Chief Godwin Agbasimelo is a renowned stakeholder in Anambra politics and the Founder of a popular mass movement group known as Oga ndi Oga Foundation with structures across the three senatorial districts of Anambra State. In this interview, he reflects on the political calculations in the state as the governorship election gets underway.
Ahead of the 2025 governorship election in Anambra State, there have been arguments of retaining an existing zoning principle in the state or jettisoning it for a free for all contest. What is your position on the matter?
As a leader of this popular mass movement group known as Oga Ndi Oga Foundation, we have taken a position on the matter and our position is a fresh case for zoning and rotation of power to be narrowed down to some sort of micro level in the State. In line with our democratic right to freedom of opinion and speech, we are saying that it is the turn of Nnewi bloc in Anambra South Senatorial zone to produce the next Governor of the Light of the Nation State in 2025. The turn of events in the state overtime has made it very necessary that the governorship seat should be micro-zoned and made to rotate around blocs/clans within a Senatorial District to deal with nepotism driven by clannish interest. It is a clear phenomenon that sitting governors favor their blocs/clan both in appointments and in execution of development projects, so to this end, we, having carefully observed the situation and clearly seen what is going in the State since the return of democracy in Nigeria in 1999, hereby restate that it is the turn of Nnewi bloc/clan to produce the next Governor of Anambra State in 2025
Can you elaborate on your reasons for taking this position?
The reason for saying this is very clear and not far -fetched because we have three blocs/clans In Anambra South Senatorial District which are Nnewi, Aguata and Ihiala blocs and if you look at it from the point of governorship positions, it is only Nnewi bloc/clan that is yet to produce the governor of the state since the democratic dispensation in Nigeria. Ihiala has taken it through Mbadinuju while Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo who is the current occupant of the seat as governor is from Aguata bloc/clan, so let someone from any of the three Local Government Areas in Nnewi bloc such as Nnewi North or Nnewi South or Ekwusigo take the seat in 2025. This is the only way to ensure equity, justice and fair play which all of us want to prevail in Anambra State via zoning and rotation of power by ensuring and giving room for various blocs/clans to share the eight year constitutional term within themselves.
But there is this impression in some quarters that giving another person chance from Anambra South outside Soludo who has only one term left to become the next governor of Anambra can amount to the risk of allowing Anambra South to go beyond eight years. Don’t you share same sentiments?
Not at all. The next governor outside Soludo who has only one term left for him and will certainly do one term of four years to pave way for another Senatorial District to take it. Any attempt by the people of Anambra South to exceed eight years in Government house at Agu Awka amounts to someone turning to be destroyer of his building. I can only advise the 2025 governorship aspirants from Anambra North and Central Senatorial Districts to quash their aspirations because their aspiration amount to working against zoning and rotation of power in the state. Those working against zoning and rotation might be at the receiving end because the people of Southern Senatorial District could be a hard nut to crack if zoning and rotation is jettisoned.
What do you have to say about the upcoming Anambra local government election fixed within a time frame of barely one month plus?
The time frame of the election is too short and the best option is for a shift in date to enable adequate preparation. Look at neighboring States like Enugu and Imo. The Enugu State Local Government election which is scheduled to hold on October 5, 2024 was announced by the State electoral commission way back in May 2024 which is about 180 days ahead while that of Imo State which is scheduled to hold on September 21, 2025 was announced by the State electoral commission in June 2024 which is about 90 days ahead. How can we use 45days to prepare for election in 21 Local Governments and 326 wards involving no fewer than 18 political parties? Lest we forget, there is supposed to be campaign for party nominations by aspirants who want to contest for chairmanship and councillorship, then political parties will screen the aspirants and conduct primary elections before going into State wide campaign for the main election, so how do we get all these done within 45 days?
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