http://www.spyghana.com/whose-interest-is-gov-peter-obi-serving/
By 247ureports.com




PIC 8: PRESIDENT JONATHAN, ACCOMPANIED BY GOV. PETER OBI OF ANAMBRA ON HIS ARRIVAL AT THE AKANU IBIAM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT IN ENUGU EN-ROUTE ANAMBRA ON THURSDAY (30/8/12).

– By James Ubadike

The most awful news from the ever dynamic Nigerian political scene in the last few days is the disqualification of the immediate past Central Bank of Nigeria governor, Chukwuma Charles Soludo, from the primary election of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) for the November 16 gubernatorial election in Anambra State. The panel screening the aspirants explained that Soludo, a particularly eloquent economics professor, was disqualified with five others for reasons bordering on insufficient display of enough war chest (financial resources) to unsatisfactory tax payment documents. No person could ever believe any of the reasons. Soludo was the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the gubernatorial election four years ago, and money was never a hindrance to his campaign. He had no difficulty paying N12m for the APGA gubernatorial nomination form just two weeks ago.

Frankly, the disqualification did not come to any knowledgeable person as a surprise. Soludo was the target. Others were disqualified just to create the impression that he was not the target. Victor Umeh, APGA national chairman, and Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu are among numerous people who have said that Anambra State Governor Peter Obi has been telling everyone that President Jonathan does not want Soludo to run. Bishops from the state have confirmed that Gov Obi told them over a week ago that Soludo, much as he has a grand and imaginative development vision for Anambra, should not be supported because he is not in the president’s good books.

This development has exposed the lie that APGA is an Igbo party, a party committed to Igbo interests. How can a non Igbo who has never stayed in Anambra State decide for the Anambra people their governorship candidate? Have things fallen apart so much so in our beloved state that a full-blooded Ijaw person who is not even an in-law of ours will determine who will be our governor and who will not be? Can President Jonathan be asked to determine the governorship candidate of any party in Lagos or Kano or Nasarawa or even Delta State which has a sizeable Ijaw population?

Well, this is what has become of Peter Obi’s Anambra, a state crest fallen, a state on its belly, a state which has completely lost confidence in itself! This is ironically the state of Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Prof Chinua Achebe, Prof K. O. Dike, Prof Chike Obi, Chief Emeka Ojukwu, Dr Alex Ekwueme, Sir Louis Ojukwu, Mokwugo Okoye, Mrs Margeret Mokelu and a host of exceedingly successful entrepreneurs. Indeed, no state in Nigeria has a combination of most successful professionals, businessmen, statesmen and scholars as Anambra. What has gone tragically wrong in recent times? How have descended to a level where we cannot choose our leader ourselves, and our governor is proud to be the person to broadcast this news all over the place?

We all knew that our governor lost it the moment he voluntarily opted to become, for all practical purposes, a personal assistant to Jonathan. He spends more time in Abuja than he does in Awka. We know he loves Abuja, and that is why that the private company he established, Next International, has just commissioned the greatest shopping mall in Abuja. Why he did not build it in Onitsha, which has West Africa’s biggest market, is a fact known to himself alone. But this is a story for another day.

Much as our governor has been like a personal aide of the president, we never knew that the level of servility has reached a catastrophic level, the level of asking a non Igbo man to single-handedly choose the flag bearer of a party which claims to be a pan Igbo party. The late Engineer Victor Nwankwo, managing director of Fourth Dimension Publishers in Enugu, was heartbroken when he saw APGA, a party he helped found, being hijacked by scavengers. Nwankwo once famously exclaimed at a major meeting, “we are searching for change in Igbloand, but these elements are only interested in exchange. They just want to exchange places with the terrible characters in government and continue the game of selling Igbo people cheap”. Nwankwo must be turning in his grave right that the situation is now much worse than he was fearing in 2002.

