All is set for the governorship poll in Ebonyi this weekend as the contestants are putting finishing touches to their strategies. EGWUAGHA AMARACHUKWU in this report examines the last minute chances of these contenders to the government house in a fight-to-finish contest.
Ebonyi is one of the states created during the late Head of State, Gen Sani Abacha’s regime in 1996.
Since then, the state has experienced various forms of leadership both by the military and civilian regimes.
After the military era, the civilians came into power since 1999 to date. Since then, Dr Sam Egwu, Chief Martin Elechi from and now Engr David Umahi have been in saddle with Umahi as the current.
The existing political arrangement
One interesting fact about the state is that leadership has been rotational among the three senatorial zones comprising Ebonyi North, Central and South, respectively. Egwu now a serving Senator is from the north zone, Chief Elechi from the central and now Engr Umahi from the south zone.
Egwu and Elechi both served two tenures of eight years each. Umahi is just completing the first four years while seeking for the remaining four years in coming Saturday governorship election, but is being challenged.
Currently, there are about 37 candidates jostling for the governorship seat of the state, but only three are believed to be serious contenders according to political watchers. They are incumbent Umahi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Sonni Ogbuoji of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Prince Ndubuisi Agbo, a former commissioner for education. Umahi and Ogbuoji are both from Ebonyi South Senatorial District while Agbo is from Ebonyi North.
The state has since the country’s return to civil rule in 1999, witnessed rotation of the governorship seat among its three senatorial districts, following the charter of equity though not written but very effective. It is on the basis of this charter of equity that Ebonyi North through Dr Egwu governed the state for eight years (1999-2007).
This was followed by the central through Chief Elechi who also governed the state for eight years (2007-2015). It was then the turn of the south to produce the governor, and that was how in 2015, Umahi was elected. Interestingly, Egwu anointed Elechi, but Umahi became governor of the state against his boss (Elechi’s) wish. Elechi had anointed former minister of health, Dr Onyebuchi Chukwu.
Elechi openly endorsed Chukwu in the EXCO chamber of the Government House with all the then members including Umahi in attendance.
Interestingly, Elechi had announced Umahi at a different forum as his successor.
What happened was that Umahi snatched the structure of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from Elechi and emerged victorious at the party’s governorship primary. After the primaries, Elechi fielded his son-in-law, Chief Edward Nkwegu, for the governorship election on the platform of Labour Party (LP). Nkwegu is from Izzi local government area but lost to Umahi, who scored 289,867 votes against his 124,817 votes while the candidate of APC, Senator Julius Ucha, came third with 27,583 votes.
The election was keenly contested by nine political parties in the 13 council areas but Umahi won in all. Also, Also bearing in mind rotation arrangement in the state, the main opposition APC zoned its 2019 governorship ticket to the South and Senator Ogbuoji became its standard bearer.
In a keenly contested primary election which had nine aspirants, Ogbuoji polled 785 votes to emerge thereby drawing the battle line with Gov Umahi who was declared unopposed at the PDP primaries. Ogbuoji was followed closely at the primaries by a former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof Benard Odoh who scored 519 votes while Edward Nkwegu, the 2015 LP flag bearer, polled 395 votes to place third. Odoh is currently challenging Ogbuoji’s candidacy in court.
On its part, the PDP, which has governed Ebonyi since 1999, has continued to wax stronger with the recent Presidential and National Assembly elections going its way in the state.
Since last week elections, Umahi and PDP camp have continued to strategise for victory in this weekend’s governorship and House of Assembly elections with APC almost in shock.
