The fast approaching gubernatorial elections in Anambra state is significant for many reasons.

Firstly, it would be the second time that an incumbent governor seeks a second term in office.

Secondly, there are 37 candidates in the race -a record even for Anambra state.

Thirdly, the incumbent faces a real challenge of reelection because the electorates have real credible choices among the mostly qualified candidates in this election.

What some of the candidates lack in experience, for example, they make up for in other areas such as “Abuja support”; a typical example being the APC candidate in this race. Information has it that “Abuja is determined to capture Anambra state by all means” … and so forth. Whether Anambra state will allow itself to be “captured” remains to be seen.

Other candidates like the UPP's Osita Chidoka presents fresh political philosophy different from the “mainstream philosophy”, one that is rooted in the deepest feelings of Igbo people about their place as a politically marginalized group in Nigeria.

Chidoka seeks to tap into the discontent among the Igbo, particularly the youths, some of which are very raw and real. One of such issue is the problem of Fulani herdsmen which was unaddressed in real time by the Obiano administration when it was still in the news.

There is the PDP candidate Oseloka Obaze who many in Anambra state saw as the brain behind the Peter Obi administration. The man is seen as a technocrat with the leadership pedigree to transform Anambra state. The jury is still out on his political philosophy and ideology as far as Igbo and Nigerian nation are concerned.

And then there is the incumbent governor Willie Obiano of the APGA whose leadership style has been praised by some, and condemned by others in the state. Obiano, for example, has been praised for his “security first” philosophy which saw to the sanitization of the Upper Iweka and flyover parts of Onitsha. Obiano also dealt kidnapping a death blow in the state.

Obiano managed to carry forward some of Peter Obi's development ideas such as education, payment of salaries, and keeping the state's debt low. However, Obiano's opponents accuse him of being politically deaf and dumb both locally in Anambra, and nationally.

Obiano has been accused of being sectional in his development strategy. For example, Nnewi people claim that Obiano completely ignored the town in road construction and rehabilitation.
APGA is the political party which claims to ride on the philosophy of Ikemba Nnewi, Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu. The question then becomes: If Ojukwu were alive today, would he support Obiano's reelection?

Would Ojukwu even be in APGA by now if he were alive?

These questions are relevant because the Obiano administration has not demonstrated any commitment to the ideals of Igbo nationalism. To be fair to Obiano, this is not a new thing about him. When Peter Obi handpicked him as his successor, not a few Igbo wondered about the criteria for such a choice.

Some even accused Obi of handpicking someone who would cover his shortcomings in office. Obi insisted then that Obiano was the most qualified candidate, and that, in a contest that included Prof CC Soludo. However, the same Obi has now moved out of APGA and has endorsed (or is sponsoring) the PDP candidate Oseloka Obaze. Meanwhile, the same Obaze contested the APGA primaries four years ago against Obiano, and lost, thanks to Peter Obi. In light of these, one is then forced to ask a pertinent question:

What does Peter Obi see now in Oseloka Obaze that he did not see four years ago? Conversely, what does he not see in Obiano today that he saw four years ago?
The vehemence with which Peter Obi is opposing Willie Obiano today should warn Anambra citizens that either one, or both of Obi and Obiano may be bad for Anambra state this time around.

Ojukwu used to address Peter Obi as his “political son”; but would he have moved to PDP with Peter Obi were he still alive?
As an Anambra citizen, three issues bother me most about Obiano, and they are the following, in no particular order:

(1) He has never articulated a national political strategy as the leader of the most important Igbo state and the only governor under the umbrella of APGA, the “Ojukwu party”. Obiano has operated as a strictly local player who is more concerned about the pickpockets and the “umu Okulu” at Upper Iweka Onitsha, than positioning the Igbo politically nationally in Nigeria. Obiano has essentially played dead on the Fulani herdsman issue and peppered it over. Secondly, those responsible for the massacre inside an Ozubulu church are still at large, and the governor has moved on already.

