2015: APGA And Anambra North Senatorial Zone
As Nigeria turns the last bend, facing the final stretch of 2014, the scramble for party tickets for 2015 elections has begun in earnest. Already a tailback of aspirants is gradually forming behind party lines. By election time, it is likely to be an unwieldy crowd even as this may not be an unusual development since parties were not known to be swarmed any less in previous elections.
In fact, the cliché “the more the merrier” derives from this development. But unlike the past, elections are now more difficult to win. They are also more expensive to finance. As with other human endeavors, every elective position commands an unwieldy traffic of aspirants: the serious, the not-so-serious and the pretenders. Selecting from the horde becomes as difficult a task as asking for a musical rendition from a deaf-mute. (Ludwig Van Beethoven might appear to contradict this, but he was in fact only deaf).
The zoning formula adopted by most parties is partly to minimize the spate of failure occasioned by unwieldy aspirants, and to also give members a sense of belonging. Regardless, most parties are yet to get it right. A lot more needs to be done. Candidates need to be critically assessed to know those worthy to fly parties' flags.
The process should be void of sentiments and selfish consideration. Any person deserving of a party's ticket must show commitment and should be popular. Selection process should not be marred by intrigue and horse-trading. The implication of shabby primaries by offering a party's ticket to an unpopular or uncommitted candidate is twofold. One is a possible loss of the election. Two, is that a win does not guarantee loyalty to party. It does not also guarantee against decamping.
Against this background it is important to caution the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) as a party against indiscriminate selection of candidates. Even after zoning its positions, it should make sure its ticket is handed over to deserving party members capable of delivery. It must desist from handing tickets to unpopular and fly-by-night candidates. As stated above, beneficiaries of such arrangements are hardly committed. They hardly deliver.
If ever they do, they jump ship at the earliest possible time. No party is known to survive the rigours of an election with a depleted force. None conquers, easily, an enemy who was an ally. Such battles are internecine and can be quite destructive to a party. It is better to be avoided. A fresh battle has greater prospects. For example defeating a turncoat governor like Rochas Okorocha – with all his unpopularity –may prove more difficult for APGA than winning a fresh state. It will be a lot easier for the party to snatch victory off the claws of middling performers within the South East states and beyond. No doubt APGA was unfairly treated by Okorocha. Hardly was he admitted into the party, offered its governorship ticket for the election, availed with the party structure, won the election when he decamped. Not that the likes of Chris Anyanwu and Uche Ekwunife have not decamped from the party. They have! Without holding brief for them, both can be excused on grounds of seeking higher positions which the party might have decided against.
To buttress this fact, either of the women was reported to have said that if she is busing to Abuja and the vehicle has a problem, she will not hesitate to enter another. But more than that, the women lasted longer in the party and would have contributed as much - quite unlike Okorocha who seized upon the party structure to advance his cause. It is sometimes difficult to figure out what informed Okorocha's action. Other than erraticism - borne out of gaining a facile governorship ticket from the party – nothing seems a good justification for the action.
Beyond all these, 2015 looks promising for the party once it gets its acts right. It is a time for it to apply circumspection in selecting candidates. Resisting erratic characters from running on its platform is the first step to preserving the party from going extinct. This way it will minimize cases of turncoats. Already the party's zoning arrangement in Anambra has ensured excellent performance in the past elections. The present governor of the state who is from Anambra North senatorial zone is a product of zoning.
It does not seem politically wise to toy with the idea. Since the governor hails from Omambala part of the zone, comprising Oyi, Ayamelum, Anambra East and Anambra West, it behoves the party to produce a senatorial candidate from Onitsha/Ogbaru axis in 2015. Two things will work for APGA's success in this election. One is choosing a candidate from the Onitsha/ Ogbaru area. If the party picks a candidate from Ogbaru, which is yet to produce a senator, it will rely on the governor's support and the understanding of Onitsha/Ogbaru to win the zone convincingly. Two is the ability to choose a candidate to beat from would-be aspirants from Ogbaru.
This is where the aspiration of Chief Dubem Obaze should be viewed with all the seriousness it deserves. He is a party man and an achiever par excellence. His candidacy will ensure victory for APGA. He is a committed party man and a shoo-in. His days as Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters in Anambra state witnessed a great transformation in that tier of government. His achievements include building and renovating the 21 local government headquarters as well as strengthening the traditional institution.
It will be difficult to see any traditional ruler in the state, especially from the North Senatorial zone that will not support his candidacy. As a party man, his commitment is total. He contributed in no small measure to the gains of the party. As a director of operations in the governorship campaign of Chief Willie Obiano, he did well to deliver victory to the party. Obaze's enduring commitment to the growth of APGA is given further expression by no less a committed party man than the former governor of the state, Chief Peter Obi.
Writing about this, Obi said: “I have come to cherish your commitment to the causes you believe in as exemplified by your strong belief in the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). Because you shared in the vision of APGA, you joined us in 2003 and have remained unwavering in your support for the party since then. In 2003, you contested for the House of Representatives but were rigged out, yet you continued with us in the struggle”.
There may be no better testimonial on Obaze's commitment to the cause of the party. Availing him the party's ticket will be absolutely essential for the simple reason that he is not just a committed party man, but one who has the capacity to withstand the big fight. Already the fight is arduously predisposed. It is going to be fought with knuckledusters and no ordinary gloves. Except the party wishes to be an ordinary spectator shall it toy with an alternative. This doesn't seem likely!