Weekend Arena - Anambra 2021 And The Governorship Aspirants..

It is a weekend of elections in Anambra State. It is very heartwarming that the leaders of Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, have hearkened to the voice of reason to rescind their earlier position that people should shun the elections.

 It would have been a fatal mistake, because the ‘heads of Ndi Anambra would have been shaven at the backs’. The state, considerably egalitarian, descended into unprecedented chaos lately, exacerbated by this election. So much seemed to be at stake, and it is understandable when one assesses the place of Anambra in the hearts of Ndi Igbo.

Anambra is the cultural, economic and political headquarters of Igbos, and you will feel this pulse when you study Igbo history and juxtapose it with the place of Nri.


Sure the state deserves nothing but the best. And in all fairness, Anambra elections have always paraded some very great candidates, which always make the polls, keenly contested and somewhat unpredictable. The 2021 elections also have the same toga. Who are these men? What do they have? What do they lack?




*Prof Charles Soludo: 

His opponent during the debate described him as a ‘manager, not a leader’, which essentially is what the state needs… someone who can manage the resources of the state prudently in the face of dwindling economic resources, which may not abate soon as the world continues to look towards cleaner sources of energy. 

Credited with a lot of economic feats as a Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Soludo is riding on the back of APGA, the ruling party, which has lost a lot of key members, including the widow (Bianca) of its hero, Ojukwu. But the desertions are seen as a pinprick on the sort of goodwill he has garnered over the years, considering that Anambra was even expecting him as governor in 2014, after Peter Obi’s sterling reign. 

 However Soludo’s blunt and frank nature, which positions him as Mr. Know-it-All appears like a snag, considering what Nigerian politics entails. To weather this storm, he will need great political advisers if he wins.


*Senator Andy Uba: 

Fondly called Igwebuike, he lives by that title, considering how he started the race by initiating a lot of defections to swell his camp. Andy has no bias when it comes to ‘doing good’ and this will work for him. People around him have testimonies of his kindness even outside Igbo land. He may not be a technocrat with visible signs of transformational economic ideas, but he has the ability to manage people with such acumen, which is what leadership entails. His challenge is how to make Anambra people understand that he is not going to work for Federal Government in shortchanging them. Aside this, the ghosts of Ngige’s abduction still lurks around. 

*Valentine Ozigbo: 

Young and upwardly mobile with great credentials in the corporate world after emerging the best graduating student at the University of Nigeria, Val, as he is fondly called is riding on the backs of so many corporate titans in Nigeria, who sealed his ambition with a stamp of infinite approval; this could bring the goodwill of that sector to the state with him as governor. Eminently qualified to govern Anambra, many however see him as one who will be controlled by stakeholders. But he could shake off that toga as soon as he emerges.

*Obiora Okonkwo: 

Overwhelmingly qualified to lead the state, Obiora has done so much for his people which is why he goes by the title, Dikeorah. On account of zoning, he narrowly missed the ticket of PDP which should have propelled his ambition to higher heights. But he found a platform in Zenith Labour Party, a somewhat obscure political party; his image is even larger than ZLP. His campaigns have been vigorous amongst the people that matter and he will be counting on the gains of coming from Idemili with a deputy from Onitsha because of the huge number of voters there.

*Ifeanyi Ubah: 

Business man Ifeanyi Ubah resonates greatly amongst the youths, although some people believe he has a job already in the senate and does not need another one. He has done great things as an entrepreneur and seeM to be in the good books of the money bags in the state, especially the self-made cadre. But will that be converted to votes that will win him the governorship seat in the face of the state of his company, Capital Oil?

*Akachukwu Nwankpo: 

Quiet, humble with innovative ideas, he is one man that carries people along. He has told Ndi Anambra about his revolutionary approach to governance which will be aligned along Umunna, a strategy that will ensure distribution of wealth along families. Nwankpo also has the advantage of being in African Democratic Congress a political party being projected by Nigerian professionals abroad, who are bent on replicating the leadership style abroad in Nigeria with the likes of Kingsley Moghalu in their fold. Nwankpo’s challenge will however be funds.

 Formally endorsed by his former boss, President Goodluck Jonathan, he seems to be funding his dream alone.