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Voting
started at Eri Primary School Otuocha Ward 1 Aguleri, polling unit 005
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Today’s election in
Anambra State will go down as one of the most anticipated governorship elections in
the history of Nigeria.
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| The front runners for Anambra State governor - Image credit: PREMIUM TIMES |
Already,
it has set a record of being the governorship election with the highest number
of candidates (37) in Nigeria’s electoral history.
Godfatherism,
zoning, political vendetta and IPOB threat to boycott are some of the indices
observers are expecting to play out in today’s polls with over 2.1 million
registered voters.
The
reason this election is holding today and not in 2019 with those of most other
states is rooted in the controversial nature of Anambra politics.
In
the 2003 Anambra governorship election, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,
under former President Olusegun Obasanjo hatched the perfect heist that
snatched the mandate of the then winner, Peter Obi, who contested under the All
Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, then under the leadership of Chekwas Okorie.
The
then PDP flagbearer, Chris Ngige, emerged winner against the people’s mandate.
It took three years of titanic court battles for Mr. Obi to win back his
mandate. Mr. Ngige was sacked by the Court of Appeal in March 2006 and Mr. Obi
was sworn in two days later.
Interestingly
today, almost all the characters that played a role in the 2003 controversy
realigned under different parties to continue the unending battle for
power.
Peter
Obi is leading PDP to the polls, a party that denied him his mandate for three
years. He is believed to be the godfather of the party’s flagbearer,
Oseloka Obaze. Mr. Obaze meanwhile served as Secretary to the State Government
under Mr. Obi and incumbent Governor Willie Obiano.
Mr.
Obiano is still flying APGA’s flag after a scuffle with Mr. Obi. Meanwhile,
Chekwas Okorie, APGA’s founding leader, is now in the same boat with Osita
Chidoka in the United Progressives Party.
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