• Soludo battles Moghalu, Ukachukwu, 13 others to retain seat

FELIX NWANERI writes that the stage is set for tomorrow’s governorship election in Anambra State as political former political allies and foes square against each other in a contest that its build-up has been characterised by highwire politics

After months of political intrigues, it is a deciding weekend for the people of Anambra as eligible voters in the state file out tomorrow to elect a new governor in what promises to be a stiff contest given the strength of the political parties and their candidates.

Sixteen out of the 19 registered political parties are participating in the election out of which the African Action Congress (AAC) and National Rescue Movement (NRM) are fielding female candidates, while candidates of the remaining 14 parties are males.

However, six parties are fielding female running mates. They are Accord, All Progressives Congress (APC), Action Peoples Party (APP), Boot Party (BP), Labour Party (LP) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP). In terms of age, the candidates range between 36 and 71 years.

The candidates are Charles Onyeze (Accord) Jeff Nweke (Action Alliance – AA), Chioma Ifemeludike (African Action Congress – AAC), Chuma Nwosu (African Democratic Congress – ADC), Nicholas Ukachukwu (All Progressives Congress – APC), Charles Soludo (All Progressives Grand Alliance – APGA), Echezona Otti (Allied Peoples Movement – APM) and Chidubem Nweke (Action Peoples Party – APP). Others are Jerry Okeke (Boot Party – BP), George Moghalu (Labour Party –LP), Geoffrey Onyejegbu (New Nigeria Peoples Party – NNPP), Ndidi Olieh (National Rescue Movement – NRM), Jude Ezenwafor (Peoples Democratic Party – PDP), Vincent Chukwurah (Social Democratic Party – SDP), Paul Chukwuma (Young Peoples Party – YPP), Martin Ugwoji (Zenith Labour Party – ZLP).

According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which said that it has mobilized 24,000 ad hoc staff for the election, 2.8 million voters are expected participate in the exercise, while voting will take place in 5,720 polling units across the 21 local government areas of the state.

A three-horse race

Despite the number of candidates, some bookmakers say the election is a three-horse race between Governor Soludo of APGA, Ukachukwu of APC and Moghalu of LP. The belief is that the trio have what it takes to carry the day given their political profiles and structures of their respective parties across the 21 councils of the state. Soludo, who is seeking a second term, is a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), was elected as governor in the 2021 election.

He had before then contested the 2009 governorship election on the platform of the PDP but lost to the then incumbent, Peter Obi of APGA. He also made a bid in 2013 on the platform of APGA after leaving the PDP, but the party’s zoning arrangement was not in his favour, so he could not get to the nomination stage. The leadership of the party at the time insisted on Anambra North Senatorial District, where the then incumbent, Willie Obiano hails from.

However, there was no doubt that Soludo was in a vantage position to clinch APGA’s ticket after Obiano given that power was expected to shift to Anambra South Senatorial District, and that played out during the governorship primary election ahead of the 2021 election and the main election, which he won.

The professor of Economics, who hails from Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State, is going into a contest with an intimidating profile that spans across the academia and public service, He is an alumnus of University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where he studied Economics and graduated with a first-class degree in 1984.

Afterwards, he went on to obtain his Master’s degree (MSc) in Economics in 1987 and a doctorate (PhD) in Economics in 1989, from the same university, graduating as the best student on all levels of his study. In 1998, Soludo became a professor of Economics at his alma mater, and in 1999, a visiting professor at Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, United States.

He has also lectured in Oxford, Cambridge, and Warwick universities all in the United Kingdom. In public service, he was appointed Chief Economic Adviser to former President Obasanjo and the Chief Executive Officer of the National Planning Commission of Nigeria in 2003.

In May 2004, he became the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). President Muhammadu Buhari appointed him into the eight-member Economic Advisory Council (EAC) of his administration in September 2019. The incumbent is banking on his achievements so far to clinch another four years.

Moghalu, a former Managing Director of National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), also has a rich political profile. He is the first National Publicity Secretary of All Peoples Party (APP) that later became All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP). In 2003, he ran for the governorship of Anambra State on the platform of the ANPP in Anambra State but was not successful. He later served as vice chairman of ANPP South East as well as National Auditor of the APC. Ukachukwu, on his part, was elected as chairman of Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) in 1997.

