Cornucopia: MOFGAS, Oronukwu, setting yet another mission for Anambra 2017 Politics by Odogwu Emeka Odogwu

Politicians should be held responsible for infractions often associated with politics. Aside this politics is sweet and the players should be happy to be serving the people wholeheartedly, but is it so? Our politicians serve themselves and those who sing their praise but sometimes they remember their cronies.
If democracy and politicking should develop in Nigeria, the agenda setting attitude of Chief Shedrack Anakwue-Oronukwu from Amanuke, Awka North council area should be emulated intoto even though I see it as ‘ drinking panadol for another person’s matter’.
For me, Anambra Governorship election has gone to the people of Anambra South senatorial zone, it is left for them to manage it well or…. The only reason why I summed it up was the ingratitude by the people of Anambra North. The politicians from Anambra North were so ungrateful to the people of Anambra Central and all those from other zones who had sleepless nights to make their son a Governor.
It was expected that politicians from the North would have organized a thank you party for the people who in one way or the other supported their son Chief Willie Maduaburuchukwu Obiano , Akpokuedike gburugburu to emerge Governor  especially Peter Obi even if the man on the spot has forgotten so soon. Did they do that? Rather from the inauguration ground three years ago at Dr Alex Ekwueme Square, Anambra North’s son and first family declared war against those who fought the battle. The war was good but glad Obiano himself has seen the abnormalities with such stance.
Good a thing, everybody who was brought before the storm quietly stayed away to avoid destroying a house we all built. I was not an outsider too. We had bruises all over in the name of standing for Anambra North. But what was our gain? We got insults and threats by even some who never knew how the battle was fought and won. What a way to say thank you to a group who started campaigning for power shift to Anambra North and God heard them, using the uncompromising  stance of former Governor Peter Gregory Obi, Okwute Ndigbo to make it happen.
In months to come, even with the power of incumbency and monies stashed away allegedly for campaign, a visitor is a visitor in the battle of trenches and real game of politics in Anambra especially when every community in the state is having one problem of imposition of either the Igwe or the President General in the name of re positioning Obiano’s men for 2017.
Obiano would have allowed free and fair elections in the communities and utilize it to his advantage as the masses would stand against election rigging against him assuming he has the chances of winning in a free contest with all the ‘foreign appointees’. Some of his aides if not 70 percent cannot and I repeat cannot win their wards. And the worst those aides refused to bring people who could add pep closer as their advisers etc.
When I heard a new group emerged for Anambra 2017, my first question was who formed it and who was leading it. The Movement for greater Anambra state (MOFGAS), was formed by like minds who since 1998 had their ways in championing a course and setting agenda for Anambra politics without noise. The group is led by Chief Shedrack Anakwue-Oronukwu. Oronukwu as he is popularly called was a former Speaker in Awka North legislative council, later became Executive Chairman of the local government and subsequently different positions and Committee members of different things.
But Oronukwu and his men from Anambra North senatorial zone, known as “Olu Na Adagbe” made it possible that Anambra North produced a Governor as they started championing a course for a shift to of Governorship candidate to Anambra North after several courtesy calls and night crawls to personalities before launching a campaign July 14th , 2012. Today it was a reality and they have started another movement.
It is important to note that when the course was accepted Obiano was nowhere in the list to the extent that Obi of Onitsha snubbed Obiano during a visit in 2013 and even fell out with Peter Obi for singling Obiano out after they had Chief Chike Obidigbo as their consensus candidate of Anambra North. Igwe Achebe allegedly abandoned his duties as Traditional Rulers council chairman in the state.
Remember the Movement for greater Anambra state (MOFGAS), has been officially launched since 17th November, 2016 with a mandate to get a candidate acceptable to all citizens of Anambra state as a true leader with qualities unparallel, and to ensure power was not coveted by Anambra South, as it either goes back to Anambra North or Anambra South.  There slogan is non between Anambra North and Anambra South should say it is their birthright to produce the next Governor of Anambra state as equity has been seen to have been observed.
This group has no ulterior motive or selfish game but to ensure there is equity in development and service delivery as well as governance. But let me add as a conscious citizen that, for 2017 Governorship elections, the political parties should shift their search for would be Governor to Anambra South and Anambra North and strictly to Anglicans and Pentecostals.   This is no religious politics but reality on ground. Any Roman Catholic candidate would not make it unless God has another plan.
This group wants an independent, selfless, quality and qualitative personality without dent and who has been able on his or her own create jobs for hundreds of Ndi-Anambra and beyond and has a personal worth to prosecute Anambra elections unaided to be Governor. The candidate must have a human face, invested heavily in the state like Dr Ifeanyi Ubah, and Mr Godwin Ezeemo as well as Dr Chike Obidigbo. They said somebody with financial chest like Peter Obi is what Anambra needed as people who are assisted into office thorough godfatherism are proving a point in disaster and selfishness in governance. Anambra North and Anambra South should be given level playing ground not Anambra Central. But for me Anambra South should take it now.
During then Governor Chinwoke Mbadinuju, Odera, Oronukwu just came out as Council chairman and used all the monies he saved to fight against imposition of candidate in Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by Chief Joseph Okonkwo Ofiadiulu and they won.
And after that era, they formed a group known as Central Focus with late Osonwa and agitated for power to shift to the central which they achieved giving way for Governor Peter Obi whose mandate Dr Chris Nwabueze Ngige thwarted but still Central had it and later Obi recovered his mandate.
Then, all political parties shifted to Central to pick their candidates. At their Central Focus, they appealed that candidates of political parties must be Catholics because Mbadinuju was Anglican. Excluding that game changer, Chief Okey Nwosu from Awka was the candidate to beat in grassroot and popularity. That introduced religious politics in Anambra, and Ngige, Obi as well as Obiano did not help matters here. But the truth is that 2017 Anambra Governorship campaign has already started as Mr Godwin Chukwunenye Ezeemo has flooded the city with his posters. Anambra North or Anambra South, which shall we go for 2017?

Cornucopia is written by  Odogwu Emeka Odogwu. Odogwu is an Editor, writer, journalist, blogger, publisher and commentator on National Issues. He is based in Awka Anambra state and could be reached on 08060750240. E-mail: [email protected]