Ahead of the 2023 general elections, the stage appears set for a showdown between the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as pundits say the forthcoming election will reveal the strengths and spreads of the two leading political party in the state. Recall that Ebonyi state since 1999, was a PDP controlled state until last year’s defection of Governor Dave Umahi and other elected office holders to the APC.
A governorship aspirant who is also a member of the State House of Assembly, Chris Usulor, while speaking on the 2023 elections, said that it is only rigging by the APC that will stop PDP from taking over power after the 2023 general election in Ebonyi state. But the Chairman of the APC in the state, Chief Stanley Okoro Emegha, expressed confidence that his party will win both the Ebonyi governorship and presidential elections in 2023.
On the sideline, a lingering rumpus over which zone of the state should produce Governor Dave Umahi’s successor has refused to go away. The Nation gathered that the disagreements over an existing zoning arrangement currently threaten the peace in both the ruling APC and the opposition PDP. Agitators on both sides of the argument are daily threatening the political parties not to go against their wishes if they are serious about producing the governor of the state during the 2023governorship election.
While the ruling APC is yet to make public its take on the zoning agitations, weeks back, the PDP, Ebonyi State chapter, announced that it has zoned its governorship ticket to the Abakaliki bloc of the state. Abakaliki bloc comprises of two senatorial districts of the state, Ebonyi North and Ebonyi Central senatorial districts. Incumbent governor, Umahi, is from Ebonyi South senatorial district.
The announcement by PDP followed months of speculations over whether the party will zone its governorship ticket or allow all aspirants, irrespective of the parts of the state they hail from, to vie for it. Before the announcement, chieftains of the opposition party had been divided into pro-zoning and anti-zoning proponents, with each group urging the party to accede to its requests.
State chairman of the PDP, Elder Fred Udeogu, while making the announcement in Abakaliki, the state capital, noted that the two senatorial zones will harmonize, decide for themselves on whether the North or the Central will produce the next governor of the state. “Our party leaders decided to zone the governorship position to Abakaliki bloc. Ebonyi South is holding the governorship position now. They don’t have to go again. And so, when the time comes, the Abakaliki bloc will now harmonize on whether the governorship position will go to either Ebonyi north or central zone,” he said.
Though the announcement ended months of anxiety occasioned by the zoning debate, it however started a new wave of agitations by anti-zoning forces within and outside the party. A number of PDP chieftains opposed the arrangement announced by the state chapter of the party and wasted no time in telling Udeogu and his fellow state officials to promptly retrace their steps.
While some are displeased with the exclusion of Ebonyi South senatorial district, others feel the ticket should be specifically zoned to either Ebonyi Central or Ebonyi North, and not to Abakaliki bloc, which encompasses both. In the midst of all these, there are those who simply want zoning done away with “to allow for the best candidate from any part of the state to emerge as governor.”
Umahi’s body language
Many of those displeased with the zoning adopted by PDP, especially outside the party, eagerly waited to see what the ruling APC will do. And finally, last month, Governor Umahi, while lifting the ban on governorship aspirants in the APC from embarking on consultation and political activities in the state, gave hints about what the ruling party may have in mind as far as zoning is concerned.
Umahi, who spoke through the Commissioner of Information and State Orientation, Mr Uchenna Orji, said, “The Chairman-In-Council announced the lifting of the ban on political consultations ahead of the 2023 General Elections and expressed determination to consult widely especially with the House of Assembly, the EXCO, the Elders Council, founding fathers, women organizations, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and other relevant groups with a view to getting opinions on where the governorship position shall be zoned to.
“For the Governorship seat, he made it clear that Ebonyi South, having benefited from the principle of zoning, shall not be allowed to contest as his administration’s support shall be for Abakaliki block. EXCO noted the intention of the Chairman of Council and kick-started the debate on where the governorship seat will be zoned between North and Central Zones.”
Though the governor, according to the announcement made on his behalf by Orji, expressed readiness to discuss with other stakeholders within and outside the ruling APC, he left nobody in doubt of his agreement with those who feels aspirants from his own Ebonyi South senatorial district should not be allowed to vie for the governorship ticket of the party.
“Tactically without saying it directly, the governor is playing along with those who say the zoning of the governorship seat in Ebonyi should be between the old Abakaliki and Afikpo blocs. This is exactly the bone of contentions. While some want the arrangement retained, others would want the zoning to be done on the basis of the current senatorial districts,” a party leader told The Nation.