How did Peter Obi get to swindle millions of Anambra people and became their governor for eight years on the platform of a party that says it is unapologetically Igbocentric? How did he manage to ride on the fame of Ikemba Nnewi? Millions of Nigerians are embarrassed that his desperation to be seen as Jonathan’s boy so that he could be protected after leaving office next March could lead him to work so hard that a very solid person like Soludo is not given the chance to turn around the fortune of Anambra State. Does Gov Obi recognize that there should be decency in the pursuit of private interests?

Some influential persons around the president have been telling him lies about Soludo. When Soludo was running four years ago, Jonathan did everything in his power to frustrate him, even though they belonged to the same party. The then Information Minister, Professor Dora Akunyili who is Gov Obi’s political soulmate, and Dr Patrick Dele Cole, Nigeria’s erstwhile ambassador to Brazil, were among those telling Jonathan, then Nigeria’s acting president, that he should roll out the state machinery against the brilliant economist because Soludo was actually not running for the office of governor of Anambra State but for president! No wonder , the president did not attend any of his rallies, despite repeated promises and shifted dates. And no wonder none of the money realised for the Solubo campaign never got to the PDP flag bearer. Worse still, no PDP governor was allowed to attend Soludo’s campaign, and the only one who attempted, Chibuike Amaechi of the Rivers State, was ordered to return immediately to Port Harcourt from Awka, that is, without reaching Onitsha, the campaign venue. Nigerians are now in a position to understand why the Anambra governorship election of 2009 was programmed to be a mess. Only 30% of registered voters were allowed to vote. Even so, former Vice President Ekwueme found his name in a voter register in a local government area very far from his hometown of Oko where he registered. A special arrangement had to be made for Emeka Offor, the well known businessman, to vote in his hometown of Oraifite because his name could not be traced. Hundreds of thousands of people had a similar experience.

As Gov Obi plays the role of presidential enforcer to ensure that Prof Soludo is stopped by all means from contesting the November 16 gubernatorial election, we are constrained to ask for the umpteenth time: whose interests is the governor serving? Certainly, it cannot be those of Anambra people.

Ubadike is of School of Post Graduate studies, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka.

Honestly, this situation is so pathetic! As was said By Ben Okezie on AIT Focus-Nigeria earlier today......and i paraphrase: an outsider (GEJ) cannot come to Anambra and cause trouble unless Anambrans allow or invite him in!

These bastards (Obi, Umeh and the President) are just acting in their self interest, and the interest of Anambrans doesn't even get a look in!

This development has exposed the lie that APGA is an Igbo party, a party committed to Igbo interests. How can a non Igbo who has never stayed in Anambra State decide for the Anambra people their governorship candidate? Have things fallen apart so much so in our beloved state that a full-blooded Ijaw person who is not even an in-law of ours will determine who will be our governor and who will not be?

Lol
How can "Ebelechukwu Azikiwe" not be Igbo?
Oh!, now they realize he is not Igbo when it is their turn to get their share of Mr president's divide and rule technique.
GEJ is handling Anambra while PEJ is handling Rivers, like it is their family business. Interesting

Governor Peter Obi is serving Jonathan interest and PDP in Anambra. Obi is ready to do anything to preserve his bank (Fidelity Bank) by continuing swinddling money from Anambra coffer after leaving office. It is widely known that Peter Obi spend 4 days a week in Abuja as personal aid to the President.

PDP leaders hate visionaries and activists that have good intention to do well for the masses. Having someone popular with the masses is a threat to PDP. That is the undoing of Soludo. His popularity with the youth who are ready to fight for good governance that Soludo brings to the table is against what PDP leadership looks for when picking candidates for office. PDP sees Soludo as an idependent mind that won't comprise with what the party wants.

If APGA wins the November election in Anambra, the party will have no choice but to merge with PDP. Nobody should not be surprised if APGA filds no candidate in this coming election. The whole ploy is to have PDP governor in Anambra.

Good morning Ibos...until you do away with the politics of cash and carry and the recently introduced politics of hate and tribe...PDP will keep messing up your region to the detriment of generations un born..

