• How unwritten agreement has fared in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu
• Agreement puts Imo on edge ahead November 11 guber poll
• Stakeholders divided over renewed power sharing formula
From Magnus Eze, Geoffrey Anyanwu (Enugu), Okey Sampson (Umuahia), Obinna Odogwu (Awka), Chijioke Agwu (Abakaliki) and Stanley Uzoaru (Owerri)
Charter of Equity is an internal arrangement by people of a state on how to share political positions, particularly the governorship seat so that it rotates among the political blocs or zones.
In many Southeast states, different dynamics determine the adherence to such accord or otherwise, even as it was difficult to lay hand on any document referred to as the equity charter in any of the states. The implication is that such agreement was in most cases a gentleman agreement.
From Abia to Ebonyi; Enugu to Anambra and Imo, the issue of charter of equity has always reverberated especially in the run-up to governorship elections in the states.
Prior to the recently held March 18 governorship polls in Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi states, the issue of equity charter was on the front burner. And that is clearly the situation now ahead of the November 11, 2023 governorship election in Imo State.
Already, the Labour Party (LP) governorship campaign organisation in Imo State has said that the rotational initiative of the Imo Charter of Equity should not be beneficial to a single zone in the November 11 election.
The Imo Charter of Equity was initiated in 1999, but truncated in 2011.
The charter unanimously adopted by the Imo State Council of Elders is meant to clear the path for a smooth transfer and rotation of the office of governor between the three senatorial zones of Okigwe, Orlu and Owerri.
While a school of thought believes that it was necessary, others accused Governor Hope Uzodimma of concocting a power rotational arrangement just to actualise his re-election bid.
Media Director of the LP’s Athan Achonu Campaign Organisation, Ihejirika Emeka, stated that Orlu zone where Uzodimma hails from has held the governorship for 20 years, while Okigwe and Owerri zones have had four years, and two and a half years, respectively. Ikedi Ohakim comes from Okigwe zone, while Evans Enwerem and Emeka Ihedioha from Owerri zone were there for about two and half years. Enwerem’s tenure was during the aborted Third Republic. So, for the 24 years of democratic rule from 1999 to 2023 in Imo, Orlu zone alone has had 20 years. Achike Udenwa, Rochas Okorocha and Uzodimma, all come from Orlu zone.
Emeka added that there is a need for balance in the power rotation.
“You must give everybody that equity and fairness. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are the ones who brought this up, and if every other person would agree to it, then it has to start where it stopped. It must not be rigid to suit a particular zone.
“Orlu has done 20 years. Okigwe zone because they had the smallest local governments only did four years; and Owerri, two and half years, in terms of equity and justice,” he said.
The legal practitioner argued that the initiative, which saw Orlu zone last in office, should allow power rotate to a different zone.
“He who must come with equity must come with clean hands. The Charter of Equity which is an unwritten gentleman agreement between those three zones infer that any zone that has to do their turn must do eight years, not four years.
“If we want to kickstart that Charter of Equity which is a gentleman’s agreement, it must start from Okigwe zone, four years; it should not start with Orlu zone that has taken 20 years, where it stopped last,” he noted.
He argued that the issue of equity charter has cropped up because of the incompetence of the present government, especially in terms of security, service delivery, and economic development.
“They failed totally and that is why there is clamour now for equity charter,” he said.
According to him, the value the Imo Charter of Equity seeks to address is the injustice of the past, adding that the PDP was responsible for the resurrection of the Charter of Equity at its inception and again its resurgence.
But Special Adviser on Imo Orientation Agency, Fidel Onyekene, noted that the council of elders in the state are in agreement with the decision that drove the initiative.
He stated that the charter initiative was set to promote equity and fairness.
Onyekene explained: “What informed the decision of the elders of the party to come out with this Charter of Equity is just to ensure that there is peace, unity and progress Imo State.”
Many stakeholders said that the charter of equity has always been a problematic factor when it comes to deciding who takes over from one zone of the state after the zone had completed its tenure.
They said that the charter has always been distorted, disregarded and disrespected by the political class.
A governorship aspirant in the recently held primary election of LP in the state, Captain David Mbamara, who hails from Owerri zone, like every other politician in the state, believes that the problem will linger until a sitting governor had the political will to have it implemented.
