Factors that may shape Anambra poll

Anambra State has had more than its fair share of these developmental challenges and problems associated with the conduct of elections especially since 2003 and it has unfortunately remained in the front burners of discourse on matters that concern election irregularities perpetrated by political office seekers in collusion with the officials of the electoral commission […]

Anambra State has had more than its fair share of these developmental challenges and problems associated with the conduct of elections especially since 2003 and it has unfortunately remained in the front burners of discourse on matters that concern election irregularities perpetrated by political office seekers in collusion with the officials of the electoral commission who in the first instance ought to be unbiased and impartial.

In my capacity as the executive chairman of the Human Rights Writers’ Association of Nigeria, I headed a six-member team of researchers to visit Anambra state to undertake a detailed opinion poll on the forthcoming Governorship election scheduled for February 2010. We spent one week and indeed visited different strategic urban areas like Onitsha, Awka, Nnewi and Ihiala to find out from the real voters what they feel about the scheduled election.

Our team of investigators went to Anambra in pursuance of our mandate to ascertain fear of the threat of violence expressed in several quarters if the election turns out not to be free, fair, transparent and hitch-free.

Among other salient questions we put across to our interviewees/respondents was whether they believe that the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Professor Maurice Iwu will exercise the virtues of impartiality, transparency and fairness in the conduct of the Governorship election in Anambra come 2010. Another issue we sought to find out from the people on the streets of major towns of Anambra state was the popularity of some of the parties seeking to occupy the Government house in Awka.

From our findings, the majority of the people believe that the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) may not be independent, impartial and transparent in the conduct of the Anambra Governorship election come February 2010.     

A majority of our respondents pointed to the deep partisan involvement of Maurice Iwu in the factional infighting in the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) even as they told us pointblank that for Maurice Iwu and his alleged paymasters, the fear of Governor Peter Obi is the beginning of political wisdom.     

Secondly, on the popularity of political parties, majority of respondents say that peoples progressive Alliance (PPA) of Chief Orji Uzor Kalu is very dear to their hearts even as they told us that the Peoples Progressive Alliance is one of the few parties that can boast of practical presence and credible membership and followership in Anambra state. The next party according to their view is the All Progressive Grand Alliance, and most respondents told us that the endorsement of the Peter Obi administration by the living legend Chief Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu is partly accountable for the reason why they may vote for the All progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

About thirty five percent of our respondents said they will throw their weight behind Dr Chris Ngige although his political platform Action Congress does not have real physical presence in their state. These set of respondents said the performance of Ngige as Governor for three years is responsible for their resolve.

On internal democracy in the political parties that are physically present in Anambra state, about fifty three percent of the people interviewed said Peoples Progressives Alliance (PPA) is far ahead. Fifty five percent of the respondents blamed the Peoples Democratic Party for the seemingly pervasive political instability that the state has passed through in the last ten years and therefore vowed not to vote for the peoples Democratic Party.

Returning to the question of how dangerous Professor Maurice Iwu is, it will interest keen observers to know that the majority of the judgments delivered as a result of litigations that followed the 2007 elections showed that but for the intervention of God the Independent National Electoral Commission headed by  Professor Iwu would have truncated or ruined Nigeria’s current democracy because of manifest lack of impartiality, transparency and fairness in the conduct of that exercise in April 2007.

Again to know how dangerous Maurice Iwu is, one just need to look at how transparently partisan he has remained in the leadership squabble that has consistently afflicted the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) so much so that most analysts concluded that the other name for the Chekwas Okorie’s faction is the Maurice Iwu’s faction of APGA..

After spending millions of tax payers’ money castigating Victor Umeh, one of the principal figures in the leadership infighting in the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Maurice Iwu waited till the last hour of closing of collection of nomination forms for the Anambra state Governorship to order the Chief Chekwas Okorie- led faction to hand over the forms which Iwu had earlier passed on to Chief Okorie to be forwarded to Chief Ojukwu and thus validating the candidacy of Peter Obi in the forthcoming poll. These twists and turns being played out by Iwu clearly shows how politically dangerous he is and this is a grave question mark on his impartiality during the forthcoming governorship poll.  

Maurice Iwu and his media team cleverly stated in one of their several Newspaper advertorials that the court judgment which validated the expulsion of chief Okorie did not pronounce chief Umeh the chairman. This explanation stood logic on its head because if Maurice Iwu’s Spin doctors had argued that they respect the rule of law, how on earth will they explain that Iwu openly sided with the same person that it acknowledged was validly expelled by the competent court of law?

Questions will linger in the minds of voters in Anambra whether the nation’s chief electoral officer will play by the rule because he is known as the most unpredictable political maverick that Nigeria has ever produced. Only time shall tell.

Onwubiko heads Human Rights Writers’ Association of Nigeria.