The factors against Ngige
on november 18, 2013 at 1:51 am in politics
Dr. Chris Ngige proved to be the cat with many
lives when as governor of the state between 2003
and 2006 he fought within the PDP against the
establishment as dictated by former President
Olusegun Obasanjo.
As governor, Ngige was humiliated and hounded
out of the PDP, but there was no other party that
took him in and he remained like a political
orphan until he was finally removed from office
by the courts in March 2006.
Though Ngige came into the contest with the
perception of a strong presence on the ground,
he was, however, to be underemined by serious
factors, some of his making and some external to
him.
The Platform
It is claimed that if Ngige had used any other
platform apart from APC, he would have put in a
more challenging battle in the election. APC in
the opinion of some Ibos is a Yoruba cum Hausa
party with a culture that is alien to Ndigbo.
Dr Chris Ngige
It was thus no surprise that in the run up to the
election that some APGA partisans went on
internet blogs to paint the APC as a Muslim party
with many giving a breakdown of senior officials
of the party all being Muslims.
Many Igbo irredentists were also quick to recall
that the late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe after winning
election in the Southwest in colonial Nigeria was
denied opportunity of service and wondered why
a “Yoruba” party should be so honoured on
Azikiwe’s birthday which incidentally was
November 16.
Personality
The APC candidate was despite his fame as a
grassroots man is known to have fallen out with
many opinion leaders in the state. The candidate
is described by some to be cantankerous
especially to the elites many of whom ganged up
against him.
His Friends
The friends that came to help Ngige may not have
in the end not have helped him. Prominent
among them are Governor Rauf Aregbesola of
OsunState and Mallam Nasir El-Rufai.
Governor Aregbesola has recently won to himself
the label of a Muslim fundamentalist through his
ongoing policy of school reclassification upon
which has inflamed the Christian community in
that state.
Mallam El-Rufai, the former minister of the
FederalCapitalTerritory who is now a chieftain of
the APC was in AnambraState to lend support to
the APC candidate. But his presence would only
have inflamed the emotion of many Igbos when
it is recalled that Ndigbo were the worst losers
from El-Rufai’s demolition policy as Minister of
FCT.
Anambra Geopolitical Balance
The outgoing governor, Mr. Peter Obi is from
Anambra Central senatorial zone, the same zone
where Senator Ngige comes from. When Obi
came to power in 2006, Anambra Central through
Ngige had spent three years in office as governor.
Hence it was considered in some quarters in
Anambra that with a combined span of 11 years,
that it would be illogical to allow Anambra
Central to again retain the governorship and
hence the momentum for Anambra North where
the winner, Obiano comes from.
What Anambra 2013 means for PDP, others in
2015
The quick endorsement of the outcome of a
victory for the All Progressives Grand Alliance,
APGA by senior officials of the PDP even before
the election result was declared underpinned one
fact: The PDP as a party is willing to concede the
victory when the small pies are in contention.
By conceding victory to APGA, the PDP it is
argued, would be preparing itself to defray
suggestions of rigging in 2015 when the party
seeks to retain its flag in the presidential villa.
Before Anambra, the PDP had proved itself as a
party willing to concede victory to opposition
elements in states including Ondo where it came
second to Labour Party, and before then in Edo
State where the then Action Congress of Nigeria,
ACN prevailed.
“If the PDP through the instrumentality of the
same process has conceded victory to opposition
parties, why should anyone doubt when the same
process throws up the PDP as the winner of the
2015 presidential election,” one political
commentator observed yesterday.
The seeming determination of the PDP to
acknowledge the APGA victory was also a
reflection of the PDP to deflate whatever plans
the opposition APC had made to use the Anambra
election as its entry point into the Southeast in
the prelude to the 2015 presidential election.
The APC had envisaged that the Anambra polls
would be a stepping step for the party to enter
into the Southeast, a region where the party’s
presence is relatively seen as not too widespread.

Agreed. Very Valid points. Had Ngige Contested on pdp's platform or any other useless party (they are all useless including APC ) I think he might have won. APC winning Anambra would have spelled doom for GEJ's re-election ambition so they did what they had to do. It's politics afterall, Ngige is still my man, but for the greater good (GEJ's re-election ) let him relax or move to another party. A lot of igbos condemned his party, I knew he wasn't gonna make it.

And the man go old wella in 8yrs time chai! Take heart uncle Ngige inugo? Someday, Anambra would get to the promised Land.

NnamdiN: Agreed. Very Valid points. Had Ngige Contested on pdp's platform or any other useless party (they are all useless including APC ) I think he might have won. APC winning Anambra would have spelled doom for GEJ's re-election ambition so they did what they had to do. It's politics afterall, Ngige is still my man, but for the greater good (GEJ's re-election ) let him relax or move to another party. A lot of igbos condemned his party, I knew he wasn't gonna make it.

And the man go old wella in 8yrs time chai! Take heart uncle Ngige inugo? Someday, Anambra would get to the promised Land.

well spoken my bro how I wish other Ngige E-warriors will understand and move on.

Tochiokoye: well spoken my bro how I wish other Ngige E-warriors will understand and move on.

everyone has to move on. It was one hell of a collabo :pdp+inec+apga+police+army+purchased votes+lack of materials in his stronghold+unwelcome party(apc) Hehehe our man didn't stand a chance.