Obi, Obiano’s cold war worsens

by CHARLES OKEKE


It was barely few weeks to the day when the primary election for the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, was held, precisely sometime in August, 2013. Then Chief Willie Obiano in company with some few associates, stormed the state headquarters of APGA in Awka, the Anambra State capital, where he was introduced to key members of the State Executive Committee of the Party as the preferred candidate, having been anointed by the immediate-past governor, Chief Peter Obi, who was considered to be his long-time friend and associate.

Obiano was full of enthusiasm and sure of victory as he spoke to the Party leaders in August, promising that he would make APGA stronger and that everybody would be made happy when he becomes governor.

Obiano, there, gave insights into what he would do if allowed to succeed Obi, saying, “I will continue with the good works of Obi and that is why I am contesting; all that Obi is doing, we would continue from there. I will help to make APGA one of the strongest parties in Nigeria.”

And by the time he concluded the interaction, it was clear to the discerning minds that Obi had chosen Obiano to succeed him ,and it was therefore not surprising that the primary election of the APGA which involved no fewer than six aspirants, which held on September, 2013 at the Women Development Centre, Awka, eventually became a mere formality. Obiano coasted to victory with about 817 votes.

Those who contested in the said primary and lost are Chief John Nwosu, Hon. Uche Ekwunife, Hon. Emeke Nwogbo, Chief Paul Odenigbo, Chief John Emeka and Pat Obianwu. It was a contest in which almost 90 percent of the delegates voted for Obiano.

Having been crowned as the candidate of APGA, the stage was set for the subsequent victory that was achieved when he won the governorship election held in November, 2013 after defeating Comrade Tony Nwoye of PDP, Dr Chris Ngige of the defunct ACN, Dr Ifeanyi Uba of Labour Party and Chief Godwin Ezeemo and PPA.

Obiano was eventually sworn in as governor on March 17, 2014,at an elaborate ceremony which took place at the Dr. Alex Ekwueme Square, Awka, with Peter Obi and other top dignitaries in attendance.

After the swearing-in ceremony, the crowds dispersed with high expectation that the hitherto cordial relationship between Obiano and Peter Obi would continue, especially, considering the fact that most of the political appointees in Obiano’s government were recommended by Obi.

However, barely nine months into the life of Obiano’s administration, stories were rife that the two friends are now waging a war of attrition against each other and that they have since parted ways, a situation that has made the public wondering whether it is really true that a serious rift is now existing between Governor Obiano and Obi, or not.

Although the two parties and their supporters have not openly admitted that there exists a serious quarrel between them, the facts on the ground show the contrary and to the effect that, actually, there is an ongoing ‘war’ between Obiano and Obi, a war that has divided supporters of the two camps and created casualties, especially on Obi’s side. And for now, nobody knows exactly the main cause of their rift and why they are fighting at this critical period in the history of Anambra State, when it is expected that they would remain the best of friends in the interest of Anambra people.

Genesis of the rift:

The widening gulf between Governor Obiano and Obi started to manifest when it became clear that Obi has never attended any major event or function hosted by his successor since the day the new governor took over power. This was a development that sent tongues wagging, to the extent that people began to speculate that the rift was real.

And as the speculation grew, the matter grew worse when some APGA members of the House of Representatives defected from the Party and joined the PDP, a move that jolted the supporters of Obiano who allegedly felt that it was Obi that engineered the defection ,as many of the defectors were his key loyalists.

The dust raised by the sudden defection of APGA House of Reps members has not settled when Obi took a strategic political move and joined PDP, where he is now a key factor for the re-election of President Goodluck Jonathan.

Obi had at a ceremony held at his Onitsha residence said he left APGA for the reasons that his Party leader and Board of Trustees Chairman posts which were conferred on him shortly before he left office were not ratified and that he wanted to be directly involved for the re-election of Jonathan in the interest of the entire Ndigbo and the South-East, the reasons those he left behind in APGA have rejected.

Already, the two feuding parties have since gone on the offensive, with their supporters trading tirades in the media.

And as the feud continued with no end in sight, the casualties have been rising to the extent that it is being alleged that Hon. Afam Ogene and Hon. Emeke Nwogbo, both serving APGA members of the House of Representatives who had just lost their bids to carry the Party’s flag again in 2015 were allegedly punished due to their closeness to Obi.



Emerging casualties:

Apart from Ogene and Nwogbo who have been hit frontally, there have been retinue of other casualties and victims of the ensuing rift between Obiano and Obi, drawn from APGA and political appointees who were reported to be afraid to come in the open and relay their experiences.

And from the knowledge of hindsight, there were allegations that Dubem Obaze, an Obi acolyte is now fighting the greatest political battle of his life to grab the Anambra Central Senatorial ticket of APGA which he allegedly won during the Senatorial primary of the Party held in Onitsha.

Defending the contentious way Emeke Nwogbo lost the APGA ticket for Awka South and North Federal Constituency during the nerve-wracking primary that took place at the BarnHill Resort and Park in Awka recently, one of Obiano’s aides who supervised the exercise told Sunday Mirror that it was the decision of the Party leaders to give tickets to their preferred aspirants.

According to the Special Adviser, “The Party leaders have taken the person they wanted and have given him a certificate of return and there is nothing one can do about that.”

So far, there is no sign that a ceasefire is in sight in the Obi/Obiano rift, more so when the footsoldiers of the two key feuding Anambra political leaders are now well dug in and positioned to throw more hard punches, all in the bid to beat the opponent and come out tops at the end of the day.


Culled from: http://nationalmirroronline.net/new/war-of-godfather-godson-how-obi-obiano-parted-ways/

This is exactly what will happen to Orji in Abia, Akpabio in Akwa Ibom, Chime in Enugu and Elechi in Ebonyi.

We are waiting for them.

jaytee01:
This is exactly what will happen to Orji in Abia, Akpabio in Akwa Ibom, Chime in Enugu and Elechi in Ebonyi.

We are waiting for them.

KPOM! The Chime own sure pass! I recall that Chime himself rebelled against his 'godfather', Nnamani, and practically sent him on exile from the state during much of his tenure. Ironically, the same Chime has now 'anointed' his successor in the person of Ifeanyi Ugwanyi against much opposition from within the state chapter of the PDP. Truth is, all 'godsons' covet becoming 'godfathers' themselves. And the merry-go-round continues.

jaytee01:
This is exactly what will happen to Orji in Abia, Akpabio in Akwa Ibom, Chime in Enugu and Elechi in Ebonyi.

We are waiting for them.

T.A. Orji's anointed candidate will not win in Abia.

That Obiano appears sensible than Obi.

He should restructure APGA, and secure its base and join forces to ensure it is a national party.