cannot bring the issue of Ojukwu in to this event.
It is very unfortunate the people who came into governance through the backdoor are now saying that they have governed.
"All has been said about Ubah and none has been proved; the problem I am facing is that I have come out to serve the people; we have to ensure that the judiciary is independent. I came here from the football field; I have a mini-stadium around my house. You cannot give what you don't have, there is no stadium in Awka and if I become governor, I will promote sports."
Ngige
The serving senator for Anambra Central senatorial district had triumphed over a former Minister of Information, Professor Dora Akunyili of APGA, in the 2011 election re-run. Ngige was the state governor from May 29, 2003 to March 17, 2006 and now a leading member of APC. This was how he reasoned about his second coning and plan for the stae if elected on November 16 as governor: "It is a second missionary journey; my blueprint which I left for Obi I want to come back and accomplish them; security of lives and property. I have done it before and we have to wire the state security-wise and install bomb detectors at strategic points to secure the State...For me, I don't know how to import dual purpose kerosene but I know managerial skills and administration and they don't have it; they will do four, four years apprentice scheme when they come in and we don't need such people."
Obiano
The banker has 23 years' working experience and the feeling is that he could bring in his wealth of experience to consolidate on the gains of the Obi administration. His admirers say he is bound to enjoy the goodwill of his friends and associates in the corporate world as well as technocrats in Anambra if elected. He has also made some major campaign promises, thus, "We have 14 items which we have put our energy in to researching. As for agriculture, we would mechanise it to create jobs. Oil and gas, we need to improve those areas to create jobs; we shall pursue industrial clusters and industrialisation. We want to generate more jobs, increase the revenue potential of the state and boost security through massive job creation and equipping the police and vigilance groups...
The business we are here for is not for school certificate holders; my colleagues on this platform cannot support the true federalism we are fighting for because their party is not an Igbo party and cannot therefore represent Igbo interest. And when this government came into being, nothing was on the ground and it has to introduce ANIDS with focus on the millennium development goals and that is why APGA is talking of continuity.
"Before we came in, roads and facilities were moved to peoples' towns, we will ensure that things will be properly planned and distributed, I will not go against the immunity clause, but, what is important is that we must ensure that people with questionable characters are not allowed to rule us."
Ezeemo
He is coming from the private sector. Relative unknown in major political circles before he threw his hat into the ring, Ezeemo believes he can spring a surprise as PPA standard bearer, especially given his international exposure and knack for excellence.
He declared, "I was in the United Kingdom for almost 20 years and I came home and found that nothing works here and people were being cheated and past governments had not addressed the issue of power. I considered it so important that it is my priority area; I will generate power, invest in agriculture and create jobs. Farm settlements would be set up to keep the youths busy and generate jobs and that is why I am running.... The immunity clause should be removed; people should face the consequences of their actions."
No doubt, the governorship election is a test of strength in a number of ways for the political gladiators and their parties as well as other major stakeholders in Anambra. It is a test case for Obi from the point of incumbency, a factor many say could serve him and the APGA standard bearer in good at the polls. According to pundits, his record of performance in eight years as governor could swing the votes either in favour or against Obiano.
Some also believe the camp of the governor could explore its close tie with top-level authorities in Abuja to achieve continuity and consolidate APGA hold on the political lever of Anambra. Perhaps, it too early to make such a conclusion, going by the permutations of other pundits who believe two weeks left for the polls can still make a difference in terms of where the pendulum will actually swing among the candidates on November 16.

The last question during the just concluded Channels TV anchored debate amongst the Anambra Gubernatorial election candidates was thrown to Ngige on what he has done with his constituency allowance. I watched a stupefied Ngige immersed in a pool of incoherence. He succeded in mentioning two classroom blocks with two "executive toilets" with 250 Million 2012 constituency allowance.

2 toliets for a 7 LGAs, 109 wards, over 600,000 registered voters and over 2 million population. Ngige is a loser

Sai Ngige, sai Onwa...


Onwa ya dakwa ozo..(Onwa will fail again....)