He also blamed political parties for not respecting the charter because of some personal interests sometimes, saying that he does not believe if it gets underway now, it would be respected.
He said: “You don’t shift a goal post in the middle of a game, the Charter of Equity should have been in place long before the aspirants emerged, they have already purchased forms, contested primaries, lost and won, so bringing it in now is quite belated.
“I tried for my party to observe the Charter of Equity, I tried for Labour Party to get a zoning arrangement, the party did not oblige to it, APC did not oblige to it, so we can’t start talking about it now, even the media kept quiet, the political parties too.”
Similarly, Mike Nwachukwu, a senatorial candidate for Owerri zone in the last election, said that the Imo political class must first adopt honesty as its best policy before one could talk of Charter of Equity.
“The problem of Charter of Equity is that our people have not resolved to mean what they say and say what they mean. Tomorrow, after Uzodimma might have finished his tenure, another Orlu man will jump out from nowhere and say he wants to be governor and before you know it, it works for me; it’s nonsense, it doesn’t add up to anything, members of the political class should be honest in whatever they are doing,” Nwachukwu said.
Another stakeholder in the state, Chief Orikaze Ajumbe, who has served in so many capacities both at the state and national levels concurred with Mbamara and Nwachukwu.
He, however, added that the control of politics in the state by moneybags has put the zoning arrangements in jeopardy.
“In Imo State, the Charter of Equity doesn’t exist and will not exist as far as people who have money see themselves as the right people to govern Imo as their only qualification is their deep pockets.
“Imo State is a state where gentleman’s agreement is not respected. I am shocked to read from those I have respect for talking of Charter of Equity so as to butter their bread. The same people will change when a new governor comes on board,” Ajumbe said.
As the equity charter controversy rages on in the state, some elders have seemingly added salt to the injury of the zoning arrangement by endorsing incumbent Governor Uzodimma to continue in office.
For these elders, the Charter of Equity did not exist before now, as nothing of such had been implemented religiously. To this end, they decided that it starts afresh with Uzodimma who is from Orlu zone, the area that has clearly benefitted most in the governorship of the state. The governor is at the verge of completing his four years in office, but the elders have favoured him to let the arrangement commence from his tenure.
To whittle down the argument that equity charter existed in the state, Special Adviser on Public Communications to Imo State Governor, Collins Ughala, challenged anybody with proof to show that previous governors in the state emerged from such arrangement.
Ughala argued: “No one has been able to show any shred of proof that there was zoning at any time in our history and that a certain governor emerged on that note. Therefore, no one can implement what he does not have; you cannot implement a Charter of Equity when you do not have it. No basis for such.
“But this time around, the Imo State Council of Elders realised that to have a peaceful, rancour-free political process and to deepen brotherhood, there is the need to now formalise the agitation for zoning of top political offices by now actually creating a Charter of Equity.
“That was what the Imo State Council of Elders did by coming up with the Charter of Equity. The Imo State Council of Elders is a creation of law in Imo State. Now, we can beat our chest and say we have a Charter of Equity.
“It is best to start the process by allowing the incumbent to complete two terms of office so that it will actually be established that the Charter of Equity provides for two terms of office. There is no fairness asking the incumbent to sacrifice his second term.”
But the National Vice Chairman of African Democratic Congress (ADC), Chilos Godsent, totally disagreed with the elders’ line of thought.
He claimed that the elders only arrived at the decision to allow the other two zones support Uzodimma’s second term bid.
He described the purported Charter of Equity being promoted by those working for Governor Uzodimma’s interest as satanic, malicious and deceitful, saying that what was needed was a level playing ground to all qualified adults in the state to contest for the position.
“The African Democratic Congress (ADC) wish to inform Imolites that the above narrative is not only wicked, malicious and satanic, but unconstitutional and unacceptable to the good people of Imo State.
“If we cast our minds back, we should remember that former governor of Imo State, Chief Ikedi Ohakim used that satanic mantra to gain second term bid in 2011, but failed because it was unconstitutional and unacceptable by Imolites.
“In view of the above, it is the constitutional right of any adult individual of Imo State resident to aspire for elective position at any election season regardless of the Local Government Area of origin or Senatorial District.
“One thing that is very obvious is that the good people of Imo State are fed up with insecurity, political rascality and economic difficulties that have characterized the present APC-led government in the state and, therefore, are determined to send Governor Hope Uzodimma packing by 11th November, 2023, through the Rainbow Alliance (RA).”
