Governor Willie Obiano would not return for a second term----Hon Shedrack Anakwue -Oronukwu, MOFGAS Chairman

 ‘’We will not support any candidate from the Central but any qualified candidate from either North or South that is better than the incumbent Governor  ,Chief Willie Obiano and from our research; it seems we have found one. ……..’’ says Anakwue -Oronukwu

Hon Shedrack Anakwue –Oronukwu was the former chairman of Awka North local Government area of Anambra state and a political stalwart in Anambra state.

A founding member of a pressure group, Olu na Adagbe and now the state Chairman of the Movement For the Greater, Anambra (MOFGAS).

Oronukwu, in this exclusive interview with our www.odogwublog.com gave reasons why Governor Willie Obiano should not return in Anambra Government House.

It seems the structure of the pressure group, Olu na Adagbe, which you co-founded has collapsed after the emergence of Gov Willie Obiano in 2013?

Olu na Adagbe was launched on 14th July, 2012 and its aims and objectives was to move as a pressure group, to sensitize the people of the Anambra North senatorial zone and Ndi Anambra as a whole in order to pursue equity and fairness in terms of political power sharing. It was formed with the help of some people from the North senatorial zone and the government of former Governor Peter Obi.

The group was headed by the former SSG, Mr. Paul Odenigbo.  I was the initiator of it but it was funded by the then Commissioners and secretary to the State Government, Paul Odenigbo including the then Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs,  Dubem Obaze. They made financial commitments that sustained the programme.

 I was then the field marshal; I organized the traditional rulers, the Presidents General, and others from the North and partly Central and the South.  Remember that 12 out of 21 Local Government areas in Anambra state that make up the Olu na Adagbe. The 12 local governments included some part of the North, Central  and parts of Aguata which is Oraeri area.

The likes of the then governor Peter Obi and Engr. Arthur Eze, (Eze n’Ukpo) were the people that stood firm, insisting that there must be equity in political power sharing in the state.  Then, the people of the central have had theirs through Peter and Ngige, then South senatorial zone, then was Mbadinuju  but North had not got their own fair share. That was why they supported the project.

After much sensitization, it yielded positive result that at last, PDP, through Arthur Eze fielded Hon. Tony Nwoye, from Anambra East and APGA fielded Chief Willie Obiano and because of the power of incumbency, Willie Obiano eventually became the governor of Anambra state.

Since after his emergence, nobody talks of the existence of Olu na Adagbe any more, nobody talks about the pioneers and driving force of Olu na Adagbe, most of the people that contributed to the success of Olu na Adagbe were entirely abandoned and forgotten by this present government. That was Obiano’s failure number one.

Secondly, the Church waded into the governance of Obiano and warned him not to listen to politicians that made him what he is. In Willie’s cabinet, most of the Commissioners and other aides were nominated by Bishops and priests not the king makers, which I see as evil before God and man.


Is that why you are now fronting another pressure group called MOFGAS?


The Movement for the Greater Anambra (MOFGAS), came to be because of the collapse of Olu na Adagbe because immediately after the 2013 election, everybody abandoned the group including the beneficiaries. 

In 2002, before the emergence of Peter Obi and Ngige, there was a pressure group called Central focus, which I was also part of. It was a pressure group that wants power shift, from South to central and from other churches to Catholic Church.

The group insisted that every political party should nominate a catholic member as their candidate and that power should shift to the central and most of the parties nominated people from the central and Catholics. Then in 2012 and 2013,  it was power shift to the North.

The formation of MOFGAS hinges on those who are not happy with this present government. Remember then, everybody virtually became an APGA member but they lacked internal democracy. APGA is one party that doesn’t practice what they preach.

That was why we formed MOFGAS, it was not Olu na Adagbe thing as it cuts across the 21 council areas of the state. Central Focus, then comprised of seven local governments, the Olu na adagbe was 12 local government, while MOFGAS cuts across the length and breadth of Anambra state.

In your last MOFGAS outing, you said you are shopping for a candidate that is on ground, have you found one?

