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Anambra 2021: Reality Of Obiano’s Influence Power Options

by AnaedoOnline
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By: Ebuka Onyekwelu

To think that Obiano will have no hand in determining who takes over from him is in effect setting one’s self up for disappointment.

In about eight months today, the Anambra state governorship election will hold. As it is with every political journey, years have shrunk to months, and finally to days since 2017 when governor Obiano fought what perhaps, was the biggest battle of his life and without doubt, the most terrifying political battle he ever fought.

Yet, another awaits. Although it is perceptible that Obiano is not someone that is desperate about power or so much interested in having anything to do with our politics when he leaves office, still, it is doubtful that he is not shaken or, at least worried, about who will take over from him, come March 17, 2022.

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After all is said and done, the fact remains sacrosanct that it is practically impossible for him not to be interested in who assumes office after him. Though some people say Obiano will have no hand in who succeeds him, well, they said he will not win a second term in office because of poor performance in his first term.

The tide of politics mostly defies logic. Then, also, political power is an enabler of many possibilities, and those who tend to downplay the extent of these possibilities, in consequence always end up disappointed. So to think that Obiano will have no hand in determining who takes over from him is in effect setting one’s self up for disappointment.

As of today, the All Progressives Grand Alliance- APGA- has not fixed date for the party’s primary election that will produce a standard-bearer for the party in the gubernatorial election. However, the party has made it abundantly clear that it will field someone from Anambra South senatorial zone and this sentiment is well within the biases of most Anambra people, who agree that considering that Anambra Central and Anambra North have had Peter Obi as governor for eight years and Willie Obiano completing his eight years, respectively, it is fair to have someone from Anambra South.

This position alone has energized APGA’s support base, especially as rival political parties like the All Progressives Congress – APC – and People’s Democratic Party –PDP – are still uncertain where their standard-bearer must come from.

For PDP, it is a recipe for the usual extreme disagreements that often trail the party’s primary election, which normally leads to sabotage by party members, as a result of which the party’s candidate loses at the general election.

For the APC however, its growing membership in the Anambra state raises an eyebrow, yet, the fundamental thing remains that the party is largely unacceptable to most Anambra voters.

But for APGA, the chances are bright and the party, stable. What is left for APGA is to have a fairly credible primary that will produce a candidate who can blend perfectly with the party’s acceptability and readiness; to produce a win that is nearly easy to predict.

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But before this, governor Obiano’s position must be considered as the single most important factor that must align with the party’s ultimate goal. Therefore, the critical and most important thing is Obiano’s succession plan. Precisely, who he thinks may succeed him. To those, there is no clue whatsoever, none yet.

Obiano has been governor for almost eight years and within which time he has worked with so many people from all over the state. After these years, the governor should be able to say the capability of some of these people and should be in a position to be able to predict with an appreciable degree of accuracy, behaviours and the extent to which some of these aides and government officials can go in making better his vision, projects, and policies.

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‘Obiano’s greatest test is if he has been able to raise someone or found someone within’

Why this is important is that for a leader, the greatest challenge of leadership is not being able to commence and complete his policy objectives, but not being able to raise another leader that is capable of carrying on from where the leader stopped.

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Right now, Obiano’s greatest test is if he has been able to raise someone or found someone within, who can suitably take over from him and while maintaining his achievements, expand his vision, and do generally better than Obiano did.

It is my considered opinion that no outsider, no matter how well-skilled, exposed, and experienced can be able to do this better than someone who has been part of Obiano’s administration or have served, or serving the government of Anambra state.

This is a definite way to avert the recurrent situation where governors are plainly defrauded and mesmerized by tones of hangers-on, praise singers and career politicians who deploy all manner of tact to cause confusion and then profit from it, leveraging on the governor’s shortfall in the knowledge of the workings of the system. He or she is an insider, is not only conversant with some of this manmade confusion for personal benefits, but also must have seen both the strengths and weaknesses of the outgoing administration firsthand, and therefore in a better position to make amends where need be and carry on with existing policies and programmes that he adjudged good, then ultimately deliver good governance to Anambra people.

This is why serious modern organization rarely goes elsewhere to get a successor when the tenure of the subsisting leader elapses.

Political leadership involves corporate governance and political leaders should be able to groom people who can readily succeed them over eight years, such that they would have no need to look outside, for a successor. For purposes of sustainability, and stability, it is imperative that successors come from within; this brings a lot of constancy in the polity and politics.

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And for the new leader, there is no room to go back or start learning on the job. She or he already knows enough that will enable him or her to start well or simply put; hit the ground running.

In contrast, no matter the skill of an outsider, he will require a rare combination of luck and honest people which is unusual in our politics, while he maintains a heart willing to alter certain things, and an open mind to go with. Otherwise, he may need more than one tenure of four years to be properly schooled and well adjusted to the realities and mechanisms of our politics and until he gets conversant with these specifics, all his big ideas and bright propositions will be swallowed by the system, until he pays his dues before which time governance suffers.

So actually, there are two options available for Obiano; one is to present whom he has raised and two is to present someone within the government whose capability to do the job, is not in doubt.

‘Our leaders should start getting comfortable with planning and grooming their successor from the point they are sworn-in, into public offices’.

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Our leaders should start getting comfortable with planning and grooming their successor from the point they are sworn-in, into public offices. Nobody stays in any office forever. No one lives forever. For Governor Obiano, the reality will not change on his account.

His best and in fact most viable choice remains to pitch his tent with someone within, who has proven himself as a stable character and one that has the capability to lead Anambra state. This choice will not only benefit the Anambra people more, but it will also give Obiano the desired peaceful retirement after eight years as governor, by which time he would be clocking almost seventy years.

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