(2) Under Obiano, there is no real voice in the governor's lodge for the Igbo youths who have been at a loss concerning their future. There is no sustained and transformative strategy for job creation for the youths. Though Obiano tried to attract investors and has succeeded to some extent, there are no world class infrastructures to anchor down such investments, and there is little participation by the entrepreneurial people of Anambra state in the economic development strategy. Anambra state needs foreign-local partnership, not just foreign ownership of business in Anambra state.

(3) Obiano has not convinced his political opponents that he is as ambitious as the Anambra people. The proposed “international cargo airport” has been very slow in coming up, while Anambra state urgently needs a fully functional international airport to act as the transportation anchor or node for world class ventures to pour into the state. Ndigbo are in a hurry to “invest at home” but they are being delayed by clueless governors who cannot expeditiously create the needed institutional and ideological framework for such rapid transformation. We need good schools, but on current trajectory, the schools would only produce labor for other states and even other countries if there are no economic anchors or hubs to employ their graduates. We want our schools to produce labor for the local economy. The local economy can never take off with “village philosophy”.


All the candidates in this election need to make their cases around the issues that can positively and boldly transform the state. And so far, the candidates have not done so. Insulting one another is not the way to make the case. The days of cloak and dagger politics in Anambra state should be long over by now.
Anambra state should be leading the rest of Eastern Nigerian states in socioeconomic and political goal setting and achievement. The ideal governor for the state should be someone deeply rooted in the political and socioeconomic realities and possibilities of Anambra state. The state's motto is “The Light of the Nation”; therefore mediocre leadership should not continue.

Ojukwu's prime political ideology and strategy is the “think home, invest home, build home” one. It is also one that believes in defending Igbo rights nationally. The two must be pursued simultaneously, else neither can be achieved.
It is not one that is clueless and unconcerned about the place of the Igbo person in the Nigerian national politics. To not have a national political strategy is to essentially defeat the aims of whatever development strategy being considered for the state. Anambra needs a governor that understands these, and who is capable of building on top of them, rather than one who maintains a lukewarm attitude towards them.

Umu Anamrba, though the devil we know may be better than the saint we don't know, sometimes it may be necessary to break an egg in order to make the omelette. Are we sure that we want another four years of Obiano? Only you can answer this question.

On November 18, vote very wisely.

Source

Potential front page

Peter Obi is about to become a godfather in anambra politics...hence d defeat of Obaze and Obianos victory as for Chidioka and his UPP, it's Ijabode trained thunder that will reset his IPOBy ideology

Same recycled old men.

Tony Nwoye will bring the much need change for anambra As for others they should wait for the future

This election will define Anambra state for many years to come.

dasamek8:
Tony Nwoye will bring the much need change for anambra As for others they should wait for the future

How, may I ask?
How will he be different from, say, Mbadinuju?

48noble:
Peter Obi is about to become a godfather in anambra politics...hence d defeat of Obaze and Obianos victory as for Chidioka and his UPP, it's Ijabode trained thunder that will reset his IPOBy ideology

Peter Obi is part of the problem in Anambra state today.
He did his two terms under godfathers' heat, but now he wants to be a godfather.
Meanwhile he claims to be a Christian.

In this election, ANYTHING is possible. Even the most obscure candidate who did his political legwork can win this thing fair and square while the bigwigs wait for their "entitled victory".

I will vote for Obiano.

velai:
I will vote for Obiano.

He may not win though.
In fact he is likely to lose because he will split votes with Obaze and Nwoye in Anambra north.
The winner will be someone who wins elsewhere particularly in populated towns.

[s]

oneafric:
The fast approaching gubernatorial elections in Anambra state is significant for many reasons.

Firstly, it would be the second time that an incumbent governor seeks a second term in office.

Secondly, there are 37 candidates in the race -a record even for Anambra state.

Thirdly, the incumbent faces a real challenge of reelection because the electorates have real credible choices among the mostly qualified candidates in this election.

What some of the candidates lack in experience, for example, they make up for in other areas such as “Abuja support”; a typical example being the APC candidate in this race. Information has it that “Abuja is determined to capture Anambra state by all means” … and so forth. Whether Anambra state will allow itself to be “captured” remains to be seen.

