AMONG the 23 governorship candidates that filed out for the Anambra elections last Saturday, Senator Chris Ngige, the All Progressives Congress (APC) standard bearer is arguably, the most experienced in terms of managing affairs at the Government House. At least, he has been there before and left indelible footprints.

One Anambra politician said Ngige’s popularity arose from the landmark achievements he recorded during his illegal three-year tenure.

“Ngige made us to know that there is money in government.

Before Ngige, our political leaders used to tell us that the state government cannot do anything because they don’t get anything from the Federal Government, that because the Igbos lost the civil war, they no longer receive allocation from Abuja, and so there is no development and Federal presence in the South-East. Ngige showed us that godfathers who were milking the state were responsible for the lack of development in Anambra. He stopped the godfathers and used the money to build roads and provide infrastructure before the Appeal Court nullified his election in 2006,” he said.

Many Anambrarians share this view, which may have accounted for the good mileage Ngige recorded in last Saturday’s election in spite of the numerous hurdles erected on his path.

Performance as governor

The major factors going for the APC flag bearer in the elections were his performance as governor between 2003 and 2006 and his popularity. Outside that he had the politics of zoning, incumbency factor, political platform, deportation of Igbo saga, the Obi of Onitsha & APC campaign flag-off misgivings and the Zik-Awo controversy among others all stacked against him.

Platform&deportation hurdle: Contestably, it has been argued that Ngige may have fared better if he used any other platform apart from APC, which in the opinion of some Igbo, is a Yoruba-cum-Hausa party with a culture that is alien to Ndigbo.

Wrongly or rightly, an APC government in Lagos, recently, ‘deported’ some Igbos to Onitsha and dropped them at night at Onitsha Bridge. During the altercation that ensued between the Anambra and Lagos state governments, Ngige backed Governor Raji Fashola. His position regardless of whether it is right or wrong won him some opposition in Anambra.

To worsen matters, his untidy handling of his campaign flag-off in Onitsha, the ancestral land of Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe at a time the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Achebe and Onitsha indigenes were holding their Ofala festival, was also a minus to Ngige’s political aspiration. His political opponents made capital out of this misadventure by accusing him of bringing ‘foreign gods’ to desecrate Igboland at a time there shouldn’t be a parallel activity in Onitsha apart from the Ofala.

Zik-Awo controversy: The election was held on November 16, the birthday of Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe. If Zik were alive, he would have been 109 years last Saturday. APGA leaders played the Zik’s card. Zik’s party in the First Republic, NCNC had Cock as symbol same as the APGA’s. Many Igbo irredentists recalled that the late Dr. Azikiwe after winning election in the Southwest in colonial Nigeria was denied opportunity of service by the Chief Obafemi Awolowo-led AG in the famous carpet-crossing saga and wondered why a “Yoruba” party should be honoured on Azikiwe’s birthday, which a victory for Ngige would have amounted to.

Politics of zoning: The outgoing governor, Mr. Peter Obi is from Anambra Central senatorial zone, where Senator Ngige comes from. Obi took over from Ngige in 2006. By the time Obi completes his eight-year tenure next year, Anambra Central would have had an unbroken 11-year stint at the Government House. If Ngige wins and does two terms, it means the zone will rule the state for 19 years.

Anambra South has ruled the state for state for six years while Anambra North has never had a chance.

The implication of the scenario played out at the polls with stakeholders aligning with the argument that Anambra North, which is the food basket and oil-producing area of the state should be allowed to have a shot at the Government House. Can the camel pass through the eye of the needle?
Giving the outcome of Saturday’s election, it will be easier for the biblical camel to pass through the eye of the needle than for Ngige to win the election.

The Independent National Electoral commission(INEC) has declared the election inconclusive and announced that there will be supplementary election in 208 polling units for the winner to emerge.

The 208 polling units have 113,113 registered voters. The highest number of the repeat exercise would be held in Idemili North local government area, which is the stronghold of the APC candidate, Senator Chris Ngige where the election would be held in 160 polling units. The affected areas in the local government have combined registered voters’ population of 89,997.

INEC returning officer for the governorship election, Professor James Epoke, who is the Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar, said other areas where the supplementary election would hold include three polling units in Ayamelum local government (1247 voters), one polling unit in Anambra East (250 voters), six units in Anambra West (2000 voters), one unit in Anaocha (276 voters), two units in Awka North (1356 voters), one unit in Aguata (310 voters) and one unit in Awka South (249 voters).

Results announced

Others are three units in Ekwusigo (884 voters), two units in Idemili South (800 voters), one unit in Onitsha North (484 voters), 17 units in Onitsha South (12299 voters), four units in Orumba North (588 voters) and four units in Oyi (1202 voters).

In the results announced so far, the APGA candidate, Chief Willie Obiano scored 174, 710 votes followed by the PDP candidate, Comrade Tony Nwoye who polled 94,856 votes, while Senator Ngige of APC polled 93,300 votes. Obiano also won in 16 of the 21 local government areas, while Nwoye and Ngige won in two local government areas each.

To win the election, Ngige must win at least 81,411 votes from the available 113,113 in the supplementary election and ensure that Obiano did not secure any votes.

This is indeed a tough one and will take a miracle to be practically assailable.

www.vanguardngr.com/2013/11/burden-ngige/

The courts will decide.

AtlanticBreeze: The courts will decide.

Before the court decides, let's see how he can scale through

AtlanticBreeze: The courts will decide.

We can't afford any other court delays to Anambra's Development because of the selfishness of one man Called Ngige alias "VIP TOILETs". It is because of him rigging the elections in the past that caused Anambra-State to be having our own election separate from other states!.Power only comes from God, but if you desire like NGIGE to be Governor by rigging yourself in, then What happened to Ngige will definitely happen to You!

Is Ngige a yoruba man? If he won the election, he would have brought what he learned about good governance into play in SE. In any case I thank God Zik did not rule SW. What is his legacy in SE now compared to Awo's. the end justifies the means. I know you tribalists would bring sentiments. How many people from other tribes go to SE to go to prosper or enlightenment as SW the UK and America for greener pasture for igbos.