2027: Stop Pitching Anam and Aguleri against each other… our collective interest must never be sacrificed on the altar of individual political ambition

By Romanus Udekwe Okue-Agbomma, LL.B., ACIArb

There is a dangerous political game we must never allow to take root in Omambala: the deliberate pitching of Anam against Aguleri and Aguleri against Anam for personal political advantage. It is the same crude formula politicians have perfected at the national level—weaponising tribe, religion, and identity to emotionally blackmail ordinary people into defending interests that are often purely personal.

We must reject it completely.

Politics should unite people around ideas, competence, performance, and common interests. Once politicians or their supporters begin telling a community that it must support a candidate simply because he is “our son”, or that supporting a candidate from another community amounts to betrayal, reason gives way to emotional manipulation. When such manipulation is allowed to fester, political disagreements can easily become communal hostility.

We have seen enough of the damage this kind of politics can cause. It can create suspicion, deepen old grievances, provoke unnecessary communal clashes among the Omambala and Oyi communities, and divert attention from the development challenges confronting our people. We cannot continue destroying the relationships upon which our collective progress depends merely to satisfy the ambition of individual politicians.

The argument that Ndi Anam should queue behind an Anam candidate simply because he is their son is wrong. Also, it is wrong to tell Ndi Aguleri that they must queue behind a candidate simply because he is onye Aguleri. Both arguments are two sides of the same dangerous coin.

What should matter is the bigger picture: who will best serve our collective interests?

Community identity does not, by itself, create a political or moral obligation. Sonship is not service. A candidate should earn the confidence of the people through his record, character, competence, performance, and capacity to serve—not merely through the involuntary incident of birthplace.

For instance, can Hon. Peter Aniekwe (Macpee) himself, boldly stand before people like Nze Raphael Udenze Okeke, Barrister Lawyer Mmeze etc and demand such solidarity, simply because he Macpee is onye Anam? The answer is no. He didn’t support them at their own time even though they are ndi Anam. He supported Senator Stella Oduah, onye Ogbaru, and Dr. Tony Nwoye, onye Nsugbe.

This is not an argument for Ndi Aguleri to reject an Anam candidate simply because he is not onye Aguleri. That would merely turn the same bad politics upside down.

If an Anam candidate is the better candidate, Ndi Aguleri should be free to support him without being accused of betraying their community. If an Aguleri candidate is the better candidate, Ndi Anam should equally be free to support him without being branded disloyal.

That is mature politics. That is democracy.

The tragedy begins when politicians and their supporters deliberately make communities see one another as rivals rather than partners. Anam and Aguleri have shared interests and a common stake in the development of the Omambala communities.

Weakening one community in the hope of strengthening another is ultimately self-defeating. When Anam loses, Aguleri does not automatically win. When Aguleri loses, Anam does not automatically win. Our people lose when division replaces cooperation.

We must, therefore, reject the politics of “our own must win at all costs.” Our own should win because he is the better choice for the collective good—not simply because he comes from our community.

Let competence, character, performance, integrity, capacity to serve and strategic political alliance determine political choices. Let voters make their decisions freely, without emotional communal intimidation and blackmail.

Whoever is propagating the politics of pitching Anam against Aguleri—or Aguleri against Anam—must be condemned, regardless of his name, party, or political interest. There should be no double standard here. What is wrong when one person does it remains wrong when another person does it.

Our communities have suffered enough from politics that converts neighbours into enemies and political competition into communal suspicion. We must not import the worst habits of Nigerian national politics into our own backyard—where tribe and religion are routinely exploited to emotionally blackmail the masses while politicians pursue their private interests.

Omambala is bigger than any politician. Anam is bigger than any politician. Aguleri is bigger than any politician.

The question in 2027 should, therefore, not merely be, “Who is our son?” It should be: “Who will best serve our collective interest?”

Undoubtedly, Hon. Chinedu Obidigwe is a better choice. Besides several other reasons, he is the candidate of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), where Anambra state governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo is the party leader. Prof. Soludo has established a great cordial working relationship with the federal government. Anambra East and West must take advantage of that and not be in opposition at state and federal levels. Therefore, we must elect APGA candidates from A to Z to ensure a seamless flow of developmental operations.

That is the bigger picture. If we lose sight of it, we may win a political battle today only to lose our unity, development, and collective future tomorrow.