Onwa and Owelle have seen through the evil of PDP...but the hatred you have for Yorubas and Hausa/Fulani will not let you see the danger ahead for you by perpetually tying yourself to the PDP evil machinations...

Once again...good morning Ibos!

PDP is the cancer ravaging Nigeria. PDP only appeals to Igbo people's emotion (tribe and religion). The day you all realize this, is the day your region will start to develop. With your never say never attitude and industrous ability, South-east should be booming with hundreds of industries.

Red_Mullet: Good morning Ibos... until you do away with the politics of cash and carry and the recently introduced politics of hate and tribe ...PDP will keep messing up your region to the detriment of generations un born..

Onwa and Owelle have seen through the evil of PDP... but the hatred you have for Yorubas and Hausa/Fulani will not let you see the danger ahead for you by perpetually tying yourself to the PDP evil machinations...

Once again...good morning Ibos!

Very bitter truth.

Red_Mullet: Good morning Ibos...until you do away with the politics of cash and carry and the recently introduced politics of hate and tribe...PDP will keep messing up your region to the detriment of generations un born..

Onwa and Owelle have seen through the evil of PDP...but the hatred you have for Yorubas and Hausa/Fulani will not let you see the danger ahead for you by perpetually tying yourself to the PDP evil machinations...

Once again...good morning Ibos!

You couldn't have said it better.

what can I say, Peter Obi is a fraud and the worst thing to happen to Anambra history. Am sure this whole thing will have a ripple effect on him. As for APGA, enjoy your self destruction

FreeGlobe: what can I say, Peter Obi is a fraud and the worst thing to happen to Anambra history. Am sure this whole thing will have a ripple effect on him. As for APGA, enjoy your self destruction

Politics in Nigeria is not a game of emotion the way you people have been playing it on this forum...it is a cold... bloody ...brutal and merciless game where the best don't always get it...

If the way you've gone berserk on this forum lately represent the outlook of the average and majority of ibos..am afraid to announce to you that you still have a lot of shock effect in stock for you...as long as you believe that GEJ have your interests protected.

Red_Mullet:

Politics in Nigeria is not a game of emotion the way you people have been playing it on this forum...it is a cold... bloody ...brutal and merciless game where the best don't always get it...

If the way you've gone berserk on this forum lately represent the outlook of the average and majority of ibos..am afraid to announce to you that you still have a lot of shock effect in stock for you...as long as you believe that GEJ have your interests protected.

Nonsense, keep your advice to yourself

Very good question. Anambra people should Ask Obi.

If only he knows how much disqualifying Soludo has upset us all.

He will undo dat which he has done.

FreeGlobe:
Nonsense, keep your advice to yourself

You are about to self destruct. What happened to Soludo in the last one week should serve as wake-up call for you and your cohorts. You are only acting on emotion; not fact. It is sad that some of you engage in divisive politics by spitting people against each other. If it is not about religion, it will be about tribe. Continue wandering in political wailderness as more political shocks come your way.

Red_Mullet:

Politics in Nigeria is not a game of emotion the way you people have been playing it on this forum...it is a cold... bloody ...brutal and merciless game where the best don't always get it...

If the way you've gone berserk on this forum lately represent the outlook of the average and majority of ibos..am afraid to announce to you that you still have a lot of shock effect in stock for you...as long as you believe that GEJ have your interests protected.

The worst aspect is that the Ndigbos will still vote for GEJ despite the dagger he and his personal assistant Peter Obi just drove into Ndi Anambra's temple

When some of us were shouting that the 'it wasn't me' devilish style of politics that GEJ has been playing along will backfire, we were denigrated!

While I am a supporter of Ngige, it ranckles my brain that PDP/APGA would not see Soludo as a diamond which should be tendered and given the best of support to attain his political best but are rather jittery of his pedigree. What do you expect from a very dull president,he will feel insecure around a genius for sure

FreeGlobe:
Nonsense, keep your advice to yourself

^^^Thank you my sister.....that told him!

Obi who are u working for GEJ or the People dat elected u? Anambra deserves the best. It don't get better than Soludo.