We have stated it categorically clear on the qualities of candidate we will support in the November election. One is that we will not support any candidate from the Central but any qualified candidate from either North or South that is better than the incumbent Governor and from our research; it seems we have found one. Two, the candidate will not be sponsored by anybody and must be somebody that is on ground, somebody that has created jobs for our people, somebody that feels the pulse of the people, somebody that knows the Anambra terrain very well and not seasonal politicians that only comes home when election comes.

You said you have found one, who is this lucky pride?

You will know him when the time comes.

You said the group, MOFGAS was formed by aggrieved members who filled unsatisfied with the administration of Gov. Obiano, can you tell us the areas you think he has failed?

The first is that the foundation of this present government started with deceit and lies. When you go to the social media, that is where you see a lot of projects executed by the governor that do not exist in the state.

 Secondly, before the election of the governor, we had a programme on the issue of continuity,  to continue from where Peter stopped but I can tell you today that all the projects that Peter started and the one he used to campaign for this present government are still in the same position till today.

 The reason why I volunteered to support Obiano with all I have is the feeder road leading to my community, Amanuke in Awka North and the link road to other communities in the area.  Mr. Peter Obi assured me that he will give link road to my people and then, his successor will link us to Otuocha and Ayamelum but today, go through Amansea to Awba Ofemili, you will find out that nothing is happening there. 

From Isuaniocha to Amanuke, the same story, from Amanuke o Achalla, the same old story.  Nothing is happening there and that is failure number one. We have Cottage Hospital in my area which Peter Obi’s government was about developing, having erected about two buildings there, and dug borehole and it is still laying fallow till today.

Even the MDG drugs that were sent there, nobody gives attention to that and they have all expired by now. This is in my area alone, other members of MOFGAS has their own personal grievances. If you go to Aguata and Dunukofia area, you will see situations that are worse than our own, abandoned projects, everywhere.

What issue or issues will you like the next governor of Anambra state to address?

The person that will emerge should start from where Peter stopped.  Peter tried a lot for the people of this state. He opened our eyes to good governance, tarred all roads, developed infrastructure, revived school system and many others.

Do you see sense in what some APGA stakeholders say that Obiano should be given a chance to complete his eight years term?

There is no atom of sense in it at all. They don’t need to beg for that, if the governor performed well, his good work will give him second tenure but if he performed below average, voters will vote him out, so there is no point for that propaganda.

It is not his right, I would have loved a situation where the traditional rulers,  the Presidents general from the North senatorial zone to stage a big rally in honour of Peter and Arthur Eze for giving them that opportunity. Power shift to the North became realizable because of Engr. Arthur Eze and Mr, Peter Obi.

I know that Arthur Eze spent over 7 billion naira for Tony Nwoye to emerge and Peter did same to Obiano. Instead of doing that, they decided to fuel the crisis between Peter and Willie which everybody knows. To me, anybody that writes exam and fail cannot go to another class.

You mean the governor should repeat the class in Anambra Government House in order to pass before leaving?

That is not what I mean. Second tenure is another new class. For him, he will end in one class like Mbadinuju. His brother then, Obinna Uzor begged to be allowed to complete the tenure; Ndi Anambra said no that another zone should try.

You talked about church playing a major role in the administration of Governor Willie Obiano, don’t you see the church as a major threat in staging a welcome back for the Governor?

The church is deviating from its apostolate. Jesus Christ did not combine conversion of souls and miracles with politics. My advice is that a bricklayer should leave the work of a carpenter.

 The church should mind their vessels and the scripture and leave politics for politicians but instead, pray for politicians.

So, their actions are unacceptable, a situation where most of them nominated there relations for appointment is unacceptable to Anambra people. I had expected the church to have brokered peace between Peter and Obiano but it seems they are benefiting from the crisis. Nobody is talking about the bad governance and over bloated cabinet because they are neck deep into the mess.

Your last Message

Let us think twice and think of enthroning a better candidate than the one on the seat today.  Obiano has no good political background, and we need somebody who has the interest of Ndi Anambra at heart to come on board and wipe our tears.
If this happens, we can collectively make Anambra a better state, because since Peter left it was propaganda to the other and one ill fated campaign to the other. There was no good governance, I dare to say.

By Odogwu Emeka ODOGWU, Awka