‘Stomach infrastructure’, ‘Ojukwu spirit’ — and other reasons Obiano was re-elected

It is official: Willie Obiano has comfortably won his re-election bid and will do a second tenure as the governor of Anambra state.

It doesn’t come better than this: he won in all the 21 local government areas of the state.

However, this may not be news for many, considering that he is the current governor. In this part of the world, an incumbent automatically has an edge over other contenders in an election. But Obiano’s case isn’t entirely that of incumbency. During voting, the opinions of a few citizens in the state captured why his victory may not be coming as a big surprise for many.

At one of the polling units in Onitsha south local government area, a voter was overheard by TheCable saying: “Have you ever seen a cockreal walking to Abuja? Na only cows wey go fit go Aso Rock, not cockreals.” To make sense of this, Obiano’s All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has a cockreal as its logo; the cow symbolises key political gladiators.

That said, here are five factors that contributed to the re-emergence of Obiano as the “chief servant” of Anambra state.

INCUMBENCY

In Nigeria, incumbency is always a factor at election times. In fact, there have been just very few occasions where an incumbent was sacked from office by a candidate in an election. President Muhammadu Buhari easily comes to mind here, having defeated Goodluck Jonathan during the 2015 presidential election. There is also Ayodele Fayose, Ekiti state governor, who defeated two incumbents to emerge governor on two occasions. But the exceptions are not as many as the rule.

An incumbent has the enormous power of patronage, to award contracts, to grant favours and to build a war chest without shedding tears. Obiano’s incumbency makes more sense with reports that he bought cars for all ward chairmen and local government transition chairmen in the state in the build-up of the election for “campaign purposes” — something a new contender may not have enough resources to do.

THE ‘OJUKWU SPIRIT’

APGA is still seen as the party of Chukwuemeka Ojukwu, the leader of the Biafran secession bid who remains a “king of the heart” among Anambra people and the south-easterners at large. Ojukwu was the presidential candidate of APGA in 2003 and 2007. His widow, Bianca, remains behind in APGA. The Ojukwu brand is still highly associated with APGA.

Anambra has witnessed six different administrations since 1999 when the current democratic dispensation started. Of that six, four are APGA-led while two are of the PDP. But here is the main gist: the last PDP regime in the state was under Chris Ngige who was elected in 2003 and left office in 2006. Peter Obi then brought in APGA for the first time in the leadership of the state and ever since then, APGA has remained in charge in Anambra. Another interesting bit: both speaker and deputy speaker of the state house of assembly are of APGA — Rita Mmaduabu and Haffod Oseke, respectively.

‘GOOD WORKS’

A large percentage of voters in Anambra are civil servants — and Obiano is well loved among them because he has not joked with their welfare since he came to office. He pays salaries regularly and even enhanced the pay package at some point.

In a country where payment of salaries is seen as an achievement for most governors, Obiano has been able to get himself endeared to civil servants in the state in his close to four years of leadership.

Obiano is also said to have invested massively in agricultural projects, thereby reviving the sector, which is also a major employer of labour in Anambra. During his campaigns, one of his biggest points was the agricultural sector. At the election debate on Channels TV, the governor boasted that the state now exports cassava among other food items to the UK.

The improvement of security in the state is also a huge factor in Obiano’s re-election, according to residents. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, former governor of the state, said Anambra elders are happy with Obiano because he made the state safe.

“Anambra State is one of the safest in the country. Before Obiano’s security solution, visiting Anambra State was with great fear and some would not dare enter the state. Even in day time, moving around Onitsha was so hazardous and in general, people smuggled themselves in and out of the state,” he said before the election.

STOMACH INFRASTRUCTURE

Although the Anambra election was adjudged free and fair to a large extent by observers, some think it is “one of the worst” governorship elections conducted in the country since the beginning of the current democratic dispensation. Why? The high rate of voting-inducement strategies that characterised the election.

While some candidates settled for food items such as cooked food and snacks, others went as far as lobbying voters with cash rewards ranging from N1,000 to N5,000. In the case of Obiano, his party is said to have “invested” a lot in the election (read between the lines) to ensure they plug all the loopholes.

Unconfirmed reports alleged that apart from ensuring food items were available at most polling units during the election — as what the case with most parties, APGA agents gave out the highest amounts of money to voters.

APC ‘ALIEN’ TO THE EAST

Obiano’s closest contender in the governorship election was Tony Nwoye of the APC. Pundits argue that Nwoye could have had a better chance of winning were he not of the APC, a political party that can only boast of one state in the south-east — Imo — and which, to a large extent, is perceived as a “Hausa-Yoruba party”.

The position of the Igbo during the 2015 general elections when the APC witnessed very low patronage still holds sway in Anambra. From what the electorate say, they would prefer the PDP coming back to take over the affairs of the state than giving the APC a chance.

Awoke Okechukwu, from Njikoka local government area, who described Obiano’s victory as “protest vote against the federal government”, told TheCable: “If you noticed, when the election was drawing near, many people didn’t want to vote for Obiano. When Nwoye indicated interest to run, we thought he was going to defect to the PDP. I think his greatest mistake in the election was coming from a party alien to the Igbo and worse still, at a time like this when the Igbo are saying they have been marginalised by the Buhari administration.”

AND LOCAL POLITICS!

Power has gone round Anambra fairly. Obiano, from Anambra north, is a beneficiary of the “fair game” in the state. There was a consensus among the leaders from the south and central senatorial districts that the north should be allowed to serve two terms before paving the way for another zone.

Oseloka Obaze and Nwoye are both from the north, but there was the danger of power staying in that zone for 12 years if anyone apart from Obiano — who has already served four years — won. There is always the possibility of a second term for the incumbent.

Peter Obi, former governor of the state who left APGA for PDP, is still a popular figure in the state. But the tide was against PDP, which fielded Obaze. Not even the choice of Alex Ekwueme’s daughter as Obaze’s running mate could sway the voters.