Obi wants to play a "godfather" and that is so laughable.. The same Obi whose second term was so hard to achieve that he had to drag and ailing Ikemba out of his sick bed to beg Anambrarians to vote for Obi as the last gift to him. Obi is for big business and has a vaulting personal ambition of dominating businesses all over Anambra. In places like Onitsha , until recently he only constructs roads leading to the premises of some big businesses in which he may have shady interests while roads leading to the biggest commercial center in the city rots. He is not going to pull this one off. He just burried Apga because whosoever they are going to project will be dealt a massive blow at the polls. GEJ himself is a half baked politician. He cant even control Otueke and he wants to control a riotous Anambra? Lets see how it goes come November. GEJ was the one who made Rochas his main enemy in the east when he played this kind of politics during Ohakims re-elction campaign by insisting Okorocha should not be elected. He goes all gong ho when t is the former eastern Nigeria but will gladly swallow insults from Kwankwaso , Aliyu and co. The same fate he suffered at Imo awaits him at Anambra. Obi is so weak that if he is constitutionally allowed to go for a third term, he will struggle to win even with GEJs support and here he is anointing surrogate governors like he is some kind of political enffant terrible. It is Anambra..That wont fly

owobokiri: Obi wants to play a "godfather" and that is so laughable.. The same Obi whose second term was so hard to achieve that he had to drag and ailing Ikemba out of his sick bed to beg Anambrarians to vote for Obi as the last gift to him. Obi is for big business and has a vaulting personal ambition of dominating businesses all over Anambra. In places like Onitsha , until recently he only constructs roads leading to the premises of some big businesses in which he may have shady interests while roads leading to the biggest commercial center in the city rots. He is not going to pull this one off. He just burried Apga because whosoever they are going to project will be dealt a massive blow at the polls. GEJ himself is a half baked politician. He cant even control Otueke and he wants to control a riotous Anambra? Lets see how it goes come November. GEJ was the one who made Rochas his main enemy in the east when he played this kind of politics during Ohakims re-elction campaign by insisting Okorocha should not be elected. He goes all gong ho when t is the former eastern Nigeria but will gladly swallow insults from Kwankwaso , Aliyu and co. The same fate he suffered at Imo awaits him at Anambra. Obi is so weak that if he is constitutionally allowed to go for a third term, he will struggle to win even with GEJs support and here he is anointing surrogate governors like he is some kind of political enffant terrible. It is Anambra..That wont fly

touchdown:

Look southerners in nigerian politics have
inferiority complex. Why can't they
hound Tambuwal like they've been
hounding Amaechi?
At least OBJ was able to regularly spar
with IBB and cut influential Atiku to size.
The north were as vocal in criticizing obj
as they are now against Jonathan.
Jonathan's complex is such that he can
only attack/bully his own people. Amaechi,
Ibori, Silva etc.

Its because the Eastern politicians have sold themselves cheap.

While I stand by my assertion that Jonathan has a complex that's quite unpresidential, I have to say that taking advantage of people who are already in a weak position in the relationship is a very human thing to do.

I sympathize with Soludo, yes, but if Anambra is all that it is made out to be, surely another Anambra son can do the job?

These tears, moaning and whining are quite embarrassing.

touchdown:

Look southerners in nigerian politics have
inferiority complex. Why can't they
hound Tambuwal like they've been
hounding Amaechi?
At least OBJ was able to regularly spar
with IBB and cut influential Atiku to size.
The north were as vocal in criticizing obj
as they are now against Jonathan.
Jonathan's complex is such that he can
only attack/bully his own people. Amaechi,
Ibori, Silva etc.

I can't help but agree with dis. My point exactly. Who does it benefit wen GEJ keeps fighting his own people.

FreeGlobe:
Nonsense, keep your advice to yourself

Fool...who have the time to advise a bloody bigot like you? all am doing is pulling out your naivety to the world to see!

Your unlimitless hatred for anything non-Ibo will ultimately be your undoing personally..mark it.

