18 Political parties are registered for the Election
A
Maduka Godwin
Obi Ifeatu
AA
Etiaba Chukwuogo
Uchebo Mwao
AAC
Nwankwo Chidozie
Nwaebili Clare
ADC
Akachukwu Nwankpo
Lawrence Ughamadu
ADP
Ume-Ezeoke Douglas
Maxwell Chukujama
APC
Andy Uba
Chukwuemeka Okafor
APGA
Charles Soludo
Ibezim Gilbert
APM
Onyejegbu Okwudili
Onuora Letitia
APP
Azubuike Echetebu
Ogbonna Nnabike
BP
Chika Okeke
Chika Adibe
LP
Agbasimalo Emmanuel
Muokwue Peter
NNPP
Ohajimkpo Emeka
Nwude Ebelechukwu
NRM
Ezenwafor Victor
Ojukwu Chukwuma
PDP
Valentine Ozigbo
Lilian Enemo
PRP
Nnamdi Nwawuo
Igbo Gozie
SDP
Uzoh Godwin
Chira Obiora
YPP
Ifeanyi Ubah
Okechukwu Eze
ZLP
Okonkwo Francis
Jessie Uka
18 registered parties present candidates for the election, of which All the Governorship candidates are male, for the deputy Governorship candidate there are 9 Males and 7 Females
INEC has ruled out voting in 88 Polling Units because there are no voters
Basic Facts about the Election
* The present Anambra state was created by the regime of General Ibrahim Babangida on August 27, 1991
* Anambra State consists of 21 Local Government Areas.
*Anambra has three Senatorial Districts – North, South and Central
* There are 11 Federal Constituencies in Anambra-Aguata, Anambra North/Anambra South, Awka North/Awka South, Idemili North/Idemili South, Ihiala, Njikoka/Dukunofia/Anaocha, Nnewi North/Nnewi South, Ogbaru, Onitsha North/Onitsha South, Orumba North/Orumba South and Oyi/Oyamulem
* Eligible voters 2,525,471
Stay tuned for more updates.
Senator Andy Uba, the flag bearer of APC. He hails from Uga, Aguata local government area in the South senatorial zone. He was elected governor in 2007, on the platform of the PDP, but he only lasted for 17 days in office as a result of tenure interpretation case instituted by then governor, Peter Obi. He earlier served as personal aide to former President Olusegun Obasanjo for about seven years.
In 2010, Uba was the governorship candidate of the LP losing to Peter Obi, the then incumbent governor but became the Senator for Anambra South later in 2011. He joined APC in 2017. Though his emergence as the APC candidate was controversial, it has been a harvest of political heavyweights from other political parties in the state, joining the APC to help his governorship cause. He enjoys the support of 13 APC governors. Former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan are alleged to be supporting him as well.
All the foot-soldiers of the leader of the party in the State and Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, are working for Uba. Emeka Okafor, who is Uba’s deputy, and hails from Nnobi, in Idemili local government area is Ngige’s cousin. Currently, Uba has the support of Senator Stella Oduah, representing Anambra North senatorial zone, having joined APC recently, Senator Joy Emodi and the member representing Onitsha North and South Federal constituency, Linda Ikpeazu, all from PDP. He has also poached some APGA members in the House of Assembly among others. The recent defection of the incumbent deputy governor of the State, Dr. Nkem Okeke of APGAhas further brightened Uba’s chances.
His major weakness is the grassroots. Political observers say he plays Abuja politics more than the local politics of the state but APC is today rooted in every local government area in Anambra State because of the number of defections from APGA and PDP. Another strong contender for Obiano’s seat and former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, the ticket bearer of the ruling APGA. Importantly, he enjoys the backing of Governor Willie Obiano and the APGA government in Anambra which has been in power for almost 16 years making it a difficult task for any political party to dislodge it easily. Besides, they always use the image of late Igbo leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, to promote APG as an Igbo party.
Valentine Ozigbo, the candidate of the PDP, is the immediate past Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Transcorp Plc. Though he is new in the murky waters of politics of the State, he has played it like a veteran so far. His emergence as the candidate of PDP was controversial like those of Uba and Soludo, but he has soldiered on. The once solid PDP has been depleted with the top guns in the party decamping to APC, thereby whittling the chances of Ozigbo at the polls.
According to one of the chieftains who joined APC, Sir Chris Chikwelu, the PDP candidate is good and solid, but certain characters think they own the party. Though, he has repeatedly debunked having any godfather in the race, observers believe that it was former governor Peter Obi that made him the candidate of the party. Such insinuations are rife across the state, making it difficult for him to convince some opponents of the former governor to work for Ozigbo.
Read Also: Anambra Election: APC’ll triumph on November 6 – Uba
In less than two years since he joined politics, Ozigbo has built one of the most efficient and impactful political organisations in Nigeria, (Ka Anambra Chawapu (a better and brighter Anambra). His campaign mantra is popular at the grassroots. Analysts believe he made a fine choice in his deputy, Lady Azuka Enemo, an Anglican, a mobilizer from Onitsha, who served two terms as Commissioner for local government in Obi’s government.
His major strengths in the race are his articulation, speech delivery strength and popularity of PDP in Anambra State. But what has weakened him is the division in the party. This disunity has robbed the party of electoral victories on many occasions. He has promised to harness the opportunities that abound in Anambra if elected on November 6.
PROFESSOR CHARLES SOLUDO (APGA)
Soludo hails from Isuofia, also in Aguata local government area from the same South. He had tried to govern the state on two occasions but failed in 2010 as PDP candidate and in 2013, when he aspired on the platform of APGA, but was denied the ticket. He is a member of President Muhammadu Buhari’s Economic team and heads Anambra State Vision 2050, launched by Obiano, among others. He is expected to reap from the achievements of APGA government in the state since 2006. The party’s campaigns have been anchored on these.
But the choice of his running mate, Dr. Onyeka Ibezim, is viewed as an imposition on him for selfish reasons. Already, the Anglican community in the state is said to be unhappy with the choice and has thrown its weight to Uba, candidate of the APC. APGA is rooted in all the 21 local government areas in the state. This is an added advantage to Soludo’ aspiration. Nevertheless, Anambra state residents seem to have become tired of APGA due to alleged abandoned projects and failed campaign promises by the incumbent administration.
Also, Soludo’s emergence as the candidate of APGA brought about a yet to be resolved crisis in the party leading to the emergence of three factions. The problems had led to the mass defection of their members to APC and PDP. He has promised the residents to continue the legacy of the Obiano administration and that of APGA, if he is elected on November 6 governorship poll.
IFEANYI UBAH (YPP)
The candidate of the YPP, Ifeanyi Ubah, a seating Senator representing Anambra South, is one candidate many people believe can spring a surprise in spite of the relative unpopularity of his party in the state. Though he won his current senate seat on the platform of the party, until the build up to the current governorship race, the businessman turned politician had did very little to popularize the party beyond his senatorial district.
“He had his eyes on the APC governorship seat all the while. That is why he did not work hard on spreading the structures and popularity of YPP across the state. It was only when he realized he could not snatch the APC ticket that he reversed to the use of YPP. Now not many people in other parts of the state can relate with the party. What he has going for him is his on personal popularity. He is well known in Anambra as a businessman, sports promoter and politician,” a source explained.
Ubah says security will be a major focus if he is elected. “On the security situation in my state, I have a different method that I am going to apply. I am going to apply information technology and information gathering to solve many problems. My constituency asked me to go and see how I can proffer political solution to issues that surround Nnamdi Kanu. I will do that if elected,” he said.
