THE 2015 race for Anambra central Senatorial seat is getting keener. A horde
of aspirants are now on the prowl angling to snatch the seat from the incumbent
Senator Chris Ngige of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Says By Clifford Ndujihe
AMong the leading contenders are: Senator Ngige; National Chairman of the All
Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Victor Umeh; a member of the House of
Representatives, Hon. Uche Ekwunife; Leader of Nzuko Imeobi Idemili North and
South, Dr. Obiora Okonkwo; former Secretary to the Anambra State Government, SSG
(1999-2003), Prince Victor Ossy Ezenwa; Dr. Kodilichukwu Okelekwe; Mrs. Christy
Okoye, Senator Annie Okonkwo and Mr. Sylvester Okonkwo.
Ngige
Senator Ngige, who is going for a second term in the Senate made his mark as governor of Anambra State for three years before he was thrown out of office by the law courts for election rigging. He is considered popular in Anambra central, which benefited immensely from his botched administration in terms of projects.
Senator Ngige, who is going for a second term in the Senate made his mark as governor of Anambra State for three years before he was thrown out of office by the law courts for election rigging. He is considered popular in Anambra central, which benefited immensely from his botched administration in terms of projects.
Having lost the last governorship election, the APC legislator, who has not indicated whether or not he is re-contesting, has however, said that most of those angling to stop him are political lightweights.
Umeh
Victor Umeh
Sir Umeh, whose reign as APGA national chairman saw the party winning
electoral laurels such as two governorship seats, senatorial, House of
Representatives and state assembly slots, while declaring his intention to run
for the seat, said the state of affairs in the country now requires the Igbo,
Anambra and Anambra Central to put their First Eleven forward. According to him,
his experience as APGA leader and a delegate to the just concluded National
Conference shows that much work is yet to be done and he is the most qualified
person to execute the onerous duty for Ndigbo, South-East, Anambra and Anambra
central. He is running on the banner of APGA.
Ekwunife
Hon. Ekwunife is one of the two women in the race so far. The ranking Rep is aspiring on the banner of the PDP the platform that gave her, her first mandate in the House. She left the PDP for the Progressives Peoples’ Alliance (PPA), contested the governorship and lost. She defected to APGA and retained her Reps’ seat. Now, she is back to the PDP from APGA. She believes that her popularity in Anambra central and PDP’s political muscle will see her through.
Hon. Ekwunife is one of the two women in the race so far. The ranking Rep is aspiring on the banner of the PDP the platform that gave her, her first mandate in the House. She left the PDP for the Progressives Peoples’ Alliance (PPA), contested the governorship and lost. She defected to APGA and retained her Reps’ seat. Now, she is back to the PDP from APGA. She believes that her popularity in Anambra central and PDP’s political muscle will see her through.
Obiora Okonkwo
Dr. Okonkwo is the leader of Nzuko Imeobi Idemili North
and South, the apex socio cultural and political organization of Idemili in
Anambra Central Senatorial District, Political and Economic Adviser to the
Archbishop of Onitsha & Metropolitan of Onitsha Ecclesiastical Province;
President and Founder, Nigeria – Belgium Business Forum (NBBF) Coordinator of
the Anambra State Good Governance Forum (ASGGOF).
While declaring his intention to run on the plank of the PDP, he said: “We
want to restore pride in the people, rebuild their confidence and make them
believe again that power resides in them and in representing the people in the
Senate, it will be with the awareness that power is in the hands of the people
in which we shall demonstrate the will to deliver on the community charter of
the senatorial zone, propagate quality representation anchored on accessibility,
consultation, responsiveness and accountability to my constituents.”
Okelekwe
Uche Ekwunife acknowledging cheers from
supporters
Dr. Okelekwe, who boosts of knowledge of multimillion-dollar budgets and keen
business experience from running his own flourishing business as C.E.O, wants to
banish poverty from the zone through education.
The former governorship aspirant, who is aspiring on the platform of the PDP
said: “I don’t believe that any individual should be denied the right to
education on account of poverty. That is what drives me. That’s why I am
contesting. I am not contesting for a Senate seat to indulge in primitive
accumulation of wealth. Life is not about self. Life is about touching others.
It is about living for others. That is why I am aspiring to go to the
Senate.”
He said he wants to “get the people involved in the process of lawmaking. If
I get elected as a senator, I will institute what I call monthly town hall
meetings, which will rotate from one local government to the other. “In
Anambra central, there are seven local government areas. We will use this
mechanism to sound out the people, get their opinion and take into account their
input in either proposing a new law or proposing an amendment to existing ones
or moving a motion to draw the attention of government to certain areas.”
Ezenwa
Ezenwa, who was SSG under former Governor Chinwoke Mbadinuju and former chairman of Njikoka local council said he is disturbed by the high rate of unemployment in the zone.
Ezenwa, who was SSG under former Governor Chinwoke Mbadinuju and former chairman of Njikoka local council said he is disturbed by the high rate of unemployment in the zone.
Making his intentions known during a consultations meeting with his
constituents and journalists at his Abagana country home, Ezenwa, said he was
aware of other heavyweights in the race but that the odds were in his
favour.
Gale of endorsements
Ahead of the polls, the polity is awash with a gale of endorsements for the aspirants. Umeh got the endorsement of Anambra Central Women Forum (ACWF), which described him as a man of action, principle and integrity, tested and trusted to effectively represent Anambra Central Senatorial Zone in the Senate. ACWF President, Mrs. Adanma Chukwuma, said the group is backing Umeh because “we cannot sacrifice effective representation at the altar of partisan politics.”
Ahead of the polls, the polity is awash with a gale of endorsements for the aspirants. Umeh got the endorsement of Anambra Central Women Forum (ACWF), which described him as a man of action, principle and integrity, tested and trusted to effectively represent Anambra Central Senatorial Zone in the Senate. ACWF President, Mrs. Adanma Chukwuma, said the group is backing Umeh because “we cannot sacrifice effective representation at the altar of partisan politics.”
In like manner, Idemili Action Movement, IAM and a socio-cultural
association, Nzuko Imeobi, have thrown their weights behind Dr Obiora Okonkwo
and urged voters and stakeholders in the Anambra Central senatorial zone not to
repeat the mistakes of the past in electing their representatives in 2015.
Making the calls at different for a recently, IAM Chairman, Dr. Uche Ezeliora
and Nzuko Imeobi President, Chief Edwin Ekwuno said: “We don’t support parties,
we support candidates and it is in this regard that we are supporting the
various calls for change and adopting Dr. Obiora Okonkwo of the PDP as our
choice for the senatorial seat in the Central. His track record is people
oriented and he has shown a sense of service to the people, which we believe
will lift the state of development in the zone if he gets to the Senate.”
Also, writing about the aspirants, Professor Ben Nna Okoye said given the
protracted problems facing Anambra Central, the zone needs a disciplined,
focused, pragmatic, logical, creative, organized, problem-solver as its senator.
According to him Dr. Okelekwe fits this description because he is a skilled and
competent leader who is widely admired for his civility, diligence and political
acuity.