He insisted that the imminent “Ballot Revolution in Imo State” will resist every machination from Uzodimma’s camp.
For Ike Ibe, another LP governorship aspirant in the state, the charter can only remain credible if Okigwe or Owerri zone is allowed to produce the governor of the state in November.
“It’s not a product of neutral participants. It will be a travesty of justice to allow the governorship to remain in Orlu next year without first allowing Okigwe and Owerri benefit from the equity,” Ibe said.
Also, elder statesman, Chief Mike Ahamba, faulted the said new Charter of Equity, saying it was a selfish decision.
According to him, the charter has been there for a very long time, but only that the politicians refused to abide by it for selfish interests.
“I don’t know why this Charter of Equity is difficult to implement when it comes to governorship elections in Imo State, it has always been there, it didn’t start this year, those people who met and said they have started the Charter of Equity are not speaking the truth.
“It was there earlier, it was there at the time Ihedioha went to the Government House, it was much there, except that some people don’t want to recognise it for selfish purposes, that’s the truth of the matter, I’m not begrudging them, let them disregard it if they like, but let nobody say that it was decided by Imo elders this year, it’s not true,” Ahamba said.
Abia Charter of Equity threatened
In Abia State, its Charter of Equity has been seamlessly handled by the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) over the years, until lately.
In a move that ensured peace and harmony, zoning for the governorship seat started from Abia North, with Dr Orji Uzor Kalu taking the shot of that zone.
After Kalu, Senator Theodore Orji from Abia Central became the governor, after which it went to the incumbent governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia South.
However, as Ikpeazu’s tenure was about winding up, critical stakeholders of the PDP in the state felt power should return to Abia North where it started in 1999.
Some individuals obsessed with power, instead insisted it must remain in the Ngwa bloc, where the present governor is from and this came with consequences.
Months before the election, critical stakeholders of PDP which has been championing the zoning arrangement in the state, warned the party leadership in Abia of the consequences of not adhering to the Abia Charter of Equity. But all their warnings were like pouring water on the back of a duck.
Ndubuisi Egwuruonu, a chieftain of the PDP, said that the issue of zoning in the party was not properly addressed, which he said, was responsible for the poor performance of the party in the state in the last election.
Another stakeholder of the party in the state, Chief Nkwa Eluwa was of the view that many were not happy with the zoning formula.
He said that if PDP which has ruled the state for the past 24 years had zoned the governorship seat to Abia North, it would have won the last election.
“I must tell you that we lost the last election because my party, the PDP, refused to zone the governorship ticket to Abia North where it rightly should have been zoned to and there were protest votes which adversely affected our party,” he said.
Ogbonnaya Ude, an APC chieftain in the state, said: “By the Abia Charter of Equity, it was supposed to be the turn of Abia North to have produced the governor, but some leaders of APC and PDP jettisoned it.
“While the PDP zoned the governorship to Abia Central, APC also gave its ticket to someone from the same Abia Central, leaving Abia North where the governorship should have come from and the outcome remains a story for another day.”
He said that the decision of both parties in the last election would have a telling effect on the Abia equity charter in coming elections.
Enugu insists on equity charter
Although, opinion is divided on the issue in Enugu, Charter of Equity is still very popular in the state. Yet, Sunday Sun confirmed that there is no written document containing the agreement.
For former House of Representatives member, Hon. USA Igwesi: “It is very clear that we had an understanding, we had a Charter Unity that started in 1999, when Chimaroke Nnamani was the governor of Enugu State; from Chimaroke Nnamani it came to Sullivan Chime, after Sullivan Chime, it went to Enugu North which is to Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, the present governor that will elapse by 29th of May.
“The circle has been completed and naturally it should start from where it started in 1999, which is Enugu East Senatorial District. And this has brought understanding, this has brought peace, there is no rancour, there is no misunderstanding, so people are happy with the principle of rotation. The thing has brought peace in Enugu State, naturally, it is in the minds of all the people of the state.
“It is not written anywhere, but everybody in Enugu State understands it and is assimilated in the blood and psyche and blood veins of the people of Enugu State.”
He said there was no threat to it as “all the people who wanted to contest were all left behind because we continued because this is the zoning arrangement in Enugu State. Nobody can truncate it.”
State Chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Ndubuisi Elechi-Onyia said that he and his party do not believe in any rotation of governorship position.
“The problems of Enugu State are beyond where the leader comes from, it is about capacity, competence and vision.
“We should be looking for competent people not rotation, the press shouldn’t encourage that conversation, we should have gone beyond that level.
“We’ve had governors from the three zones, we haven’t really moved forward, we are still talking about Charter of Equity, which equity? Now, we have finished election, we are talking about how do we build up Enugu State, how do we make it the state that we want? Irrespective of who the governor is and where he comes from; the mandate is the mandate of the people and we must make sure that whoever that is there, respects that mandate. That is my own take,” the APGA leader said.
Another stakeholder, Chief Ike Agu, said that the equity charter is working very well in Enugu State, noting that “there would have been problem at the early stage when Ike Ekweremadu wanted to run, but thank God he later withdrew when he saw the handwriting on the wall.”
Power rotation, crises and compliance in Ebonyi
When democracy returned in 1999, the then newly created state of Ebonyi started with a democratically elected governor from the northern senatorial district, Dr Sam Egwu. Egwu contested against the former Governor of Old Abia State, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, from Uburu in the Southern Senatorial District of the state.
Egwu won re-election in 2003, after defeating his closest rival and former Minister of State for Industry, Chief Lawrence Nwuruku, from Ikwo in Ebonyi Central Senatorial District.
However, upon completion of his eight years in 2007, Egwu anointed one of the foremost founding fathers of the state, Chief Martin Elechi from Ikwo in Ebonyi Central to succeed him.
However, Onu, also contested against Elechi under the platform of All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), but lost the election to Elechi of the PDP.
In 2011, Elechi won re-election, defeating the pioneer Speaker of Ebonyi State House of Assembly and then senator representing Ebonyi Central, Chief Julius Ucha. Ucha was the standard bearer of the ANPP.
Elechi’s two terms of eight years came to an end in 2015. But in the build up to the 2015 general elections, Elechi maintained that his successor must come from Ebonyi South to ensure unbroken rotation of power among the three zones of the state.
He proceeded to endorse the then Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, from Afikpo. But Elechi’s endorsement later amounted to nothing as power play within his then reigning party, the PDP saw his deputy, Chief David Umahi, emerging as the PDP flagbearer in the state.
Apparently angered by the turn of events, Elechi and his supporters, including council chairmen, many state executive council members and sundry government appointees, endorsed a well-known businessman and contractor, Chief Edward Nkwegu, from Ebonyi North to succeed him. They also craftily drafted the then senator representing Ebonyi Central, Chief Paulinus Igwe Nwagu, to be Nkwegu’s deputy.
But the majority of Ebonyi stakeholders and political heavyweights like Chief Anyim Pius Anyim, Dr Sam Egwu, Chief Frank Ogbuewu, Chief Lawrence Nwuruku, Chief Fidelis Nwankwo, and many others faulted Elechi, warning him about the dangers of truncating the power rotation in the state.
In the end, Umahi of the PDP from Ebonyi South, defeated Elechi’s candidate, Nkwegu, who contested under the Labour Party. Umahi won in all the 13 LGAs of the state.
He proceeded to win re-election in 2019, defeating Senator Sonnie Ogbuoji, from Edda in Ebonyi South, who was candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC).
Expectedly, ahead of the 2023 general elections, the issue of where the next governor of the state will come from became a serious matter as every zone claimed it was their turn.
In the build-up, Umahi anointed the Speaker of Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Chief Francis Nwifuru, from Izzi in Ebonyi North to succeed him.
The endorsement and support given to Nwifuru by Umahi and his government generated a lot of controversy and objections. The people of Ezza in Ebonyi Central insisted it was their turn as the oldest clan in the state. They proceeded to present former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof Ben Odoh. He contested under APGA. Also, PDP after a protracted internal crisis presented a businessman, Dr Ifeanyi Odii, from Ebonyi South as its candidate. Yet, Nwifuru of the APC won the election.
Although the outcome of the election is still being challenged, but APC said it won the election because it followed the path of peace, unity and justice by fielding a candidate from the right senatorial zone.
Chairman of the APC in Ebonyi State, Stanley Okoro-Emegha, attributed the peaceful and unanimous decision of the party zoning its 2023 governorship ticket to Izzi in Ebonyi North, to the leadership ingenuity of the leader of the party and governor of the state, Umahi.
