2019: STORMY STATES brace up for governorship campaigns (2)

The ban on electoral campaigns for the governorship polls scheduled for March 2, next year, was formally lifted last Sunday. Although the campaigns are yet to gather momentum in most states, there is palpable anxiety in many of the states over the tone the campaigns may likely take. This is based on the antecedents and circumstances surrounding the emergence of the candidates in the affected states. Numbered among such states are Ogun, Adamawa, Sokoto, Kwara, Zamfara, Kaduna, Rivers, Benue and Imo. We conclude the reports, which we began last week. Issues that that will shape governorship campaign in Rivers

In Rivers State, there are lot of issues that will make the campaigns both interesting and stressful. The issues range from internal rancour to external issues basically following the lingering animosity between the incumbent Governor, Nnyesom Wike, and former Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, the Minister of Transportation, the leaders of the two main political parties in the state, the PDP and the APC. There is also going to be battle for supremacy in some local government areas and communities in the state as well as the issues of intimidation, display of power as campaign strategies. The problem between Amaechi and his political friend and colleague, Senator Magnus Abe, is public knowledge, and it is festering in the APC in the state. Trouble began when it became obvious to Amaechi that the Ogoniborn lawyer-turned-politician will not by any means be dissuaded this time to drop, for the second time, his dream of becoming the next governor of the oilrich state. Abe, a one-time state lawmaker, onetime commissioner for information, former secretary to the state giveenment (SSG) and two-term senator, had in 2015 planned to replace Amaechi in the state house, but the then governor was more interested in giving the riverine indigenes of the state the chance to also rule the state, which is made up of riveriners and uplanders.

The Uplanders, have had a strectch of 16 years, featuring former governors like Dr Peter Odili, and Celestine Omeha/Amaechi. Amaechi had wanted it to take at least an eight-year turn before the Uplanders would be allowed to have another shot at the governorship. It was for this reason that the APC then featured Dr. Dakuku Peterside, a riveriner from Opobo/Nkoro extraction, but he lost to the incumbent governor, Nyesom Wike. Wike’s victory over Peterside got political analysts talking, saying that Abe would have fared better against Wike, especially as the Ogonis would have voted for their brother if Abe was given the ticket. This is apparently the reason Abe was hell bent on taking his fate in his hands, irrespective of whether the decision was okay by Amaechi or not. The result has been the factionalization of the party in the state to the point of operatiing two active party secretariats, selling party election and expression of interest forms, conducting two party primaries (direct and indirect) and declaring two different gubernatorial flag bearers, among others. While the party’s faction loyal to Amaechi produced Ojukaiye Flag- Amachree as its state chairman, the Abe faction retained Prince Peter Odike, who was the deputy party chairman under the old arrangement, as their own chairman. At the end of the primary elections, the Ojukaiye group opted for and held indirect primaries, which produced Arch.

Tonye Dele Cole from Asari-Toru LGA (riverine) as its flag bearer, while Odike declared Abe its own candidate after the conduct of their direct primaries held in each of the 23 local government areas. However, it was learnt that while the national election umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), witnessed the Amachree-led primary election, they were absent from the Odike exercise. This could have informed INEC’s publication of Tonye Cole and other candidates produced by the primary elections conducted by the Amaechree faction of the party as the authentic candidates for the 2019 general elections.

Thinking that the action of the commission would lay to rest the issues surrounding who the rightful APC faction is in the state and who are the rightful candidates for the party, the Supreme Court judgment on the ward, LGA and state congresses and the legal battles it generated triggered another round of problems. Following the vacation of the Court of Appeal ruling on the congress and the upholding of the earlier judgment by a state high court in Port Harcourt, which nullified the party congresses and voided the executive members it produced for disobeying the order of court not to conduct the process until the suit before it on the subject matter was dispossed off, the primaries that produced Arch. Cole and others was conducted. Abe, who won the direct primaries conducted by his faction, has insisted that he be declared the party flag bearer for the 2019 election, insisting that following the decision of the Supreme Court, in the eyes of the law, the Ojukaiye Flag Amachree chairmanship does not exsist, hence the election it conducted is illegal.

