Moments Of Truth 3: What is governance if not the ability to administrate?
By Tai Emeka Obasi
- PDP held the best primary for November 6, despite its Super Delegates anomalies.
- APGA held next to what could be regarded as a primary despite the lopsidedness of the selection of the delegates that voted.
- APC conducted the worst kind of primary ever witnessed in Anambra in the history of this Fourth Republic.
Hence, APC was supposed to implode beyond repair.
But what did we see?
A. PDP imploded beyond recognition. Why? Because the eventual candidate, even though a determined, young, energetic and intelligent man, lacked the ability and experience to embark on a successful reconciliation process.
Before his eyes, two major aspirants left with their horde of supporters as candidates of other parties. A huge loss! But it didn’t end there. A serving senator, representing a third of the state from Anambra North left. At least three members of the HOR, representing three out of 10 Federal constituencies, have concluded arrangements to leave permanently. Two members of the State Assembly are moving with them too.
And it hasn’t even ended there – majority of those left in the party are just waiting to betray the party on the voting day. Keep your ears to the ground and you hear the campaign team complaining from pillar to post that there’s no money for the campaign. Whoever that is complaining at this stage about campaign money is a sign of betrayal to come.
B. The man enjoying Governor Willie Obiano’s support cannot even keep his own faction together. Under his nose six members of the State Assembly left. An unheard of scenario in any state ruling party!
Two members of the Federal House have concluded irretrievable arrangements to leave. Seven more members of the State Assembly are deep in sync for last-minute defections. But that’s not the end of the crisis yet. The APGA candidate at the moment lacks the political and administrative guile to attempt bringing the other camp into his November 6 campaign fold. It’s irredeemably swim or sink.
C. Look at the party, APC expected to implode. Look at how the candidate has magically brought the fire out of the crisis-laden primary under firm control. Look at how he prevented any member of his party attempting any ship-jumping.
But that’s not the whole story. Not even half of it. Get ready for the meat of a story that dispassionate politicians only see in dreams.
The APC candidate has masterminded
i. The defection of a former PDP Senator and member of BOT from Anambra North.
ii. Defection of a very popular serving PDP senator from Anambra North.
iii. Six serving members of APGA State House of Assembly from all three zones.
iv. Concluded decamping of a very popular former APGA HoR member from Anambra Central
v. Concluded irretrievable decamping plans for two popular serving APGA HoR members from Anambra Central and South.
vi. Concluded sure defection arrangements for three very popular PDP HoR members from Anambra North and South.
Vii. Arrangements in conclusive stage of seven more APGA State Assembly members to cross over within about two weeks to the election.
The APC candidate masterminded all these defections that stripped his major opponents naked to the huge advantage of his party. Politics is a game of numbers. For a party who had no state of federal representative in both houses before he became candidate, being the party that will soon have majority in both houses is akin to performing a miracle!
Ndi Anambra, look at this narrative with dispassionate eyes, without sentiments and tell me who amongst these candidates has the capacity and administrative capability to be governor in a state where the incumbent has plunged us so down that we need all hands on deck to swim out of. Don’t be fooled into believing it’s all about party. It’s rather about the individual.
Governance is not about your doing everything by yourself. It’s rather the ability to delegate to capable hands to actualise your ideas. The APC candidate has proven, within this short while of facing the very arduous tasks before the three major candidates, that he is man enough to bring very lion-like Anambra political big wigs into one umbrella for a united push to reclaim our dear state from the abyss of Obiano’s mismanagement.
No wonder they call him IGWEBUIKE. Within this very shortwhile he’s lived and living perfectly to that powerful Igbo nomenclature.