The Anambra gubernatorial election is a classic, even if thinly disguised case of local imperialists, recruiting and sending their agents to conquer other people's territories and make tributaries of those. On the one hand the election is an attempt to turn Anambra into (1) a client and dependent jurisdiction and (2) a garrisoning outpost to further penetrate and gerrymander Igbo land, into political impotence. On the other hand, the election is the heroic striving of the Ndi-Anambra, against their belittlement by "outlier" forces, armed with cunning, deceitfulness, record of betrayals and local quislings, etc.
The consequences of the outcome of the contest is, therefore, vital not just for Ndi-Anambra but also for the entire Oru na Igbo. If matters are, therefore, mismanaged by Ndi-Anambra in this representative and corner turning election, then they would have done irreparable damage, not only to our body politic, but also to our psyche, as equal, proud and free peoples in the Nigerian comity of nations.
Here are some revealing details. Roughly let us just zero in on these parties in contention: APC, APGA, LP and (PDP?). Ostensibly all parties in the governorship contest are national. Yet even a first time visitor from the moon, will know that the parties, as they stand today in Nigeria, are cast along regional lines or blocs.
Now, a majority of Northern and Southwestern closet imperialists, worrywarts and concerned professionals are all, and understandably, dying for APC. APC is of course the unsteady joinery of the Southwest regional vehicle ACN and the Northern Moslem political construct, CPC. Every now and then, they claim APC has landed to clean up the corruption and inept leadership, plaguing Nigeria. The poser, however, arises: How can a coalition of two-member-only regionalists, constitute themselves into a national salvage mission? Can the exclusively regional salvage that, which is actually national?
However, there are rarely any perfectly made to order crimes. There are always the trails. To illustrate this we shall quote severally from Garba Shehu. Shehu is a highly prized strategy and media savant of the political North. Having worked for Atiku Abubarka, one can assume he is a moderate and an insider in the Northern power game.
Yet even as a Northern moderate, seeking national power, he writes in Premium Times, October 9, 2013:The real reason for Jonathan, calling for the national conference may be his own way of staving off the dramatic shifts in the political environment that are bringing the Northern states and those of the Southwest into a political alliance.
As is apparent for Shehu and representatively for the North (even the moderate North, and things get messy, as they become conservative), the nascent political alliance of the North and the Southwest is via the political vehicle APC. Its purpose, he involuntarily confesses, is for the two- member only sub-national groupings to seize and capture national power in Abuja. Whatever other postures they enact are deceits and decoy skirmishes. Their war aim is to deliver the nation whole and entire to a two buddy security council usurpers of national power and purpose.
Thank God Shehu is plain speaking enough. He has forewarned us that APC is a Northern/Southwestern special purpose vehicle. The best the rest of us can be is to act as theiragberosorndi otinkpu, shouting ourselves hoarse in the sun while they, the real masters of the game, remain in theirfor-members-onlyair-conditioned chambers, manipulating things. Now, a parallel question is: AreagberosinYoung Shall Grow Motorsat Upper Iweka co-owners ofYoung Shall Grow Motorsat Upper Iweka or indeed anywhere else? And if Igbo are likeagberosin APC, what the hell is their portion in the house of Jesse, sorry APC?
Writing further in the same article, Shehu asserts:The Southwest, on the other hand, with their strategic pattern of voting, have used the political power to vote with near-unanimity.
Now, it is part of their established strategy that the Southwest vote monolithically. Sometimes, they use and deploy their strength or ties in the media or judiciary to achieve same or similar purposes. So, the question is, why is it that what the Southwest grant themselves and are conceded to by the Northerners, are not granted the Igbo, first by the prospecting local imperialists and partner collaborators and lastly, alas, by some local Igbo agents, even if their game is to be governor over us? Why must internal agents sabotage for their own people what they grant their principals, their internal colonialists, in this case a monolithic voter bloc of the Southwest?
And to recall that when one of the Southwest leaders, Dr. Fredrick Fasheun, wanted to set up a non-ACN/APC party in the Southwest, Lai Mohammed, the ACN/APC/Southwest motor-mouth and fire-eater, poured petrol on the Nigerian media and set it ablaze. And what was his grouse? It is that Fasheun wants to open up the Yoruba political and voting market. For his/APC/ACN wing of the Southwest imperialists, their home is one exclusive turf and no other parties are to be let in. Simply put, for them, the Southwest must remain their political monolith and monopoly.Ahiazuwa.
Now, to speak plainly: When Dr. Chris Ngige, a physician and the APC gubernatorial candidate, defended the cold and senseless deportation of fellow nationals, one has to understand, perhaps, sympathise with him, and in proper context. He was not being unreasonable. That was the least that was required of him. The deportation saga by Governor Babatunde Fashola, acting out a grander APC script, was a kind of professional and licensing exams for Ngige if he is to be made leader and lord over his own people. The only way he can pass as a prospective local agent of the imperialising powers was to approve, every single thing his overlord, here represented by Fashola, did to his people, including their dehumanisation. That is by opposing his people's interests by approving of their illegitimate dehumanisation Ngige is proving himself worthy and well qualified to his offshore principals to be made Governor of Anambra. In a sense, that deportation was Ngige's second MBBS, that is licence to practice, here not medicine, but political over-lordship, unto his own peoples.
When also under the guidance of Governors Fayemi, Oshiomole and others, Ngige chose to storm Onitsha to belittle Onitsha/Igbo traditions, he was further being examined for his post graduate fitness as a local agent for Rome and against his people, Israel. His approval and actions are not exactly his will, we have to understand. They are the correct answers to questions and demands made upon him by his headhunter and imperialising overlords.
Even if the above never were, a greater tragedy lurks. It is that the nation is about going into a conference to re/shape the very basis of our joint and several existences. As is immediately clear the political Southwest is under one political banner, officially. Now, what will be the fate of the Igbo if a key and, in fact, any state of hers were to go to the national conference with her Governor or Governor-in-waiting, a local agent to offshore political forces that are opposed to what is most desired and dear to the Ndigbo?
To conclude, readers of this column will recall we have advised the Igbo to spread political power in their own long term interest, see 2TGAnambra na Abia ronu20-06-13. Despite the popular ignorance of many Nigerians, there is no stable and progressive nation, including America, where power and elective offices are not zoned, deliberately dispersed, either at the constitutive, that is internal design levels or at their operational levels. Any persons interested in equitable or zoned balance and dispersal of forces or powers might look more closely to the leaning tower at Pisa, the former USSR, and even the historical, not biblical tower of Babel. More on this later.
Now APGA has achieved an operational balance by electing a candidate from the North. In this they have beaten all others except, perhaps, the PDP. But the PDP is mired in court cases and has lost critical time to be in contention. Additionally all assessments are agreed the APGA candidate, Chief Willie Obiano, is a most prized catch. In fact, he has been likened to a gale of new wind that will bring new flow to the state by the River Niger.Anambra obodo dike agha ebego, the V-Day has come.
That is beyond the operational dynamic for a Northern candidate. Obiano beats the rest on any critical indices of administering power and development. That proves on and of its own that political talent isOde-zulu-Igbo; that the great is granted to all.
The Labour Party/Ubah just like PDP/Nwoye comes with baggage. There are too many court cases and questions here and there. The APC man is too closeted with internal imperialists to be given even an Igbo LGA to run.Anambra ronu!
Anyway, the one lesson of American history is that independence is the first law of politics, of progress and of development. The question may now be asked: If President Barack Obama is from Anambra, Alor say, would he have voted for Ngige? The answer is no. As a good American, he would have cast his lot with APGA, with Obiano, and for independence.Ahiaºzuwa.