He has since returned to the Federal High Court to insist that the court issues an order declaring him the authentic governorship candidate for the APC in the forthcoming polls. Political watchers are of the projection that if Abe at the end of the day was unable to persuade the court and his party to use him in the election, he will end up engaging in a backward dance against the APC. The popularity of APC in the four LGAs of Ogoniland may have negatively been affected by these ugly developments despite that the former commissioners for works during Amaechi regime, Victor Giadom, is pairing with Arch. Cole for the deputy governorship slot. If the pair win the polls next year, it will be the first time an Ogoni person is going to smell such elevated position in the state more than 50 years after it was created. Before now Okrika area, especially the Ogu/Bolo LGA, had been a no-go area for Amaechi. It is the hometown of the former First Lady of Nigeria, Dame Patience Jonathan, and ex-militant leader, Ateke Tom, who is now the paramount ruler of Ogu.

The issues between Amaechi and Dame Jonathan were seen as issues between the entire Okrika indigenes and not just the First Lady. As a result, Amaechi and APC were banned from holding any political rally in the entire Okrika LGAs. Again, it is not going to be easy for the two political parties in the Kalabari area of the state. It is the home state of the APC state chairman Amachree, and the party’s governorship aspirant Tonye Cole. It is also the hometown of the serving deputy governor of the state, Dr. Ipalibo Harry-Banigo, who is still pairing with Wike for next year’s poll, hence the likely intense show of supremacy in the area. Orashi is another area of concern as the campaigns begin. It is no longer news that the three senators from the state are now APC members. The position was originally won by PDP when the election was conducted in 2015, but during the rerun, Senators Olaka Nwogu and Thompson Sekibo lost their seats to Abe and Andrew Uchendu of the APC. The last Senator from the Orashi area defected to the APC after he lost the ticket to the House of Reps member representing Abua/Odual federal constituency. This development led to the refusal of Wike to visit the area, Ahoada West and Abua/Odual when flood submerged the entire communities in the areas, killing some people. Appeals and lamentations, including peaceful protest match to the Government House, failed to move Wike to visit the people at the camps. Not even the visit of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo could move the governor to change his mind about visiting the people. Analysts believe that Wike’ s action was informed by his belief that the Orashi area has no political relevance to him and the PDP as it stands now, and investing in time and resources in the area will amount to a colossal loss.

Herdsmen attacks, workers’ salaries take centre stage in Benue In Benue State, several governorship candidates have emerged on different party platforms. But the governorship race is going to be a straight battle between the incumbent Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Governor Samuel Ortom and the All Progressive Congress (APC) candidate, Barr. Emmanuel jime. There are many factors that may decide who wins the 2019 governorship race in Benue State between the two contending political parties’ candidates. The ruling PDP and Governor Ortom have made it clear to whoever cares to listen that the battle is about invaders and land grabbers; about suspected herdsmen killing Benue farmers and occupying their lands. This is one of the reasons people believe that the campaigns may be stormy in the state. The Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Special Duties, Hon. Abraham Kwaghngu, told The Nation that Benue people are going to resist invaders through the ballot come 2019. “Those who killed us and want to take over our land have no place in 2019.

The only sin of Governor Ortom is that he challenged the action of the invaders,” said Hon Kwaghngu. Kwaghngu further stated that Governor Ortom took an oath to defend the people of Benue State, hence he could not have stood by and watched as his people were being massacred. For the PDP, APC is a Miyetti Allah party, and this is one issue that is expected to dominate electioneering campaign for the ruling PDP against APC. But the APC in Benue State is also known for robust and sophisticated campaign. In 2015 , Senator George Akume, who is the leader of APC in Benue State, launched a blistering electioneering campaign that sent the 16-year-old rule of the PDP packing. As usual, among the issues that are expected to dominate electioneering campaign by APC against PDP is non-payment of salaries. Governor Ortom had been owing workers before he defected to PDP, the opposition is using it as a campaign tool for 2019. Another issue that the APC is using as a campaign tool for 2019 is the mass killing that started on January 1, 2018. The APC campaign claim against Ortom is that the killings were politically-induced to bring campaign of hate against President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government.

