Gubernatorial election: it must be ahead-ahead for Anambra state

Anambra state has had the worst of the fallout of the effects of the Gen. Abubakar’s one-objective centred transition program—return of the right of governance to persons other than serving members of the armed forces, irrespective of their leadership capability.
Her tales of woes started immediately former President Obasanjo assumed office after an embarrassing runs in the 1999 general elections where his otherwise larger than life image and personality had failed dismally to win him, his ward, state and region where same— Dr. Alex. Ekwueme, late Dr. Chuba Okadigbo, Chief Jim Nwobodo, Gen. Babangida, Atiku Abubakar, Chief Solomon Lar etc — had helped his party in other states to win the presidency.
To forestall a situation where he would be at the mercies of those personalities in future elections or contend with them as rivals, he decided to misdirect the authority of the state into taking over the structures of his party—PDP—at both the local, state and national level. This entailed recruiting political neophytes and in some cases, thugs and pretenders to intellectual astuteness, as party stalwarts. Unfortunately for Anambra state, the less discreet and capable of her sons and daughters got the job of facilitators of this agenda.
Then enter the cancerous politics of violent distractions and destruction of state machinery. Mbadinuju who some how, was seemingly prepared to carry on with the think home policy of the Dr. Ezeife era got thoroughly harangue by then facilitator that at the end of his first and final term in office, he could not perform even the basic tasks of governance like payment of teachers salary. Given the shortness of the transition program, it is debatable if he actually had a blueprint for the development of the state.
When he was finally dumped by his party and the people— who equally dumped his party— of the state for gross under performance together with the point man for the state, Sir Offor in favour of Dr. Ngige—who was actually eyeing the senate and had no program whatsoever for governorship of the state— and the Ubas as replacement for Offor, the state political temperature further rose as the front desk Uba—Chris—was not a man given to wining through superior argument but rather, brawn.
But while his party was still re-engineering and editing her members ambition, a man with vision and the strength of character to see such vision through with missionary gusto, who knew the problems of the state and had independently proffered a comprehensive and all encompassing workable solution, was busy going through the wards and council areas of the state selling his programs for the rescue of the state arrested development to the people of the state.
The people liked his package but as at then, doubted his sincerity based on their immediate past experience but all the same, gave him the benefit of the doubt by voting massively for him since the then very popular party in the state did not present anything other than their campaign trademark, salt and some rice with the accompanying cash.
Indeed, the peoples of the state did vote massively for Mr. Peter Obi of the All Progressive Grand Alliance. But his swearing-in was not to be immediate; until the Appeal court sitting in Enugu affirmed him the authentic governor of the state after the Independent Electoral Commission had declared Dr. Chris Ngige of the Peoples Democratic Party, the winner of the poll.
Then, entered a deluge of development in all aspect of the state’s existence as has never been before, known. Sectors—education— and communities—Umueze Anam-Mmiata— which before his emergence had scarcely rated more than a passing remark and promise from previous government suddenly took the front bench without any representation and pledge of support from those quarters.
But like every good thing which must have an end, the Supreme Court in a land mark ruling did rule that his tenure ends in March 2010; when approached to decide the terminal date for his government by Mr. Obi. And with this date approaching with each passing day, many persons of varying characters, some ill equipped even for the position of a councilor or ward chairman of a political party have being gallivanting round the state seeking the support of like characters. Their biggest assets been the unexplainable fund at their disposal coupled with the apparent hunger in the land which has tended generally to make elections in Nigeria a cash and carry issue.
Who is the ideal person to continue from were Obi is going to hands off on 10th March? Mr. Peter Obi, no doubt. Based on performance alone, the state ordinarily would, in a more decent society, have been his to loose. But we are far from being in such a society and with the rampaging PDP already offering the state a forty seven man strong collection of the good, the bad, the ugly and ignoramus, to choose his replacement from, we seemed consigned to make a choice; starting from their primaries.
And in that primary is were all men of influence from the state must put their foot down for once and demand that either Obi is allowed to continue or they the elders of the state is allowed to sit down and pick a candidate out of the crowd who knows that governance is not all about tarring major roads in the cities or relocation of institutions to their communities, as Obi has demonstrated with his comprehensive, Anambra State Integrated Development Strategy ANIDS.
The government of Anambra state must not be allowed for any reason whatsoever, to fall in neither into the hands of money bags nor a glorified thug. This no doubt, is going to be a tough one for the elders of the state to pull trough considering the fact that in the present line up of contestant, there exist, a Prof. Soludo, a Prof. Okafor, a Chief Annie Okonkwo, a Hon. Jerry Ugokwe and a couple of others with the capacity to lead even the nation.
These qualified persons should be locked in a room and ask to pick from amongst themselves, one to lead the state. Simpletons must not be humored with talks as this, like PDP did recently, did in Abuja with them in attendance. In plain language, they must be told in unmistakable terms this time that the state cannot afford to have them as it one number citizen, as they lack the inner power to govern and command the attention and respect of the indigenes some of whom, are unarguably, amongst the country supreme first eleven brains, let alone, outsiders and foreigners.
The state can neither tolerate nor survive the scourge of these vandals, again. It must be ahead-ahead for Anambra state from where Obi would be leaving, that is, if the election turns out to be the normal thing. But the truth be told, the state is not a non-performing assets to its peoples under Mr. Peter Obi management and therefore, does not necessarily need a change of its current team.
Thankfully, President Yaradua has shown commendable apparent indifference and has consequently, not, like was the experience in the very recent past, availed any of the charlatans presidency support nor patronage.
Nmu Anambra kwenu! Nmu Igbo kwenu!! Nmu Nigeria kwezuenu!!!
Ilobi Austin is an indigene and available @ www.twitter.com, www.facebook.com, www.nigeriavillagesquare.com and www.vibratingaustin.blogspot.com