I foresee an increase in the number of "nobody's" in four days time. I foresee many usernames dying a premature death on nld. I see tears of joy and also the anger,pains and frustrations of defeat.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has expressed a serious doubt in the ability of INEC to organize a free and fair gubernatorial election in Anambra on Nov. 16th, going by recent developments.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the top officials whom INEC plans to send to oversee the election are card-carrying members of the PDP, which has compromised their role as unbiased umpires.
It named the Commissioners as Mr. Lawrence Nwuruku, the National Commissioner of INEC in charge of the South-East, and Mrs. Gladys Nwafor, the second INEC Commissioner from the South-East.
”Mr. Nwuruku was the Chairman of the PDP in Ebonyi State, while Mrs. Nwafor had worked closely with First Lady Patience Jonathan as a grassroots mobilizer. These officials cannot, in all honesty, be expected to be unbiased, because they have been compromised by their antecedents.
”If INEC indeed has any hope of organizing a free, fair and transparent election in Anambra on Nov. 16th, it must immediately shelve the plan to send these highly-partisan and heavily-compromised officials to supervise the election. Any action short of that will open INEC to accusations of bias – which is not what any
umpire wants,” APC said.
The party also said some actions taken by INEC in recent times have called to question its ability to stay above the fray as far as the Anambra election is concerned.
”For example, the voters’ register for Anambra in 2011 had 2.1 million names, which came down to 1.8 million after a review. However, despite continuous registration by INEC, the names came down to 1.7 million! This kind of chicanery is only possible under a circumstance in which deliberate efforts are being made to depopulate the voters in areas where the opposition has an edge.
”We are therefore left with no choice than to call on the National Assembly to seek explanations from INEC on the hanky- panky. This is necessary to ensure that the election is not rigged by the same body saddled with ensuring that it is transparently-organized,” it said.
APC said it is closely monitoring all the processes leading to the election, since the success of any poll is not limited to actions taken on the election day alone, with a view to ensuring that no candidate is short-changed by the very body that has the responsibility to ensure a level-playing field for all.