Other candidates like the UPP's Osita Chidoka presents fresh political philosophy different from the “mainstream philosophy”, one that is rooted in the deepest feelings of Igbo people about their place as a politically marginalized group in Nigeria.

Chidoka seeks to tap into the discontent among the Igbo, particularly the youths, some of which are very raw and real. One of such issue is the problem of Fulani herdsmen which was unaddressed in real time by the Obiano administration when it was still in the news.

There is the PDP candidate Oseloka Obaze who many in Anambra state saw as the brain behind the Peter Obi administration. The man is seen as a technocrat with the leadership pedigree to transform Anambra state. The jury is still out on his political philosophy and ideology as far as Igbo and Nigerian nation are concerned.

And then there is the incumbent governor Willie Obiano of the APGA whose leadership style has been praised by some, and condemned by others in the state. Obiano, for example, has been praised for his “security first” philosophy which saw to the sanitization of the Upper Iweka and flyover parts of Onitsha. Obiano also dealt kidnapping a death blow in the state.

Obiano managed to carry forward some of Peter Obi's development ideas such as education, payment of salaries, and keeping the state's debt low. However, Obiano's opponents accuse him of being politically deaf and dumb both locally in Anambra, and nationally.

Obiano has been accused of being sectional in his development strategy. For example, Nnewi people claim that Obiano completely ignored the town in road construction and rehabilitation.
APGA is the political party which claims to ride on the philosophy of Ikemba Nnewi, Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu. The question then becomes: If Ojukwu were alive today, would he support Obiano's reelection?

Would Ojukwu even be in APGA by now if he were alive?

These questions are relevant because the Obiano administration has not demonstrated any commitment to the ideals of Igbo nationalism. To be fair to Obiano, this is not a new thing about him. When Peter Obi handpicked him as his successor, not a few Igbo wondered about the criteria for such a choice.

Some even accused Obi of handpicking someone who would cover his shortcomings in office. Obi insisted then that Obiano was the most qualified candidate, and that, in a contest that included Prof CC Soludo. However, the same Obi has now moved out of APGA and has endorsed (or is sponsoring) the PDP candidate Oseloka Obaze. Meanwhile, the same Obaze contested the APGA primaries four years ago against Obiano, and lost, thanks to Peter Obi. In light of these, one is then forced to ask a pertinent question:

What does Peter Obi see now in Oseloka Obaze that he did not see four years ago? Conversely, what does he not see in Obiano today that he saw four years ago?
The vehemence with which Peter Obi is opposing Willie Obiano today should warn Anambra citizens that either one, or both of Obi and Obiano may be bad for Anambra state this time around.

Ojukwu used to address Peter Obi as his “political son”; but would he have moved to PDP with Peter Obi were he still alive?
As an Anambra citizen, three issues bother me most about Obiano, and they are the following, in no particular order:

(1) He has never articulated a national political strategy as the leader of the most important Igbo state and the only governor under the umbrella of APGA, the “Ojukwu party”. Obiano has operated as a strictly local player who is more concerned about the pickpockets and the “umu Okulu” at Upper Iweka Onitsha, than positioning the Igbo politically nationally in Nigeria. Obiano has essentially played dead on the Fulani herdsman issue and peppered it over. Secondly, those responsible for the massacre inside an Ozubulu church are still at large, and the governor has moved on already.

(2) Under Obiano, there is no real voice in the governor's lodge for the Igbo youths who have been at a loss concerning their future. There is no sustained and transformative strategy for job creation for the youths. Though Obiano tried to attract investors and has succeeded to some extent, there are no world class infrastructures to anchor down such investments, and there is little participation by the entrepreneurial people of Anambra state in the economic development strategy. Anambra state needs foreign-local partnership, not just foreign ownership of business in Anambra state.

(3) Obiano has not convinced his political opponents that he is as ambitious as the Anambra people. The proposed “international cargo airport” has been very slow in coming up, while Anambra state urgently needs a fully functional international airport to act as the transportation anchor or node for world class ventures to pour into the state. Ndigbo are in a hurry to “invest at home” but they are being delayed by clueless governors who cannot expeditiously create the needed institutional and ideological framework for such rapid transformation. We need good schools, but on current trajectory, the schools would only produce labor for other states and even other countries if there are no economic anchors or hubs to employ their graduates. We want our schools to produce labor for the local economy. The local economy can never take off with “village philosophy”.


