AHEAD of gubernatorial polls in some states next year and the 2015 general elections, governorship aspirants in various parties have begun to unfold their programmes and visions.
They include Mr. Ngozi Enwose of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) from Delta North, who also canvassed unity among the Anioma people of the state.
And as the clamour for the next governor to emerge from Anambra North senatorial zone thickens, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stalwart, Dr. Alex Obiogbolu, has declared intention to become the next chief executive of the state.
Incumbent Governor Peter Obi’s second tenure ends on March 17, 2014.
Meanwhile, Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue State has warned “desperate politicians” who are already campaigning for him for higher elective position in 2015 to desist and wait till the appropriate time.
Enwose, popularly called Ben Lion Heart, said in Asaba after the end of a sensitisation campaign in preparation for the 2015 election in Delta State, that he was very confident that the ACN would take power from PDP as a result of the latter’s “poor performance since 1999.”
He said going by the reception for him and the disaffection of a majority of the people, which was palpable during the tour, the resurgent opposition party was poised to shock the ruling party in 2015.
He said his decision to begin the race two years before the governorship election was as a result of “numerous calls by Deltans who are earnestly yearning for a change from the corrupt and inept government of the PDP, which has ruled the state since the return to democracy in 1999.”
Enwose said it was time for the Anioma people of Delta North Senatorial District to produce the next governor, as it was the only zone yet to occupy the Asaba Government House since the creation of the state in 1991.
Making his ambition known in Aguleri, Anambra-East Local Council during a stakeholders’ forum, Obiogbolu, a medical doctor who hails from the North zone, declared that nobody could stop him from realising his dreams this time.
He noted that his plans to become the governor began since 2005, lamenting that intrigues and power-play had denied him the opportunity.
Obiogbolu, a former chairman of the state’s Local Government Service Commission, said: “In 2005, I began the race to become governor, not just for Anambra-North, but for Anambra State in general which was pursued with vigour, new ideas and true vision.
“By 2010, I joined the race again. All the while, I was offered a ministerial post and even the office of Deputy Governor…to which I rejected all.”
At the occasion were supporters and politicians from across the state, including three former Speakers of the House of Assembly (Chiefs Emeka Anyaenetu, Kanayo Enemo and Berth Onugbolu), business moguls, captains of industry, students, traders, men and women from all walks of life and traditional rulers.