Money for Money

The governorship race in Anambra State promises to be a money affair as most of the candidates are multi-billionaires

By Tobs Agbaegbu

In Anambra State the race to Government House, Awka has become a money affair. The parties, the National Democratic Party, NDP, the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA and the All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, which incidentally are the hottest contenders for the governorship seat, are parading extremely wealthy candidates who are not leaning on political godfathers for sponsorship. The experiment is said to be the reason for the heated political campaigns currently going on in the state. Newswatch learnt that the parties ensured that the millionaires emerged, as a strategy to present themselves as credible alternatives to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, which made the mistake in 1998, of fielding Chinwoke Mbadinuju, the incumbent governor, who was sponsored by Emeka Offor, the political godfather. The endless crisis which the effect of godfather politics produced in PDP is said to be one of the principal reasons for the dismal performance of PDP and Mbadinuju as governor of the state.

Obinna Chukwudum Uzoh, candidate of NDP seems to be leading the pack of the big three. Before he joined the race, Uzoh was known as a man of immense wealth, and this showed in his establishment of the multi-billion naira conglomerate known as Gocuz group of companies. That earned him the title, Ohimiri Ego, Igbo word for “Ocean of wealth” from traditional rulers in the state. He has variously exhibited this wealth through a church he built for his people in Ihiala, donations to community projects as well as award of loans and grants to traders, indigent rural people and students.

Uzoh told Newswatch in Lagos that he would remain a man of his own if he wins the governorship election. His words: “I will fund my campaigns myself, without money from any godfather. That is what every aspirant should do, instead of what PDP did in 1998 when they chose a candidate that was sponsored to the office and that is what led to this mess in the state today.”

Uzoh flagged off his zonal campaigns on Thursday, February 20, with a rally in Onitsha , the commercial nerve centre of Anambra. It was a joint rally with the Anambra State Markets Amalgamated Association, ASMATA, and Ike Nwachukwu, the presidential flag bearer of NDP, which featured also the participation of NDP governorship candidates from Imo, Abia, Enugu , Akwa Ibom and Cross River states.

At the rally held at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church field, Onitsha , Uzoh decried the leadership crisis which has hindered progress in the state and promised to change the situation if voted in as governor. His words: “My decision to contest the gubernatorial election is premised on my feeling for the Anambra people as well as my desire to put an end to bad government and insecurity of lives and property.”

Uzoh promised to create wealth and bring prosperity to the state. His programmes are spread out in the areas of education, good governance, healthcare, good network of roads and public utilities

Like NDP, the All Progressive Peoples Alliance, APGA, is also parading a multy-millionaire as its candidate for the governorship election. The candidate, Peter Obi, was the chief executive officer of a conglomerate of companies whose total net worth is said be in billions.

With his millions, Obi was able to assist APGA shove aside Okey Nwosu, the former national treasurer of the party who first emerged as candidate of the party for the state. Nwosu was later sacked when intra-party squabbles erupted in the state and he later crossed over to become the deputy governorship candidate of the rival party, the All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP.

In the true sense of what happened in PDP, Obi has no godfather, but much of the impact he is making in the state is attributed to the influence of Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, former leader of defunct Biafra who is APGA’s candidate for the presidency. Ojukwu is loved and adored by all Igbo and the privileges he enjoys appears to be rubbing off on the party and its candidate in the state. There are fears, however, that Obi may not have the free will to govern Anambra State and may, in fact, take instructions from Ojukwu, should he eventually win as governor.

Last month, the APGA candidate organised a major rally in Onitsha where the party appealed to traders to vote for its candidates. During the rally in Onitsha , Ojukwu spoke of the urgent need to tackle the problem of bad roads in the East and to fight marginalisation of any tribe in the country. The party also promised to provide employment, to dualise many roads in the South-East and to build an airport as well as a sea port for the state.

In many ways, the ANPP falls into the category of parties, which fielded millionaire business men as their candidates for the governorship election in Anambra state. George Moghalu, the party’s candidate, is the chief executive of a number of highly successful companies, among them, Gen-Moh Investment Limited and Crystal Functions Limited. He has also held many public service appointments in Imo, Abia as well as being a consultant to a number of rich federal government parastatals.

A graduate of the Institute of Management Technology , IMT, Enugu , Moghalu is described by many of his contemporaries as “intelligent and articulate.” He has not been associated with any money bag as godfather.

Two weeks ago, Moghalu held a fund raising dinner in Lagos to boost his financial fortunes for the election. His friends and associates who answered his call in their multitudes made him proud with handsome donations. Donations came from representatives of ANPP governors, party officials and wealthy friends such as Annie Okonkwo, chief executive officer of Clemco Group of Companies and Oscar Udorji, proprietor of Udorji Football Club.

Moghalu used the opportunity to further promote his programmes which range from education , healthcare, infrastructure/roads, housing, refuse disposal, agriculture and security. He told his audience that he would insist that the ugly past in Anambra never repeated itself. He even made it a slogan, boldly inscribed in his posters and campaign materials saying “Never Again” with its Igbo interpretation, Ozo Emena. He further told Newswatch that he is poised to do what no other candidate had done in the state. And that he will actualise his programmes in one tenure. “What I promise, I will do in just four years. I will have no business asking for a second term because I will have made my mark in just one term of four years” he said.

As NDP, APGA and ANPP forge ahead with their campaigns, the PDP is still battling to sort out the problem of who gets the final nod to fly the party’s flag for the governorship election. Chris Ngige, the man who was announced winner of last month’s controversial primaries , after Mbadinuju was disqualified, is yet to be accepted by all the stakeholders of the party in the state. He appears to be wearing the same gab as Mbadinuju, having been sponsored by a godfather known as Chris Uba, alias Eselu. And that would place PDP at a disadvantage against other parties that chose self-funding, less controversial candidates.

Newswatch Volume 37 No. 9, March 10, 2003