By Emmanuel Ubani

Now that the Fifth Republic is gradually inching towards a successful ending, political permutations, conjectures and assumptions by political pundits and commentators on who succeeds the incumbents at all levels of government are beginning to saturate media space and the air times.

The prospective aspirants into various political offices on their part are surreptitiously oiling their campaign machinery and beefing up their war chests preparatory to throwing in their hat into the ring.

The polity is already being unnecessarily heated up by political gladiators and their foot soldiers by their unwanted utterances and unhealthy debate on the need for one zone or section of the country/State to produce their candidate or for their preferred choice to clinch the coveted seat of the president, governor or legislative position as the case maybe.

In Ebonyi State, the atmosphere is no less chaotic with different interest groups representing the various candidates promoting their candidates or canvassing for the position of the governor to be zoned to their Senatorial District on the guise of justice, fair play and equity but ostensibly to favour their preferred candidate.

It is instructive to note that the contest for the highest office in the State is amongst the three Senatorial Zones of Ebonyi South, Ebonyi Central and Ebonyi North respectively.

The present Governor Martin Elechi comes from Ebonyi Central just as Senator Igwe Nwagu one of the interested candidates while Senator Chris Nwanko, Engr. Elias Mbam who are both alleged to have interest and former Governor, Dr. Sam Egwu, hail from Ebonyi North. However, Senator Chris Nwanko, Engr. Elias Mbam and Senator Igwe Nwagu are yet to officially declare their interest but their body language and pressure from their kinsmen are indicative of their interest.

On the other hand, Ebonyi South parades a long list of candidates who have indicated interest in the job. The list includes Engr. Dave Umahi, Deputy Governor of the State, Prof. Chigozie Ogbu, former Deputy Governor, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu Minister of Health, Senator Sunny Ogbuorji, Dr. Paul Okorie, former Commissioner of Environment, and Barr. Timothy Oda, Commissioner for Finance amongst others.

Each of these candidates have their strong and weak points. Generally, the candidates from North and Central Zones have the advantage of population and political homogeneity. They have always stayed together right from the old Anambra State owing to their common ancestry which is traced to the Ekumenyi Family. It is unlikely that the zones will not work together to present a candidate on behalf of the two zones.

The general position of people from these zones is that it is not yet time for power to go to the South Zone considering the fact that the people of the South are already enjoying other advantages, and more importantly, they have not been very accommodating and fair to the Abakaliki bloc on the positions they held.

The South on the other hand, feel strongly that for fairness and justice, it is proper to allow them to produce the next Governor. However, the intrigue amongst their candidates and the differences amongst the constituent Local Governments of the Zone, in addition to the likely mass support of Abakaliki Block to its candidates will pose a stumbling block for the South to achieve its desire.

People with moderate views in the debate argue that since democracy is a game of numbers, the North and Central Zones will always hold sway in a free and fair elections urging the South to continue to employ dialogue in their engagement with their counterparts from the other zones with a view to achieving consensus and paving way for the emergence of a popular candidate.

It is instructive to note that while people of the state indulge in speculations using skewed parameters, the indefatigable Governor Elechi has thus far refused to be waylaid or drawn into the fray choosing to concentrate on providing democracy dividends and leaving a solid legacy built on good governance, transparency and accountability.

Interestingly, the governor thus far remains unperturbed by the cacophony of calls for him to anoint a candidate from a particular zone, and is very unlikely that the Akporunkashi would cave in to pressure and do the biddings of those selfish politicians who would want to capture political power at all

*Emmanuel Ubani, a Public Affairs Commentator, Onueke, Ebonyi State