Emegha told Sunday Sun that though it was difficult at the beginning, which made some people to think that the party would get it wrong, but at the end, the party got it right.
“When we started the discussion on who will be the next governor of the state, the major discourse was on which senatorial district should the party zone its ticket. Some argued that since the zoning had gone round and all the zones taken their turns, that it could start from any zone.
“Others argued that it should be zoned to Ezza, the oldest clan in the state, while the third group said it should return to Ebonyi North where it started in 1999.
“Though it was a difficult decision to make, but the leader of the party and governor of the state, Chief Engr. David Umahi, weathered the storm. He started by setting up a state-wide zoning committee for all elective political offices.
“In the end, it was micro zoned to Izzi clan in Ebonyi North since Ohaukwu had produced a governor in 1999 in the person of Governor Sam Egwu.
“It was overwhelmingly accepted because it was the right thing to do.
“The PDP which violated the power rotation principle suffered serious defeat in the election.”
In his remarks, Chairman of Onicha local government council, Chidiebere Uzor, said that those who opposed power shift to Ebonyi North did so out of selfish political gains.
“They did not have the interest of the state at heart. How can someone from Isu come to say he wanted to takeover from Governor Umahi. That is the highest form of injustice. The PDP made a big mistake and that was why its candidate failed woefully in the election,” he said.
But the Publicity Secretary of PDP in the state, Nwoba Chika, said that the party failed to apply zoning in its gubernatorial ticket because the leaders of the party especially former Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim and the Senator Obinna Ogba (Ebonyi Central), circumvented the process because of Ogba’s ambition.
He said that Ifeanyi Odii who flew the party’s flag in the election did not want to run for the governorship.
“It was the insistence of Ogba that aroused the interest of Hon. Anayo Edwin and Engr Chris Usulo from the same Central and from Ezza who enjoy enormous goodwill from their people and population advantage as they believed they could stand a ground to get the ticket. Chief Ifeanyi Odii in order not to leave the South vulnerable and to oblige the call of the Ebonyi people to govern them, purchased form at a dying minute and won the ticket effortlessly, defeating the other 11 aspirants, including Ogba. Chief Odii at no time wanted to contest the ticket with the Ebonyi North zone, but it became imperative since the ticket was thrown open to all the zones.”
He, however, claimed the party actually won the election, but was rigged out in favour of the ruling APC.
Equity charter works in Anambra
In Anambra, the former governor of the state, Mr Peter Obi, started the zoning of the governorship seat amongst the three senatorial districts in the state. Before his emergence as governor, there was nothing like that in the state.
Counting from 1999, the then governor, the late Dr Chinwoke Mbadinuju, governed the state till 2003 when Dr Chris Ngige took over from him. The powers that be did not allow Mbadinuju popularly called Odera to go for a second term.
Those who controlled his party, the PDP, ensured that he was not given the ticket of the party to run for a second term. They replaced him with Ngige.
While Mbadinuju hailed from Anambra South, Ngige popularly called Onwa hails from Anambra Central; and he ruled the state till 2006 when the court sacked and replaced him with Obi.
Obi, who was able to convince the courts that he won the 2003 governorship elections, but was robbed of his victory, so he was sworn in. He ruled for eight years before handing over to Chief Willie Obiano.
Like Ngige, Obi is also from Anambra Central, but Obiano hails from Anambra North.
While his tenure as governor was winding down, Obi told Anambra people that he would like power to shift to Anambra North for the sake of equity, justice and fairness. And that was what gave Obiano the chance of becoming a governor.
When Obiano was finishing his second tenure, he announced that he would be following the power rotational arrangement which he himself benefitted from. He did not just say it, he also supported it.
Obiano backed Prof Chukwuma Soludo, from Isuofia in Anambra South, to succeed him. He started by ensuring that Soludo got the ticket of his party, the APGA, to represent it at the 2021 polls.
In the state, everybody believes in the zoning arrangement as it promotes equity, justice and fairness. It is an unwritten rule, but the majority of the people agree with it as a good arrangement.
However, the continuity of that arrangement, this time around, will depend on Soludo’s performance. If he performs poorly, chances are high that the people may discard it and shop for another candidate they believe will perform better irrespective of their zone.