He later represented AMAC/Bwari Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives on the platform of the PDP between 1999 and 2003. He has also contested for Anambra State governorship on the platforms of Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) and Hope Democratic Party (HDP) before now. On the strength of the parties, APGA has been in power in the state for 19 unbroken years (2006 to date); the APC, on its part, is the ruling party at the national level, while LP controls a majority of National Assembly seats in the state.

The rating of the leading candidates and their parties, notwithstanding, some analysts believe that any of the candidates of the so-called lesser parties could pull a surprise given that politics is a game of the possible. The possibility of an upset is predicated on the fact that politics in Anambra State is complicated as it is always about candidates, their godfathers, moneybags, an increasingly transactional electorate and endless intrigues.

High stakes

There is no doubt that the stakes are high as the outcome of the election will transcend Anambra State. Ahead of the 2027 general election, the ruling APC at the centre is seeking to make more in-roads into the SouthEast zone.

The party controls three out of the five south eastern states (Imo Ebonyi and Enugu) and the party, which has little or no presence in the zone before now, seems to have turned the beautiful bride as it continues to witness influx of top politicians from the area into its fold. It is against this backdrop that some analysts are of the view that APGA would be taking a political gamble if it continues to bank on the same variables that determined previous governorship elections in the state.

It was, therefore, advanced that the various candidates contesting the poll would be banking on their personal strength and political structure as none of the political parties could be said to have an edge over others. For APGA, the outcome of the poll will not only determine its future but the party’s dominance in the politics of Anambra State.

Besides being in charge in the state in the past 19 years, APGA also controls the state Assembly and the local councils. This means that a win for the party will translate consolidation of its grip on the state, while a loss will diminish the party’s electoral value and probably lead to its extinction as Anambra is the only state under its control.

For the APC, a win will see it having four out of the five states of the South-East in its kitty and boost its chances of sweeping the zone in the 2027 elections. A loss will however dim the party’s bid to improve on its electoral fortune not only in Anambra State but the South-East zone. LP, on its part, will increase the number of states under its control to two if it wins the election. The party won Abia State in the 2023 elections.

This perhaps explains why the campaign for the election was characterized by exchange of brickbats as the various parties and their candidates resorted to name-calling rather than focus on issues as they traversed the length and breadth of the state to canvas for votes and present their respective manifestos to the people.

It is against these backdrops that many are of the view that tomorrow’s election will not be a departure from past governorship polls in Anambra State, which have always been keenly contested given the vast majority of indigenes of the state, who have the financial muscle to embark on expensive political projects like the governorship contest. More than half of the governorship contenders are not only billionaires but they are equally banking on some power brokers, who have always determined the outcome of the elections in the state.

Eyes on INEC

The Anambra election is a litmus test for INEC, particularly its new chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan. To many, the poll presents a critical opportunity for the election management body to restore public confidence in the nation’s democratic process, which has been riddled with controversies ranging from logistical failures and delayed voting to allegations of vote buying and results manipulation.

But Amupitan, who pledged to deliver elections that are free, fair, and credible,assured stakeholders that the commission is fully prepared for a smooth and credible exercise, with all Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines tested, configured, and ready for use. He added that the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) would be used to upload polling unit results in real time.

He further disclosed that INEC had engaged 2,233 buses and 83 boats from the National Association of Transport Owners (NATO), National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), and Maritime Union Workers of Nigeria (MUWN) to ensure timely movement of election materials and personnel. Amupitan issued a firm directive that all election materials must arrive at polling units by 7:00 am and that activities at the polling must commence by 8:30 am, while collation of results must take place in the presence of party agents and collated results must align strictly with BVAS records.

He also assured voters that robust security arrangements have been instituted to safeguard personnel, materials, and voters throughout the process. His words: “Our responsibility is to the people of this nation. We are fully prepared to deliver an election that is fair, credible and reflective of the people’s willl” Amupitan said, urging all stakeholders to collaborate in ensuring a seamless process.