The APC state administrative officer, Mark Hanmation, told The Nation that the PDP administration in Benue State borrowed more than N60 billion and are still owing salaries, hence cannot be trusted with another mandate. But the PDP has countered through the Special Assistant to Governor Ortom on Media, Jimin Geoffrey, who said very soon, salaries would be cleared. Kwara: Reps byelection sets tone for campaigns In Kwara State, there has been a lull in the camps of the two major political parties–the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). None of the parties in the state has launched its campaign team and none of the governorship candidates has announced his running mate at the poll. But what is crystal clear is that the parties have been trying to calm frayed nerves occasioned by their primaries at all levels. In the camp of the PDP, there is festering discrimination between the old and the new PDP members across the 16 local government areas.

The PDP leadership, it was gathered, is working round the clock to resolve that ahead of the campaigns proper. The state PDP chairman, Engr. Kola Shittu, said: “We are making efforts to ensure that all party members are one in our activities. The primaries that we did are over, the party leadership is already calling on all the aspirants to make them understand that the consensus that we used is acceptable and nobody will be left behind in the party’s decisions and scheme of things. “The party leadership has already talked to all the House of Representatives aspirants and all the governorship aspirants. Effort is on now to talk to all the Kwara State House of Assembly aspirants. That process is a continuous one, and we are happy that we are having good response now. “My piece of advice to the candidates and ourselves is that we should work hard and continue to give the electorate reason to have confidence in us.

The bye-election is not a true reflection of what the people want. “We want to continue to talk to them not to be discouraged. I am telling you, we are going to win the 2019 elections in the state.” As parts of a reconciliatory move, APC National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, had earlier apologised to some of the governorship aspirants in the state, including Hon. Moshood Mustapha. They were said to have been cleared by the National Working Committee appointed screening panel as governorship aspirants to contest for the primary election, but Hon. Mustapha’s disqualification was erroneously announced by an unknown source when voting was midway. The party, according to Oshiomhole, regretted the embarrassing mischief directed at the governorship aspirant during the primary election by a faceless individual. The letter dispatched to the aspirants reads: “The incident at the governorship primary election and the subsequent embarrassing mischief directed at your esteemed person by the faceless individual in the name of the party is deeply regretted.

“The party regards you as an outstanding and loyal stakeholder and leader as we continue to unify and strengthen the party, particularly in Kwara State. I trust that this unfortunate incident will not in any way weaken your resolve to contribute and sustain your valuable support in the shared commitment and determination to collectively work with others to enthrone a new political order in Kwara State in the 2019 elections.” All the APC governorship aspirants in the state except former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Prof. Shuaib Abdulraheem, have put what transpired at the primaries in Kwara State behind them. The APC national leadership’s action seemed to have been the magic wand that assuaged the feelings and fears of majority of the aspirants.

The tumultuous crowd that attended the APC National Assembly campaign in Omu-Aran, Irepodun Local Government Area of the state, even of the Federal Constituency by-election in Ekiti/Oke-Ero/Isin/Irepodun, attested to the unity of the party in the state. The victory of the party’s candidate, Abdulraheem Olawuyi, was a clear demonstration of the resolve of the party members, supporters and aspirants to work for the party’s success. However, Kwara North All Progressives Congress (APC) Elders Forum has urged the leadership of the APC in the state to cede the deputy governorship slot to the zone. The forum said: “The position of the deputy governor should be zoned to Kwara North in order to compensate our zone in view of the fact that the flag bearer of the party is from the central, while the state chairman is from the south. “It is only fair to have the north to produce the deputy governor. We therefore appeal that our resolution which seeks for fairness and justice be respected in order to give our zone a sense of belong