By Anayo Okoli

UMUAHIA- AS Abians go to the polls this Saturday to elect their governor and the 24 members of the State House of Assembly, the contest is clearly between the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and the recently enhanced opposition, All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA.

The All Progressives Congress, APC which has secured victory in the presidential and National Assembly elections two weeks ago, is ironically not in strong contention here, even if it has candidates for the election just like the Progressive People Alliance.

APGA was not a threat in the state until recently and the results of the federal elections has shown that the PDP is for the first time fighting for survival since the temporary aberration raised by Orji Kalu’s PPA in 2007.

Though APGA was declared winner of only the Aba Federal Constituency in the National Assembly election, it is, however, strongly laying claims to be the authentic winner of the three Senatorial seats, and the other seven House of Representative seats.

From the campaigns, it is glaring that what APC and PDP are doing at the centre is what APGA and PDP are doing in Abia State in terms of seeing each other as major threats.

Okezie Ikpeazu

On the streets the popularity of the party is overwhelming but whether that overflows into voting strength is another thing.

The ruling PDP has Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu as it governorship candidate while APGA has Dr. Alex Otti, the immediate past group Managing Director of Diamond Bank as its candidate. The APC has Chief Nyerere Anyim, said to be a protégée of Imo State governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, as it candidate and PPA has Chief Chikwe Udensi as its candidate.

Dr. Otti, a former governorship aspirant in PDP left the party shortly before the party’s primary election and pitched tent with APGA which offered him the ticket and he has since turned the party into a thorn in the flesh of the ruling PDP, but whether his effort will see the party take over Abia remains to be seen on Saturday.

Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, a former appointee of the State Government as deputy general manager of the state environmental agency in-charge of Aba, won the PDP primaries, amidst huge grumbling by other aspirants who accused the Theodore Orji administration of sponsoring and backing him. He is, however, not a new comer in politics having been a Local Government chairman and held other political appointments. His greatest boost is coming from Abia South where the PDP zoned the office of governor to. The campaign has made that a campaign issue, saying the area has never produced a governor of the state since creation 23 years ago.

Alex Otti

However, coincidentally, most of the contending parties, PDP, APC and APGA candidates are of Ngwa extraction. While PDP and APC candidates are from Obingwa Council in Abia South, Otti of APGA is of Ngwa extraction but from Abia Central which was why he was screened out by his former party PDP, leading to his defection to APGA. But the PDP campaign has made Otti’s origin a major campaign issue. Born and bred in Ngwaland, Otti had earlier settled in Arochukwu in Abia North, the home of his grandfather.

With its growing popularity, APGA has also made serious inroad in the Ukwa area where it anchored its structure around Chief Chris Nkwonta who contested for the Senate and is laying claim to victory given to Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe. So in free and fair elections, APGA will give PDP a very good run in Ukwa area.

Euphoria of victory

Though APC is not very strong in the State for now, its candidate Chinnye Anyim, being from the same Council area as PDP candidate and with the euphoria of its victory at the national level, may divide the votes in the area seen as the most populous voting area.

One thing is certain; the battle is a fierce one between PDP and APGA. Again, if the votes of the electorate count on Saturday, irrespective of the party that wins, Abia may no longer parade a 24-PDP member House of Assembly. From every indication there will be a House with more than one party.