FELIX NWANERI writes on the parallel primaries organised by the factions of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, in Anambra State, which may dim the party's chance of retaining the governorship seat that it has occupied in the last seven years.
The double-candidacy bug that caught the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, during the primaries to pick the its candidate for the November 16 governorship election in Anambra State seems to have also infected the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, in the state and is likely to dim its chances at the poll if not resolved on time.
While the issues over the PDP primaries that produced Senator Andy Uba and Mr. Tony Nwoye was predicted given the crises that have factionalised the state chapter of the party, the parallel congress that produced Dr. Chike Obidigbo as APGA's flag bearer, one week after the Victor Umeh-led faction of the party had elected Chief Wiilie Obiano, was a shocker to many who had thought that the leadership crisis in the party was over.
Obiano had polled 817 out of the 1,076 votes that were cast at the August 24 congress described by delegates as the most peaceful in the state in recent times and a true reflection of the wishes of the party members.
He defeated other aspirants including Mrs. Uche Ekwunife (150 votes); Chief Paul Odenigbo (49 votes); Emeka Nwogbo (22 votes) and John Nwosu (18 votes). Former Minister of State for Transport, John Emeka, whose withdrawal was turned down because of his absence got one vote, while 16 votes were voided.
But, despite the assumption that the exercise was a true reflection of the wishes of the party members, Maxi Okwu, the national chairman of the party's faction that picked Obidigbo, said his group is fielding a candidate in order not to be caught off guard, as he is challenging the recognition of Umeh as APGA national chairman by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
Okwu said the special congress to elect the governorship candidate was in line with Sec 11(11:4) of the party's constitution and code of conduct, adding that the 450 delegates who participated in the exercise voted by show of hands, as Obidigbo was a sole aspirant in the race.
In his acceptance speech, Obidigbo said that APGA is one family. "There is no bitterness among APGA members. Every member is working towards achieving our dream of producing the next governor of Anambra State," he said.
The Anambra North-born industrialist, who was disqualified alongside other aspirants by the party, including former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, had earlier accused Governor Peter Obi of bias and deceit in his handling of the processes that led to the party's primaries.
But the state chairman of the party, Chief Mike Kwentoh, who insisted that Obiano remains APGA's candidate, dismissed the parallel congress. He described Okwu and his co-travellers as dissidents who want to divide the party, saying the presentation of two candidates would confuse the electorate and affect the party's chance of retaining the leadership of the state.
"We do not welcome double candidature, it is alien to us in APGA and we have just one candidate in the person of Willy Obiano for the governorship election. Those trying to divide our party are dissidents and I call their actions rascality of the highest order," he said.
The state Commissioner for Lands, Survey and Planning, John Akirika, who also dismissed the emergence of Obidigbo, however said that APGA is not threatened by the development.
His words: "Firstly, I am not aware of any other congress outside the congress duly convened and held at the Women Development Centre, Awka in which the leader of the party, Governor Peter Obi and other national officers of the party participated. Secondly, nobody ever raised any issue questioning the authenticity and legality of that congress. Chief Maxi Okwu never raised any molecule of protest against that congress. So, it is a very great surprise for me to hear that another congress was purportedly held.
"I will say that the purported congress organised by Okwu that produced Dr. Chike Obidigbo did not satisfy the requirements of the law, neither will it be acceptable to the leadership of the party. An APGA event in which the National Leader, Mr. Peter Obi, the authentic National Chairman of the party confirmed by the judiciary, Chief Victor Umeh and other national officers were not there cannot stand the test of time. So, sounding personal and legal, I don't think that the presentation of Chike Obidigbo will stand."
The optimism, notwithstanding, some analysts however opined that the threat by the Okwu-led faction is not one to be ignored, especially as it had prior to the August 24 congress challenged the eligibility of the Umeh/Obi group to elect APGA's candidate for the November 16 poll in a suit at the Federal High Court, Abuja.
Section 87 of the Electoral Act 2010, reserves the right for the conduct of governorship primaries to pick gubernatorial candidate strictly on the National Executive Committee, NEC, of a political party.
Okwu and Messrs Ibrahim Carefor, Dickson Ogu, Gbenga Afeni and Abubakar Adamu, sued for themselves and other national officers of the party elected during the party's national convention of April 8, 2013.
In the suit with reference number: FHC/ Abj/CS/563/2013, the plaintiffs averred that the APGA convention and election on February 10, 2011 in which Umeh and Sani Shinkafi were re-elected National Chairman and Secretary respectively was by voice vote contrary to Article 18(4) of the party's constitution which stipulates that elections should be by secret ballots only.
Against this backdrop, they specifically asked the court to determine "whether the second defendant (Shinkafi) can still validly occupy the position of National Secretary of APGA in 2013 when the constitution of the party provides for a maximum tenure of eight years and he was first elected as National Secretary of the party 10 years ago on January 10, 2003."
They also prayed the court for an order directing Umeh, Shinkafi and all others purportedly elected with them in the February 2011 national convention by voice vote to vacate their various offices as their "election" was not in accordance with Article 18(4) of the APGA constitution which prescribes that elections shall be by secret ballot.
Furthermore, the plaintiffs asked the court to declare that Umeh and Shinkafi "having been expelled from the party, whether lawfully or unlawfully, regularly or irregularly, cannot validly continue to occupy the positions of National Chairman and National Secretary respectively when the suit they filed challenging their said expulsion has not been decided and in their favour."
When the matter first came up for hearing, the presiding judge, Justice A.R Mohammed, ruling in an exparte motion seeking leave to serve the respondents the motion of notice, held that the prayers of the applicants were not out of place.
Besides the suit, more worrisome is the declaration by the Okwu faction that the party lacked the constitutional capacity to field a candidate for the forthcoming election.
Bernard Akoma, the National Publicity Secretary of the faction, who made the position known, insisted that Obiano would be disqualified if his candidature is challenged by the opposition in court even if he wins the poll.
He said: "Despite the emergence of Dr. Obiano as the Victor Umeh/Peter Obi-led APGA candidate in the forthcoming governorship election in Anambra State, the party may after all not contest the governorship race."
"Should the same Umeh and Shinkafi who was also not properly elected to the office of the national chairman and secretary according to the constitution of the party forward any candidate's name to INEC for recognition, it will amount to building a house on sand dome. They may just be wetting the ground for the aggrieved members of the party as well as its opponents who are just waiting to sue the party," he said.
While APGA faithful await the decision of the court on the matter, political pundits are of the view that other parties in the contest – All Progressives Congress, APC, and Labour Party, LP, may become the prime gainers from the squabble if not resolved on time, as both parties have carefully avoided the acrimony associated with primaries.
How the parties, particularly APGA, which has Anambra as its stronghold resolves the dual candidature crisis will determine if it is to continue to pilot the affairs the state for another four years or not.
