BY AMAECHI NWOKENIFE

CHIEF Peter Obih proved with ease in his Daily Sun interview of Thursday, May 19, 2011, that ignorance could indeed be blissful. As a cheerleader of Dr Chris Ngige’s fan club, his excitement over Ngige’s first ‘election victory ’in over 12 years of aspiration for public office is understandable. The expression, election victory, is used advisedly because the declaration of a candidate as winner by the INEC does not constitute the end of the election process.

The APGA believes that from the manipulations arising from announcement of a fake result on April 10, 2011 purporting to be the result of the Anambra Central Senatorial election to observable irregularities in some polling units during the re-run of April 23, 2011, it did not lose the poll and has approached the tribunal for redress.

A wise approach would be to tarry and wait for the conclusion of judicial review to know the ultimate winner. By gloating over what he perceived as the routing of APGA and Governor Peter Obi, Obih indicates that either he does not know that the election process has not yet terminated or that he has no regard for the process of law. This is the tragedy of Anambra’s politics. The APGA is also challenging the conduct of the other two senatorial elections and the definitive status of the results will only be known at the end of adjudication.

However, even going by the provisional results of the polls, what is the basis of the foul-mouthing that the ‘wind has blown and the anus of the fowl has come to public exposure’? Does the voting trend actually suggest that the Governor is unpopular?

Of the 11 House of Representatives constituencies in Anambra State, the APGA won five seats; the PDP five; and the ACN one. It is to be noted that the only seat won by ACN were in Ngige’s native Idemili federal constituency. Yet, we are lectured that Ngige is Anambra’s popular, ‘illustrious, tested and trusted’ leader.

Out of the 30 House of Assembly seats, the APGA won 17, the PDP seven, the ACN won four seats and the Accord and Labour parties won a seat each. It is also important to note that of the two state assembly constituencies in Ngige’s Idemili stronghold, the APGA won one and the ACN the other. The above speaks for itself on the acceptability of the parties and political leaders in the state.

But further in his rambling comments in the interview, Obih argued that the result of the senatorial elections showed “how some people who are unpopular and not on ground came to power in Anambra State….What happened in the election of February 6, 2010 and its result were described as digital rigging by many people”. The incident of digital rigging is partly correct.

The governorship election result as it affected the second term mandate of Governor Obi was emphatic and has since been reaffirmed by both the trial tribunal and the Appeal Court in five petition cases. The other half of the story is that Dr Ngige’s score in the election was indeed undeservedly jerked up.

The Nigerian Tribune of Monday, February 8, 2010, carried the front page banner: “How Obi Floored Soludo, Uba, Ngige; AC’s Votes Inflated by 10,000”. The then Resident Electoral Commissioner, Barrister Josiah Uwazuruonye confirmed the inflation at the tribunal. Earlier, an AC chieftain (as the party was then called) and citizen of Anambra State, Joe Igbokwe wrote that Ngige was going into the election with a “moral baggage” for claiming that he won the April 19, 2003 governorship election.

The interviewee’s submission that his Daily Sun advertorial of March31, 2011, was to the effect that Ngige would win the senatorial election and that this victory would unhinge Obi’s 2010 mandate is rather interesting. Was this what the advertorial actually conveyed? I quote from the publication. “Ngige’s victory for Anambra Central Senatorial election will also make the resolution of Anambra State governorship election case easy.” The more reasonable and valid interpretation of the above statement is that a Senate win for Ngige would make needless a continuation of his pending governorship election petition.

Since Obih’s picture did not appear in the publication, many saw it as a clever way of tapping into Governor Obi’s popularity as the advert could easily be mistaken as coming from him because of the resemblance of names and signature.

But we are told in the present interview that “from the (April 2011) NASS election results, the election which brought in Peter Obi as governor of Anambra State should be quashed”. This is a clear demonstration of political illiteracy. One does not have to be a lawyer or constitutional expert to appreciate the statutory and territorial differences between a senatorial and governorship election. And this highlights one of the problems to be encountered in Anambra State. People who hardly understand certain issues of governance are often those most vocal on the subjects . Again, this is the tragedy of Ananmbra’s politics.

A critic like Obih is of course entitled to his opinion that Peter Obi’s governmental score card reads “not doing well”. Yet, a sample of newspapers of the same May 19, 2011 wherein he made the assertion tells a contrasting story.

Consider a Vanguard headline: “UNICEF/EU reward Anambra with $.750m”. We read that ‘Anambra State Government has been rewarded with $750,000 (about N120m) by the EU & UNICEF in recognition of its good performance in EU/UNICEF joint projects. From Daily Independent‘s story, “Anambra Govt Priortises Umuezeanam-Mmiata road Project”, we note two important commendations:
“The traditional ruler of Mmiata, Igwe Sylvester Nose said Obi’s administration was the first to remember the area and had continued to develop all sectors. The State Assembly member-elect for Anambra West Constituency, Mr Anthony Nwabunwanne (PDP) said the Governor had laid an enduring legacy that future generations would continue to appreciate”.

Gov Obi has taken Anambra out of the political instability in which he found her in 2006. Since then, Anambra has been engaged in a journey of ethical renewal and development. The real political suicide, then, belongs to those who unable to move with the current have been left behind and are busy trying to go back to yesterday.

Mr. Nwokenife, a retired administrative officer, wrote from Awka, Anambra State.