All the candidates in this election need to make their cases around the issues that can positively and boldly transform the state. And so far, the candidates have not done so. Insulting one another is not the way to make the case. The days of cloak and dagger politics in Anambra state should be long over by now.
Anambra state should be leading the rest of Eastern Nigerian states in socioeconomic and political goal setting and achievement. The ideal governor for the state should be someone deeply rooted in the political and socioeconomic realities and possibilities of Anambra state. The state's motto is “The Light of the Nation”; therefore mediocre leadership should not continue.

Ojukwu's prime political ideology and strategy is the “think home, invest home, build home” one. It is also one that believes in defending Igbo rights nationally. The two must be pursued simultaneously, else neither can be achieved.
It is not one that is clueless and unconcerned about the place of the Igbo person in the Nigerian national politics. To not have a national political strategy is to essentially defeat the aims of whatever development strategy being considered for the state. Anambra needs a governor that understands these, and who is capable of building on top of them, rather than one who maintains a lukewarm attitude towards them.

Umu Anamrba, though the devil we know may be better than the saint we don't know, sometimes it may be necessary to break an egg in order to make the omelette. Are we sure that we want another four years of Obiano? Only you can answer this question.

On November 18, vote very wisely.

Source

[/s]
In all these junkie, no where did the op mention where obiano did not do well, and where he would do well...
This is a political jobber handwork. Imagine asking obiano to give Igbo youths voice! Don't be surprise the self acclaimed yoot tony Nwoye is the one writing this rubbish! We can never allow our state to be reduced to fighting ground
Obiano did not do everything, he is not perfect. He has his flaws, but he has done something, that other states are not even thinking of, aside paying salaries when due, our state is safer today, our agro revolution is on... So who you help op?

I like the tone of your voice! But be rest assured that obaze and tony are not going to be the Governor of Anambra state! Screen grab this page!

oneafric:


He may not win though.
In fact he is likely to lose because he will split votes with Obaze and Nwoye in Anambra north.
The winner will be someone who wins elsewhere particularly in populated towns.

patrick89:

I like the tone of your voice! But be rest assured that obaze and tony are not going to be the Governor of Anambra state! Screen grab this page!

I never said that they will win either. Read carefully.
I said they'd cancel themselves out in Anambra north.

patrick89:
[s][/s]
In all these junkie, no where did the op mention where obiano did not do well, and where he would do well...
This is a political jobber handwork. Imagine asking obiano to give Igbo youths voice! Don't be surprise the self acclaimed yoot tony Nwoye is the one writing this rubbish! We can never allow our state to be reduced to fighting ground
Obiano did not do everything, he is not perfect. He has his flaws, but he has done something, that other states are not even thinking of, aside paying salaries when due, our state is safer today, our agro revolution is on... So who you help op?

So paying of salaries and making the state safe have become the standard for greatness in Anambra state these days?
Chai
That is why Obiano may actually lose this election, because he really has not achieved anything else.
He only wins if people of the state hold themselves to that standard. I know Anambra state well. That Obiano wins this election means that other candidates failed to make their own case.
This election is a low hanging fruit.

But I think the verdict is really out on Obiano.
This election is his to lose, and lose he may.
And why?
Because he simply could not rise to the leadership levels expected of him as APGA governor.
He essentially made Igbos to start questioning the rationale for a party like APGA.
And that, to me, is a monumental failure.
He should simply remove Ojukwu's picture from that Ankara.

oneafric:


So paying of salaries and making the state safe have become the standard for greatness in Anambra state these days?
Chai
That is why Obiano may actually lose this election, because he really has not achieved anything else.
He only wins if people of the state hold themselves to that standard. I know Anambra state well. That Obiano wins this election means that other candidates failed to make their own case.
This election is a low hanging fruit.

