On February 6, 2012, it will be two years since the last governorship election was held in Anambra State. It was the poll that brought Mr. Peter Obi to power for the second time.
  A lot has changed on the state’s  political scene since then. Much more is changing as a consequence  of this year’s legislative elections in the state.What does 2012 hold in store?
During the governorship poll,  five political parties presented formidable candidates  as the state turned a pilgrimage centre for party stalwarts in the country.
Some of the leading parties during the exercise were the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), featuring the incumbent Governor Peter Obi; Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) with  Dr Chris Ngige as its torch bearer; Mrs Uche Ekwunife, Progressives Peoples Alliance (PPA), while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) paraded former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Prof. Chukwuma  Soludo.
Parties like Hope Democratic Party (HDP) came up strongly with  Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu as its candidate, while  Dr Andy Uba pitched his tent with the Labour Party (LP).
The atmosphere was tense as Anambra State quaked with the fierce political battle that ensued.
But some political analysts did not believe that some of the candidates actually came for a real contest but rather to spoil the fun for others.
For instance, based on the attitude they displayed, Dr Andy Uba and Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu of the LP and HDP respectively, were said to have joined the race on a mission to distract Soludo.
They believed that their party, the PDP, denied them the ticket which was handed over to Soludo. It also informed Ekwunife’s decision to join PPA to make the contest more interesting and there was panic everywhere especially within the PDP in the state.
The task of governing Anambra has been herculean. Before  former Governor Chinwoke Mbadinuju, arrived the scene the state had been barren for infrastructure; there was high crime rate; communal conflicts were peaked while violence became a norm.
What transpired during the 2010 governorship in the state has become history as some of the parties have soldiered on while others are now trapped in a maze.
The likes of PPA, HDP and LP have gone into oblivion with their torch bearers back into the party that made them – the PDP. Today, the only leading parties in the state are APGA, ACN and PDP waiting for fresh battle in 2014.
However, despite their dominance in the state, they are still swimming in one crisis or the other, thereby casting doubts on their chances in the 2014 election.
The PDP has been torn into shreds with leadership crisis in the state to the extent that it has no state executive, while (APGA), which is touted to be an Igbo party, is fast losing its grip in Anambra.Â
Though, the party won majority of the seats in the state House of Assembly and the House of Representatives during the April elections, some of them are being booted out by election petitions tribunals.
The party has already lost the Idemili South Constituency seat to Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), which is being challenged at the appeal court in Enugu.Â
And last week, it lost the State Assembly seat of Anambra West Constituency at the same appeal to ACN.
From every indication, it appears that the only fast-rising party in Anambra State today is the ACN with a Senator, a House of Representatives member and seven state Assembly members in its kitty.
But despite the crisis ravaging PDP, the party is still a force to reckon with. It currently parades a senator, five House of Representatives members and seven House of Assembly members.
APGA, however, still leads the pack with currently 14 House of Assembly members, five House of Representatives members with no Senator. However, its senatorial candidate for Anambra Central, Prof Dora Akunyili is still challenging the declaration of Senator Chris Ngige of ACN by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at the tribunal.
However, the 2014 governorship contest in the state may likely change the political equation of the state if analysts’ views are anything to go by.
Currently, rumour mongers have gone to town dropping names of likely bigwigs who may do battle with one another in the state.
They include oil and gas magnate, Dr. Ifeanyi Uba who recently sacked Senator representing Anambra South, Dr Andy Uba; ex-CBN boss, Prof Chukwuma Soludo and Chief Uche Ekwunife among others. All of them except Capital Oil’s Uba and Ekwunife are members of the PDP.
A chieftain of APGA in the state who pleaded anonymity, told The Nation that despite being a strong member of the party said that he would follow Ifeanyi Uba to any party that finally gives him ticket.
Though, the oil and gas guru has not disclosed his ambition, it was gathered that he had already gone to the grassroots, changing the lives of the less-privileged, the widows and youths.
He has already compiled the list of about 400 youths in the state for a trip to China to acquire different skills while his free kerosene gift to indigent persons and widows has endeared him to the hearts of many in Anambra.
Besides, he recently gave out N5 million to equip the N50million Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) press centre being built in the state by another philanthropist, Mr. Godwin Ezeemo.
Uba also gave out working tools to the state NUJ worth over N30 million. They include camcorders, cameras and tape recorders.
One of Uba’s close allies told The Nation that his fall-out with Governor Peter Obi recently over his ambition could ignite his pitching tent with Senator Chris Ngige in ACN.
If that happens, with Ngige’s popularity, Uba’s sagacity, his stupendous wealth and the non-participation of Obi in the race in 2014, ACN may likely take over the state starting from next year.
Already, he has aligned himself with money men in the state like Mr. Cletus Ibeto, the cement and oil magnate and Dr  Obinna Uzor (Gocus) who vied for the governorship in 2003.
With the new face of Anambra politics, people have started saying that the political myth of the popular Uba dynasty in Uga in Aguata has been broken.
It was gathered that the alleged sour relationship between Obi and the oil guru was as a result of the former’s insistence that he had already promised the people of Anambra North the position when he steps down in 2014.
But this did not go down well with Uba (Capital Oil) and he allegedly abandoned Obi and that is likely to pitch him against the (APGA)-led government and with the rising profile of ACN, it may be the party to beat.
With the recent sack of Senator Uba by the Appeal Court, his political profile has diminished  especially as people are already disenchanted with the attitude of his younger brother, Chief Christian Uba whom they claim, sees PDP as his private enterprise.
Meanwhile, the battle for the soul of Anambra State is likely to be fierce between APGA, ACN, and PDP with the death of PPA and the like.
Originally posted here:
New twists and turns of Anambra politics