PDP strategies
Umahi has been holding series of meetings with different groups and stakeholders in the state to restrategise ahead of the elections. He has courted some APC chieftains, for instance, he has wooed Sen Emmanuel Azu Agboti, Chief Goddy Ogbaga and Mike Chukwu, a younger brother of former health minister, among others. Some candidates including the governorship candidate of Advanced Allied Party (AAP), Ogbonnaya Okorie and House of Assembly candidate of the party for Onicha West State Constituency, Sylvester Ogbu; governorship candidate of Alliance for Democracy (AD), Hon Ozuma Peter and others have withdrawn from the elections and declared their support for Umahi’s second term bid. When Okorie defected to PDP, he disclosed that the leadership of his former party was in support of his decision to pitch tent with Umahi.
He added that the decision was informed by the achievements of the administration and the need to support in his quest to develop all sectors of the state’s economy. He added that the governor has demonstrated uncommon leadership and there was no need to change the winning team. “After wide consultations and in consideration of the achievements of the incumbent governor, Engr David Umahi, I have resigned my membership of my party, Advanced Allied Party (AAP), to throw my support for the governor and I enjoin my supporters to join the PDP.
“I was never forced or cornered to join the PDP rather it was my own decision backed by evidence of the leadership the governor has provided. In the course of my discussion with the governor, he promised to give me N10 million for my election. I hereby urge him to add the money to his campaign, while I will make my personal donation towards his election come March 9,” Okorie said. He called on other aspirants to join hands in ensuring the emergence of Umahi.
Ogbu, on his part, said he took the decision after wider consultations with the leadership of his former party, family, friends and associates. He pointed out that part of the reasons he took the step was because of the achievements of the PDP-led administration in the state under Umahi. “This decision was informed by the level of peace that abounds in the party and the need to support the governor in his quest to develop all sectors of the state economy,” he said.
The die is cast
Not minding the endorsements received from so many quarter’s, the Umahi camp still has a lot to do especially in Ezza North, Ikwo, Izzi and Afikpo South local government areas. Izzi has the highest number of APC stalwarts and will give PDP a tough fight in Saturday’s election. It is the home of the chairman, Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, Chief Elias Mbam; Ambassador Alex Nwofe; former Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Chief Augustine Nwankwegu; Chief Edward Nkwegu (the 2015 governorship candidate of LP) and APC governorship aspirant, Senator Chris Nwankwo, among others.
But the PDP has the speaker of the state House of Assembly, Hon Francis Nwifuru; director-general of Umahi Campaign Organisation and former minister of health, Chief Fidelis Nwankwo and Chief Bonny Ofoke, among others to battle the APC. In Ikwo, the PDP has more work to do. It is the only local government that APC won in the last presidential election.
Elechi and a stalwart of APC in the state, Chinedu Ogah, the national coordinator of Initiative for Demonstrating Change in Nigeria, an NGO pushing for Buhari’s re-election, are from the council. Ogah’s influence is believed to have made the difference in the local government area for the APC during the presidential election. Ogah, who is popular in Ikwo and the state contested the House of Representatives seat for Ezza South/ Ikwo federal constituency in the recent National Assembly elections but lost to the incumbent, Hon. Lazarus Ogbee of the PDP. Ogbee got 31,296 votes, while Ogah had 27,700 votes. Ogah, however, delivered his council to his party.
He said he was rigged out; therefore has vowed to challenge the election in court. For Ogbuoji, though he was defeated in his Afikpo South local government area during the last elections, he will do everything possible to win the council in the governorship poll. Already, he has some aggrieved PDP members from the area apart from some APC chieftains from the council who are supporting him.
Some of the aggrieved PDP members in the local government are Chief Irem Ibom, a former member of House of Representatives, who was suspended for alleged anti-party activities and a former commissioner for information, Chief Abia Onyike. Despite this, it will not be an easy ride for the APC as the chairman of the local government, Dr Eni Uduma Chima, will like to repeat his performance at the presidential and National Assembly elections during which he delivered 100 per cent of votes to the PDP.
The area has upper and lower Edda. Eni is from upper Edda, which has over 21,000 out of the 79,000 registered voters in the council and has been winning elections in the area for long. With the stage set, there is no doubt that this weekend’s governorship election in Ebonyi promises to be interesting.
