By Ndubuisi Orji
Chief Tony Chukwuelue, a two-time House of Representatives candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for Idemili Federal Constituency, speaks on why Anambra electorate would vote Dr. Tony Nwoye of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as governor of Anambra State on November 18.
There’s clamour for North senatorial zone to complete their eight years before moving to elsewhere. Why not let Obiano be?
I agree that the zone should complete two terms because I believe in equity; after all, we in the South East have been crying about marginalization at the federal level over the years. Here, the northern zone of the state has equally been crying about marginalization too. But within that zone, there is this agitation that if you allow only one section of the area to complete the whole eight years, it won’t be fair.
Again Dr. Willie Obiano, having performed so poorly, does not deserve reelection, especially when we have brilliant, tested, young and finer persons like Dr. Tony Nwoye in the race. It would be anomalous to allow Obiano’s abysmal show continue. Four years is not four days. Dr. Nwoye is not just a gift to the zone, he’s a gift to the state. If Chief Obiano had performed, most of us won’t be willing to stake our neck in support of another. Obiano should not be allowed to drag the zone and the entire state into his dismal show. Nwoye should be allowed and massively supported to complete the zone’s eight years. In fact, he is on a salvation mission because Obiano has disappointed all of us who fought for his victory in 2013. He openly rubbished our goodwill and should actually quietly hide his face from public view.
About 17 candidates are vying for the governorship. Why Tony Nwoye?
The truth is that, in this election, there are three contenders from three political parties -APC, PDP and APGA, and Nwoye is the best, going by his antecedent. He was former students’ union leader and renowned go-getter. He has the interest of the masses at heart and has variously championed it all his life. There is no ambiguity in saying he’s the first among equals. So, he deserves the votes of Anambra citizens.
But issues have also been brought against Nwoye. He’s accused of lacking experience in governance, in administration among others?
Well this is democracy where people are at liberty to say whatever they like. This nation has witnessed old brigades who failed, otherwise, we would have been up there in development and advancement among other nations. What we need is one who understands the problems of the masses, with vision, a practical person, compassionate and hungry to develop the society. And these are exactly the qualities you find in Dr Nwoye.
Over the years, we have discovered that the experienced ones had mastered the art of looting and successfully covering their tracks.
This is surely not the type of experience we need now. As a matter of fact, that is the problem we are having right now. I remember that about three years ago, we were bamboozled into believing that this person being the most experienced, vast and deep in administrative matters would take us to Eldorado. But how wrong we have been. Now, there is nothing on ground. Nothing to show for our trust, belief and acceptance of the man Obiano. The only thing you see everywhere is ‘Willie working’ noisy propaganda everywhere, yet very low achievement and development. It is unfortunate.
So if it’s a child that can give us the pace of development that we yearn for, we’d go for him. The experience we have been getting from our leaders over the years shows they do not deploy positive experience to develop our society. Instead, they use same to clean out the account into private pockets. Tony Nwoye is not in that sticky finger league. By the way, he’s a medical doctor, member of the House of Representatives. At the age of 30, he was already the PDP chairman in the state. He produced governors, national and state Assembly members. He’s having the singular honour of being the governorship candidate of the PDP about four years ago and has won the nomination of the APC to run as its governorship candidate, having defeated all the political heavyweights in the state. What else do you need to prove that the young man is highly talented and would deliver?
Personally, I am not a political jobber and I look at your track record before throwing my hat in your ring. For such a young man at such age to tower so high above all in a state as sophisticated as Anambra with so many moneybags and political heavyweights, shows the intrinsic stuff he’s made of.
Is it not too generalising to say the incumbent has not performed?
To whom who much is given, much is expected. Obiano’s predecessor told us he left N75 billion for Obiano. Shocking that today there is no evidence that someone has been in the saddle since Obi left. Look at the infrastructure, the schools, the health sector or the level of unemployment; everything about Obiano is massive propaganda -the state government has done this and that, but in reality, there’s nothing to see. These are practical realities.
I am from Central zone and there is nothing to show we have an administration in the last three and half years beyond where it was left about four years ago. It is even worse in the South zone. As a governor, Obiano ought to have known he was the father of all zones.
Beyond that, as a citizen I pass virtually all areas from time to time and wonder where those phantom projects being displayed in the media are. Some were reported to have been pictures of projects from Ekiti, Delta, Rivers and Lagos states. What a shame.
They boast of attracting billions of foreign and local investments to the state, yet we cannot find anything. Please where do they exist? In the air? Or are they in the spirit realm, because we cannot see, feel or touch them. What I am saying is that government is not run by sheer propaganda.
If you visit an APC-controlled state like Lagos, Governor Ambode does not need billboards to tell you he’s working, because everywhere you go, you feel the work, you see them there on ground. But here, we don’t see or feel anything and yet someone has been going round defacing the street corners with “Willie is working” billboards. I take exception to that, please. In fact, the only thing we see working in the state are the billboards.
It appears Nwoye enjoys the financial and political goodwill of many notable citizens like Prince Arthur Eze. Curiously this has elicited some negative insinuations.
There is clearly nothing wrong with Prince Arthur Eze or any other kindhearted Nigerian supporting Nwoye. It shows he earns their trust and friendship. It’s a big plus for Nwoye. This candidate is an exceptionally brilliant, talented young man, who, just as it is in parts of the world, has been discovered. The immediate past American President, Barack Obama was discovered by Senator Ted Kennedy of the famous Kennedy family and was given the opportunity. He heavily supported him and gathered all his friends to do so. Kennedy was quoted as saying that he saw a new America under Obama.
Prince Eze is an internationally acclaimed philanthropist who has all his life lived for the masses’ welfare and public good. He has always given lavishly to support the public cause. This project is just another aspect. Didn’t you hear also that he normally gives all aspirants what they spent? Eze is not the regular capitalist who wants to amass wealth for self alone. I can say it anywhere that if I am Prince Eze or Bill Gates, I will stake all I have on someone like Tony Nwoye, a high flying achiever who has always excelled wherever he finds himself.
Eze, as all know, doesn’t need anything from the state. In fact, from history, he has been giving his wealth to the development of the state and humanity wherever he goes. Check the records of the building of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium in Enugu and the security fund of Anambra State and see what he has given in the advancement of these projects and programmmes. Records show he has never visited any governor of this state for any reason. Instead, it has always been the other way round. His support for Nwoye, I believe, is because of the talent he sees in him, and because he wants to help the state. So, there is absolutely nothing wrong in that. Yet, they are not related in anyway.
One thing I am convinced about is that Nwoye would give us a new chapter in our history. Anambra is an “A-state” -the land of the Ojukwus, Okadigbos, Chike Obis, etc- that has been smeared in the past three and half state.
The last time I checked, Obiano could not harness the numerous budding resources in the state. Unfortunate, we have joined the ignoble league of failed states that can no longer sustain itself without relying heavily on monthly federal allocation like a hopeless lazy child, whereas other smaller, less endowed states are blossoming. Too bad.