My Predictions:
First ==> PDP
Second ==> APGA
Third ==> Labour
Fourth ==> APC......

tomakint: My Predictions:
First ==> PDP
Second ==> APGA
Third ==> Labour
Fourth ==> APC......

How did you come about this? many here will not agree with you.

I see a tie (too close to be declared winner) between APGA and the PDP.

APC Third
LP Fourth.

noblezone:

How did you come about this? many here will not agree with you.

I see a tie (too close to be declared winner) between APGA and the PDP.

APC Third
LP Fourth.

You just wait and see by Sunday, 17th November, 2013 you can compare and contrast my predictions with the real outcome!

1. Chris Ngige - APC (He is popular)
2. Willie Obiano - APGA (Peter Obi + APGA factor + Fidelity Bank)
3. Tony Nwoye - PDP (PDP + INEC)
4. Ifeanyi Ubah - LP (The power of money + Business Sense)

egift: 1. Chris Ngige - APC (He is popular)
2. Willie Obiano - APGA (Peter Obi + APGA factor + Fidelity Bank)
3. Tony Nwoye - PDP (PDP + INEC)
4. Ifeanyi Ubah - LP (The power of money + Business Sense)

Ngige will get his popular vote, no doubt but APGA and PDP has move structure than the APC.
Also, there is sentiment against the APC.

The police presence in Anambra state creates a sense of war and unrest. I was wondering why such a huge number of policemen were deployed from all over the nation just toensure a 'free and fair' election. I overheard two police officers who were getting familiar with a female colleague who like them was posted from outside Anambra yesterday talk about how much money they were expecting to make from out of station allowance and political backhands. That conversation alone tells any decerning Nigerian that the police are not there for free and fair election but for free are fair pocket. Even if this was not the case the nagging question then is, does it mean that the INEC or the police or whoever ordered the deployment of thousands of officer think that the number of officers in Anambra alone is not enough to maintain law and order? Does that mean that police security will not be adequate in the country when the 36 states are conduction elections at the same time? or is it that the police have some money it doesn't know how to retire but wants to retire by all means before November, 30? NB: Two of the officers I mentioned earlier were posted from KADUNA!!