As the outgoing incumbent, all eyes are on Umahi. Not only are people eager to see who he would support as his successor, his actions and inaction will determine a lot of things within and outside his political party. For example, according to a state official of the opposition party, the PDP waited to have an inkling of the governor’s disposition to the zoning debate before coming out with its own position. Amidst insinuations that the governor is hatching a plot that may see the current Speaker of Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Hon Francis Nwifuru, emerging as the candidate of the APC, many prominent and strong chieftains of the ruling party are daily joining the quest for the party’s governorship ticket. Governor Umahi had while speaking on the 2023 guber race last year, stated that he will not hand over the state to someone older than him as the state needs the energy and vibrancy of the youth to move forward after him.
Many analysts are hinging their suspicion of Umahi backing Nwifuru on the above hint, among other claims.
The many contenders
There are other well heeled stalwarts in APC, including the 2015 governorship candidate of the party, Senator Julius Ali Ucha, who was the first Speaker of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly and Senator representing Ebonyi Central Senatorial district between 2003 and 2011. In 2011 and 2015, he contested for the governorship seat as the candidate of the defunct ANPP and APC respectively. His supporters are citing his widespread political structure across the state as reason why he should get the APC ticket.
Others include, the 2015 Labour Party (LP) gubernatorial candidate, Dr. Edward Nkwegu, hails from Izzi, one of the local council areas in the northern senatorial district of the state. He served as the Chairman of Abakaliki Capital Territory Development Board, (ACTDB). One major thing going for him in the race is his famed wealth. He is seen as many as one aspirant with the financial muscle to prosecute the general election if given the ticket.
Also in the race is Barrister Augustine Nwankwegu from Izzi Local Government Area (LGA) in the northern senatorial district of Ebonyi State. A former Speaker of the State House of Assembly, he represented the Izzi West State constituency in the Ebonyi Assembly. He served as Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice from 2015 until his sack in November 2017 by Governor Umahi.
Similarly, the opposition PDP boasts of several well qualified aspirants like Hon. Sylvester Ogbaga, a four-term member of the House of Representatives. He represents Abakaliki/Izzi Federal Constituency of the state. He served as Chairmanship of Abakaliki LGA and headed Ebonyi State chapter of Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON). Hon. Ogbaga was the Chairman, House Committee on Commerce from 2015 to 2019. He is currently the Chairman of the House Committee on Delegated Legislation.
Senator Joseph Obinna Ogba is widely tipped as a top contender for the PDP gubernatorial ticket. He currently represents Ebonyi Central Senatorial district. He was first elected into the Senate in 2015 and secured re-election in 2019. The lawmaker, who had a distinguished career as a football referee before venturing into politics, hails from Nkalagu, Ishielu LGA. He is the Chairman, Senate Committee on Sports. He was Ebonyi State Commissioner for Youths and Sports between 2002 and 2003.
The chairman of Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Allocation Commission (RMFAC), Engineer Elias Mbam, from Izzi area council in Ebonyi North Senatorial district, is also in the race. At a point, he was reported to have the backing of the governor. With his huge war chest, pundits say he stands a good chance in a free and fair primary election. But whether that will come to be is another kettle of fish.
Chief Chris Usulor, the state legislator representing Ezza South Constituency in the Ebonyi State House of Assembly, is another aspirant in the race. The PDP chieftain is very confident that he has what it takes to defeat the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 gubernatorial election. A youth group known as Ebonyi Youths Vanguard (EYV), Monday, raised over N30 million to purchase governorship nomination form for Usulor’s aspiration. But analysts are wondering how Usulor intends to build a political structure that will win the general election for him in such a short time.
Former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Professor Bernard Odoh is another young man in the race to succeed Umahi. He is from Umuezeokaoha community in Ezza North local government area in the central senatorial zone of Ebonyi State. He was SSG under Umahi until April 2018 when he voluntarily resigned his appointment. While many see him as a veritable candidate for the job, his frosty relationship with the governor may turn out his major albatross in his bid to clinch the APC ticket.
Others being expected to announce their bids for the seat include Current SSG, Kenneth Ugbala, former Commissioner for Works, Engineer Chukwuma Nwandiugo as well as Dr. Ezeh Emmanuel Ezeh, who is the current President of Ebonyi Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, Engineer Fide Nwankwo and Hon. Anayo Nwonu, Hon Anayo Nwonu, Chief Godwin Ogbaga, Okereke Nkwegu, among others.
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