Anambra 2021: Spare Buhari the lies

Sir: The mounting frenzy of political events in Anambra State over the past three months leaves no one in doubt of the esteemed value of the office of the governor of Anambra State at that. All interest parties within and outside Anambra State have been observed to be exerting enormous energies towards producing the next governor of the state. This is consequent upon the steady approach of November 6, 2021 date for Anambra State gubernatorial election.

The supremacy of the electorate in deciding who governs is on trial therefore, and the challengers flaunt the overbearing interest of an imperial president in the bargain. But I advise the President should be spared the avoidable hurt.

Anambra State has long established itself as a unique state by the exposure of its citizens and residents to vintage political thoughts.

Anambra State paid dearly to attain the stability it enjoys now. Ndi-Anambra would, therefore, rather fully dig in supporting and defending the party that did not only found their connect to measurable economic growth in the state but established an evolving administrative template that is in continual embrace with the micro demands of governance.

Given Anambra’s awry experiences in the hands of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) under Dr. Chinwoke Mbadinuju who spent his entire tenure (1999 to 2003) contending with noxious godfathers; then Dr. Chris Ngige (2003 to 2006) who suffered no less distraction in the hands of President Obasanjo-endorsed godfatherism, those seven years of PDP were lost years. Anambra truly lost so much in terms of lives, property (public and private), corporate image and values; failed health system, crashed education, crime, vandalism, organised arson, heightened hooliganism capped with state sponsored barbaric justice administration scheme that grossly diminished the value of human life.

It was the judiciary to the rescue when APGA government was pronounced and installed in 2006 after three years of arbitrary denial of power by the ruling PDP. But the PDP kept nibbling at the APGA administration leading to Gov. Peter Obi’s unpopular impeachment on November 3, 2006. The Court of Appeal seating in Enugu, however, returned him on February 9, 2007. The PDP contrived a kangaroo gubernatorial poll in 2007 and foisted Andy Uba, then Obasanjo’s avowed crony on Ndi-Anambra. The Supreme Court of Nigeria in her famous judgment on Tenure Interpretation voided both the election and Uba’s emergence as governor, thereby abruptly ending Uba’s 17 days illegitimate occupation of the Government House. Then, known PDP patrons resorted to running riots on state institutions as a way of harassing the APGA government out of office. Consequently, the Governor’s Office in Awka, the Governor’s Lodge in Onitsha, among other government facilities suffered damage.

The Anambra electorate has grown more sophisticated than the perpetual manoeuvres presume.   

Unless for the unwise, history will not cease to instruct the choices that people make on issues that are of utmost relevance to their being. The gladiators should be advised to leave the President out of this unpopular scheme. This piece calls Ndi-Anambra to eternal vigilance against an imposition that will stall the state’s steady march to higher grounds. It is equally an honest prayer that our president should suffer no extra distractions in contending with the teething national security demands of the moment.  

Okechukwu Anarado wrote from Adazi-Nnukwu.