You see, I thank God, you are saying the truth at least, I have not said obiano has answered all the yearnings of the people. Far from it, but he has done relatively well in comparison with other states and Governors.

patrick89:


You see, I thank God, you are saying the truth at least, I have not said obiano has answered all the yearnings of the people. Far from it, but he has done relatively well in comparison with other states and Governors.

My friend you sell Anambra state very low! Too low I might add.
If I may ask, are you from Anambra state? Put differently, do you know how ambitious the people of Anambra are?
Why do you think they call the state "The Light of the Nation"?
Do you think it is mere slogan?

Anambra does not need someone comfortable with comparing the state with other states in Nigeria, most of which are failed states.
Anambra wants to set the development standards to those other states.
We don't want to copy them!
We need someone with the vision, zeal, and ambition to make the state great again.
Obiano ain't it bro.

The day of reckoning is fast approaching.

Can you afford another four years of Obiano?

No emotions please. Be guided by facts.

oneafric:


My friend you sell Anambra state very low! Too low I might add.
If I may ask, are you from Anambra state? Put differently, do you know how ambitious the people of Anambra are?
Why do you think they call the state "The Light of the Nation"?
Do you think it is mere slogan?

Anambra does not need someone comfortable with comparing the state with other states in Nigeria, most of which are failed states.
Anambra wants to set the development standards to those other states.
We don't want to copy them!
We need someone with the vision, zeal, and ambition to make the state great again.
Obiano ain't it bro.

Yes,i agree with you.there are very ambitious,i witnessed it first hand as an ex corper.obiano has performed poorly.considering what you said that the winner would be someone who wins in populated areas,i think that person is nwoye.he will win two lgas in anambra north,win the heavily populated idemili north and south councils,win nnewi south,win awka north,orumba south,the populous aguata,njikoka.pdp will take ihiala.obiano will only win low voting areas.meanwhile,the governorship debate is by 7pm.lets tune in to channels and watch it.up apc,up ayaka.

One thing is clear: Willie Obiano did not win the debate.
Best is that he came THIRD.
Same may repeat on election day.

dasamek8:
Tony Nwoye will bring the much need change for anambra As for others they should wait for the future

Anambra don't need the type of change been enjoyed in Kogi,Benue and Osun, Obiano and APGA has made Anambra the top 3 states in Nigeria,we would continue with him.

oneafric:


So paying of salaries and making the state safe have become the standard for greatness in Anambra state these days?
Chai
That is why Obiano may actually lose this election, because he really has not achieved anything else.
He only wins if people of the state hold themselves to that standard. I know Anambra state well. That Obiano wins this election means that other candidates failed to make their own case.
This election is a low hanging fruit.

As far as other states are battling recession,kudos to Obiano for been able to pay salaries, we don't need anybody that we come and start giving us excuses of low oil price

oneafric:
But I think the verdict is really out on Obiano.
This election is his to lose, and lose he may.
And why?
Because he simply could not rise to the leadership levels expected of him as APGA governor.
He essentially made Igbos to start questioning the rationale for a party like APGA.
And that, to me, is a monumental failure.
He should simply remove Ojukwu's picture from that Ankara.

This is only your opinion,we Herr in Anambra are proud of his achievements under APGA

senatordave1:

Yes,i agree with you.there are very ambitious,i witnessed it first hand as an ex corper.obiano has performed poorly.considering what you said that the winner would be someone who wins in populated areas,i think that person is nwoye.he will win two lgas in anambra north,win the heavily populated idemili north and south councils,win nnewi south,win awka north,orumba south,the populous aguata,njikoka.pdp will take ihiala.obiano will only win low voting areas.meanwhile,the governorship debate is by 7pm.lets tune in to channels and watch it.up apc,up ayaka.

You this apc agent,can't tell us who to vote for,we don't want our state to be backward like ur state

oneafric:
One thing is clear: Willie Obiano did not win the debate.
Best is that he came THIRD.
Same may repeat on election day.

Even Buhari didn't participate in the last debate but stil won the election

HIGHESTPOPORI:
Even Buhari didn't participate in the last debate but stil won the election

But Obiano participated, giving the people the opportunity to see his flaws...