It might surprise some watchers of Anambra State politics to begin to read about Governor Peter Obi’s monument; and for the less endowed in the white man’s language, particularly those of them resident in Anambra State, passion might run wild in defense of the Governor’s current mandate.

While the first group might merely be confounded by the speed of time, the second just would not see their Governor and his government as issues that are at the threshold of  history—at the verge of being permanently reported in the past.

Why talk of a monument whose making is unfolding still? There is yet a third interest-class; cynics who would bite, claw and shout in efforts to attain their sworn conclusions to emasculate the novel patterns adorning the political space of Anambra State. ‘What monument?’ They would ask. But in all of these dispositions, the reality of passing time and its compelling dictates in sifting the bedrock of history prevails.

Before the end of March, 2014, Governor Peter Obi would have served Anambra State the maximum statutorily period of eight years, representing two terms.

This is an uncommon privilege unprecedented in the State where the political landscape is replete with ‘men and women of timber and calibre’, who in deference to their high sounding (many a time bizarre) aliases, very often jump into a fray merely for the satisfaction of drawing blood. Even in fights they would neither sustain nor win.

Having taken a token look at the peculiarities of  Mr. Obi’s Anambra, one begins to appreciate better the value of the Governor’s resilience, doggedness and ruggedness . How else would one explain Mr. Obi’s stubborn resistance of the monster that President Obasanjo’s the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) foisted on and sought to perpetuate in Anambra State?

Indeed, the PDP nausea, exemplified by the stolen mandate, seemed a blessing for Ndigbo as it exposed the post war conspiracy of clannish pretenders who  sought to subdue Ndigbo and kill their spirit. Even ‘in the very before’ of the totem of Igbo consciousness (apologies to Chika Okpala, Chief Zebrudaya Okoroigwe Nwogbo ) the people’s mandate was stolen by impostors to the people’s cause.

What would have been left of Ndigbo if Mr. Obi failed to lead the battle for the rescue of the heartland of the Igbo nation?

The Governor’s clear headedness, his sublime understanding of the character of the deprivation and his utmost commitment to resistance, made the unyielding Ikemba of blessed memory to declare uncommon support for a young man whom he identified as fighting hegemony against an endangered nation.

Mr. Obi  fought and conquered the marauding bunch whose resolve was a systematic emasculation of Ndigbo. This early struggle signaled the relevance of Mr. Obi among Ndigbo; added to this is his seminal managing of human and material resources both in governance of Anambra State and in other spheres of leadership.

Having served Anambra State for over six of an eight years stretch, and judging from the transparent structure of his government, Governor Obi’s scorecard could be reviewed with reasonable degree of accuracy. The indices for measuring success or failure are located in the responsibilities of government and to what extent government fulfills or neglects such duties.

Anambra State is one of the states in Nigeria that hardly go without press reportage. Its prominence derives from its huge pull of human resources and the inputs of Ndi-Anambra, dead or living, in the making and sustenance of the country.

But for a greater part of Anambra’s 21 years as a political entity, it recorded greater negative publicity owing to loss of direction among the crop of leaders that ran its affairs before now.

This deviation manifested in the collapse of the system while very few individuals got so robust they could sustain parallel structures that mocked the institution of government. That was why the ‘Eselus’ for instance, could boast of installing what served as government in the state between 2003 and 2006, just as the ‘Offors’ did, a while earlier.

While the strains over the ownership of government raged, education was abandoned, the health sector was comatose; there was comprehensive infrastructural decay and unrest of every kind  marked the sociopolitical clime of the state until the unprecedented judiciary intervention that nullified the celebration of absurdities, and declared Mr. Obi of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) as the authentic governor of the state in March, 2006. From the date of that epochal declaration till date, Anambra State, under Governor Obi, has persisted in its march to recover the lost years and firmly situate itself among the comity of states.

Okechukwu Anarado writes from Adazi-Nnukwu