He cautioned against “attempts by vested interests to discredit the process,” adding that the commission remained focused and undeterred in fulfilling its constitutional mandate. On vote-buying, Amupitan issued a stern warning to political parties, candidates and voters, stressing that INEC will not tolerate any form of electoral malpractice as vote-buying will attract severe sanctions. “Vote-buying undermines democracy and erodes public confidence in the process.

We have issued strict directives to all our officials, and any deviation from the Electoral Act or INEC guidelines will attract severe sanctions,” he said. The INEC chairman, who revealed that 114 domestic observer groups and 76 media organisations have been accredited, with over 500 journalists expected to cover the election, added that to ensure inclusivity, INEC partnered with TAFAfrica for the deployment of sign language interpreters across polling units to assist 3,456 registered voters with disabilities.

He reaffirmed the Commission’s readiness, noting that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) would be used for voter authentication and electronic transmission of results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV). A successful mock accreditation, he added, was conducted in 12 polling units across six local government areas to test the system’s reliability.

We are fully prepared to deliver an election that is fair, credible and reflective of the people’s willl

Providing update on operational preparedness, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Anambra State, Elizabeth Agwu, confirmed that all non-sensitive materials had been distributed across the 21 local government areas of the state.

“We have left nothing to chance. From the training of personnel to the deployment of materials, every necessary step has been taken to ensure a smooth, credible, and technology-driven election.

Generators have also been deployed to ensure uninterrupted power supply at critical locations,” she stated. Both Amupitan and Agwu emphasised the importance of collaboration with political parties, security agencies, civil society groups, and the media in guaranteeing a successful election. “We are committed to carrying every stakeholder along in this process. Transparency and partnership remain the bedrock of our credibility,” the INEC chairman affirmed.

Heavy security deployment

To ensure a violence-free election, the Nigerian Police Force is deploying 45,000 officers across Anambra State for the exercise. The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, announced this during a meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security. The meeting, chaired by the INEC chairman, Amupitan, and co-chaired by the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, brought together senior security, intelligence, and law enforcement officials to finalise strategies for a hitch-free election.

Egbetokun, represented by a Commissioner of Police, Abayomi Shogunle, who heads the Elections Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation unit, said: “The IG will continue to ensure that the Nigeria Police Force provides adequate security for all electoral processes in all parts of Nigeria, and in particular regarding the upcoming governorship elections in Anambra State, the Nigeria Police Force is deploying 45,000 police officers from across the states of the federation to go to Anambra State to ensure that there is a peaceful election.” The police boss emphasised that only federal security agencies would be involved in the election.

“The Nigeria Police Force will ensure that only officers and officials from the ICCES would be permitted to play a role in the Anambra State governorship election. So, all the vigilante groups and all the other agencies of the states would not be allowed to have any role to play during this election,” he said. In his remarks, Ribadu who was represented at the meeting by the Director of Internal Security in the Office of the NSA, Hassan Abdullahi, said: “We have put in place robust security measures.

These include enhanced surveillance, the deployment of sufficient security personnel, and improved intelligence gathering to prevent any attempt by disruptive elements or desperate politicians from undermining the electoral process.” Meanwhile, the Police are expected to deploy helicopters and drones for security during the elections. The Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, Ikioye Orutugu, who disclosed this, said: “The aerial surveillance will complement ongoing land patrols by tactical units, intelligence operatives, and police special squads strategically deployed across all 21 local government areas of the state.”

He added: “The combined efforts of the command and the newly arrived tactical operatives will further enhance visibility policing, intelligencedriven operations, and rapid response to emerging threats. “The deployment of helicopters and surveillance drones will enable real-time monitoring of key locations, border communities, and flash points, while ground teams will maintain robust patrols and checkpoint operations across all 21 local government areas of the state.”

While there is no doubt that the Anambra governorship election promises to be a battle of political titans, there is no doubt that the leadership of ruling party in the state, and particularly, the incumbent governor, Soludo, are not oblivious of the onerous task ahead of them as they strive to ensure that APGA retains the Anambra in order to remain afloat.

To some people in the state, APGA has done well in the last 16 years it has held sway, and therefore, deserves to be given the opportunity to further consolidate its achievements. However, there are members of another political school, who believe that it is time for change of guard.