REHOZIBAH:

The worst aspect is that the Ndigbos will still vote for GEJ despite the dagger he and his personal assistant Peter Obi just drove into Ndi Anambra's temple

When some of us were shouting that the 'it wasn't me' devilish style of politics that GEJ has been playing along will backfire, we were denigrated!

While I am a supporter of Ngige, it ranckles my brain that PDP/APGA would not see Soludo as a diamond which should be tendered and given the best of support to attain his political best but are rather jittery of his pedigree. What do you expect from a very dull president,he will feel insecure around a genius for sure

Well..the truth is personally am not really excited nor interested in the choice that Ndi Anambra make in the November election.

My concern really is the way and manner all sort of people of the Ibo stock have been making the issue to look as if a vote against Ngige is a vote against Fashola and the western flag of APC...forgeting the fact that they and only they will live with the consequences of any wrong choice..

the funny thing is that most of u don't have voters card, when ppl were going get thires u failed to do same. let me let me tell u guys being a member of nairaland will not win anybody election. keep shooting u hear.

Red_Mullet:

Well..the truth is personally am not really excited nor interested in the choice that Ndi Anambra make in the November election.

My concern really is the way and manner all sort of people of the Ibo stock have been making the issue to look as if a vote against Ngige is a vote against Fashola and the western flag of APC...forgeting the fact that they and only they will live with the consequences of any wrong choice..

So u are only interested in APC, Fashola nad the West. See dat is not wat Anambra Gov is about but about the people of Anambra and their aspiration.

IGBO-SON:
Honestly, this situation is so pathetic! As was said By Ben Okezie on AIT Focus-Nigeria earlier today......and i paraphrase: an outsider (GEJ) cannot come to Anambra and cause trouble unless Anambrans allow or invite him in!

These bastards (Obi, Umeh and the President) are just acting in their self interest, and the interest of Anambrans doesn't even get a look in!

WOT U TO KNW IS DAT{OBI IS A GOAT,UMEH NA SHEEP,DEN GOODLUCK NA DEIR SHEPHARD}

owobokiri: Obi wants to play a "godfather" and that is so laughable.. The same Obi whose second term was so hard to achieve that he had to drag and ailing Ikemba out of his sick bed to beg Anambrarians to vote for Obi as the last gift to him. Obi is for big business and has a vaulting personal ambition of dominating businesses all over Anambra. In places like Onitsha , until recently he only constructs roads leading to the premises of some big businesses in which he may have shady interests while roads leading to the biggest commercial center in the city rots. He is not going to pull this one off. He just burried Apga because whosoever they are going to project will be dealt a massive blow at the polls. GEJ himself is a half baked politician. He cant even control Otueke and he wants to control a riotous Anambra? Lets see how it goes come November. GEJ was the one who made Rochas his main enemy in the east when he played this kind of politics during Ohakims re-elction campaign by insisting Okorocha should not be elected. He goes all gong ho when t is the former eastern Nigeria but will gladly swallow insults from Kwankwaso , Aliyu and co. The same fate he suffered at Imo awaits him at Anambra. Obi is so weak that if he is constitutionally allowed to go for a third term, he will struggle to win even with GEJs support and here he is anointing surrogate governors like he is some kind of political enffant terrible. It is Anambra..That wont fly

Honestly we have learned a hard lesson by this whole mess. Nobody would have believed that Peter Obi could stab Ikemba in the back like this.Ikemba will be rolling in his grave now.

0nlytruth:

Honestly we have learned a hard lesson by this whole mess. Nobody would have believed that Peter Obi could stab Ikemba in the back like this.Ikemba will be rolling in his grave now.

Obi was well on his way to finishing well but unless dey find away to restore Soludo to his position before the disqualification, then his tenure is marred.

I thought you guys said the president shares some kind of Ibo bloodline. Why are you now acusing him of unwaranted intrusion into ndigbo politics? Ride on Jonathan AZIKIWE, stab 'em all in the nuts!
Long as you guys keep ur doors open to rodents, don't complain about the snakes you find in your backyards.