The battle line is drawn among the five major contestants in the very keen contest to replace the outgoing governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi. These are Chief Willie Obiano of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Senator Chris Ngige of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Comrade Tony Nwoye of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Mr Ifeanyi Ubah of Labour Party, LP, and Mr. Godwin Ezeemo of Progressive Peoples Alliance, PPA.
Obiano and Nwoye are from Anambra North senatorial zone, the only area that has not produced the governor since Anambra State was created in 1991, while Ubah and Ezeemo are from Anambra South.
Ngige is the only candidate from Anambra Central and the reason politicians from the zone did not seek the highest political office in the state this time around is because by the time Governor Peter Obi completes his tenure next year, Anambra Central would have occupied the seat for 11 years (eight years by Obi and three years by Ngige).
So, it is equity consideration on their part, one may say.
For the South senatorial zone, the four governors they had produced namely, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, Dr. Chinwoke Mbadinuju, Dr. Andy Uba and Mrs. Virgy Etiaba, have jointly occupied the Government House for about six years.
Therefore, for Saturday’s election, issues that will be on the front burner include the zone of the candidates, the political godfathers behind them, their closeness with the churches, programmes in their manifestoes and their antecedents, among other considerations.
Anambra North (Obiano and Nwoye)
The emergence of the two candidates from a zone noted for delivering bloc votes during elections is a source of concern to stakeholders from the area. When Nwoye and Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu from Anambra South were engaged in a legal battle for the ticket of the PDP, many people from Anambra North somehow prayed that the area should not be made to face the problem of splitting their votes between him (Nwoye) and Obiano. So, when Nwoye eventually won at the Supreme Court, the reality starred them in the face.
Tomorrow, the two, who are in fact from the same local government (Anambra East, may have to decide whether to go for one person or vote according to their political leanings in which case there will be the inevitable splitting of votes in the area. It was gathered as of press time that prominent people from the area are still putting heads together to resolve the issue before the election.
But if the two candidates split the votes in the four local government areas of Anambra East, Anambra West, Ayamelum and Oyi which is the area popularly known as Omambala, whoever gets the upper hand in the other three local government areas that complete the zone namely, Onitsha North, Onitsha South and Ogbaru, will carry the day in the zone.
Ngige, APC; Obiano, APGA; Nwoye, PDP; Uba, Labour
For the two candidates, their performance in Anambra Central will be determined by the personality of Governor Peter Obi, who is totally in charge of Anaocha and Njikoka, two local governments that can be described as no go areas for other politicians, in which case, they have become Obiano territory.
In Dunukofia, where Prince Arthur Eze, the billionaire sponsor of Nwoye comes from, other parties may try, but it is PDP that will likely carry the day. Awka North and Awka South will likely be shared among Obiano, Ngige, Nwoye and Ubah in that order. In Idemili North and Idemili South, Ngige will get the majority any day, although the influence of Senator Annie Okonkwo, who abandoned Ngige after he was initially named his campaign director general, should not be underrated. Okonkwo has already pitched tent with Nwoye and another advantage Nwoye has is the massive support from the youths, who have already stormed Anambra State ahead of the election.
In the South senatorial zone, with the position of the Uba family still unclear and with the loss of the PDP ticket by Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu, the area will be for grabs for the candidates, although Nnewi North and Ekwusigo are very likely to go to Ifeanyi Ubah, Also, Obiano, Ubah and Nwoye are also going to make impact in Ihiala local government. Ihiala, it should be recalled, used to be the traditional PDP area, but it changed during the second tenure election of Governor Obi in 2010, when the people decided to vote for APGA because of what the governor did in the area. This time, many prominent people in the area are said to be supporting Obiano. For Orumba North and Orumba South, what will determine the candidates’ performance is their effort to sell their programmes.
Ezeemo is from Aguata local government, but whether he would be able to stamp his authority there and in other local government areas in the zone will be seen on Election Day.
The Running Mates
Another factor that will also influence the election will be the running mates and their ability to pull out the votes from their areas.
For instance, Obiano’s running mate is from Enugwu Ukwu, a densely populated area of Njikoka local government in Anambra Central, while his wife is from Ogbunike in Oyi local government. Ngige’s deputy is from Anambra West local government area in Anambra North and he is a known grass root politician.
Also, Nwoye’s deputy is from Orumba and he too is a known politician in the state and particularly Nnewi, where he is practices medicine.
Ubah’s deputy is a Prince from Ukpo in Dunukofia, although his uncle, Prince Arthur Eze is the person funding PDP in the election
Powers behind the candidates
APGA – Unarguably, Governor Obi is the power behind the candidate of APGA. His performance in the state in the past seven and half years in all parts of the state is the selling point for the APGA campaign.
Obi has mixed the campaigns with the commissioning of projects and the flagging off of new ones, including the equipment of educational and health institutions. With the statement by Obiano that he will continue with the projects started by Obi, there is no doubt in anybody’s mind that it is the same government and if Obiano can govern the way Obi is doing if he wins, then the state is on the part of rapid development because Obi has laid a solid foundation for taking the state to the next level.
With government machinery at his disposal, Obiano is having an easy campaign and with his academic excellence which has been sold to the electorate, he is the candidate to beat.
APC – Senator Ngige, on his own, is popular among Anambra people, having been in government at a time the state was in dire need for good leadership. For this election, his backers are the governors of the APC states who want to use the Anambra election prove that the party is prepared to take over the country after the 2015 election.
PDP- Comrade Nwoye’s campaign is being backed by the oil magnet, Prince Arthur Eze. Eze has said that it is his desire to ensure that Nwoye becomes the next governor of Anambra State. The prince has consistently said that his interest is not what he would benefit from government because God has already blessed him, adding that his main concern is to ensure that a humble person like Nwoye is in charge of Anambra State.
LP- Ifeanyi Ubah is a very wealth person who said he does not need to enrich himself any longer through public office. His reason for seeking to govern the state, he said, is to help the less privileged persons and thousands of youths roaming the streets in search of jobs.
PPA- Ezeemo too has not godfather and he is enjoying the wealth he acquired abroad. He was even said to be the person funding the APC before he fell apart with the leaders of the party over the ticket of the party for the governorship election in Anambra State.
Role of church
The church is playing a major role in this election. Remarkably, the four most popular candidates, Nwoye, Obiano, Ngige and Ubah belong to the Catholic Church and they have been wooing the church for support.
The clergy also appear to be divided over who to support, but there are indications that the bishops may direct the priests on who to support among the four persons vying for the exalted office. As expected, the candidates have been making mouth watering donations to the various churches to solicit their support.