Ihiala Federal Constituency is one of the politically conscious and
hot zones in Anambra State. Analyst scrutinises the fierce battles and
undercurrents that determined the outcome of the election.
Anambra State has no doubt gained recognition that borders on
notoriety as one of the hottest political zones not only in the
South-East, but also in Nigeria as a whole. Since the inception of the
current democratic dispensation in 1999, the actors and gladiators
have continued to change as new kids mount the block, but the
character of the political tussle has largely remained the same.
However, although the battle for the Ihiala Federal Constituency in
Anambra did not disappoint on the forecasts of fierce battle, the
extremeness and ferocity of some of the actors no doubt took pundits
by surprise as people's will clashed with excess money and political
influence.
The Gladiators and How they Stood
The battle for the seat featured three major contenders.
Hon. Chukwuemeka Anohu: The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate
polled 25,024 votes to emerge victorious in the three-horse race. He
entered the contest with an intimidating profile and track record of
achievements in both politics and community service. He is currently
the Member representing Ihiala II Constituency in Anambra State House
Assembly. A PhD holder educated abroad, he is the most educationally
qualified among the trio.
His acceptability and popularity by his people is not in doubt. This
was put to test when he contested primary election on the platform of
the PDP in 2011 and won the ticket. Some powerful political
"godfathers" subsequently denied him the ticket because they allege he
has his own mind. However, his people urged him to contest on the
platform of a relatively unknown minority Labour Party in Anambra
State where he defeated both the APGA and PDP candidates to emerge the
representative of Ihiala II Constituency. But in 2015, he returned to
his first base, the PDP, after rapprochements and became the only PDP
candidate with general acceptability as name appeared on the list of
the two PDP factions in Anambra.
Another major edge Hon. Anohu had over the other candidates going
into the 2015 race was that he is a man of charity that has greatly
impacted the lives of his Ihiala people through his foundation, Emeka
Anohu Foundation. He is said to have used the platform to tackle
problems of poverty in his area, bring in foreign doctors into Nigeria
to provide free medical services to over 27 thousand people with
different health issues and has done several educational projects like
construction of new school, renovation of old ones and has also
awarded scholarships to several educationally disadvantaged students
and less privileged ones. He also used the platform to build a
microfinance bank to give microcredit loans to support small-scale
businesses and entrepreneurs, especially women and youths. It was
therefore never in doubt that his records of projects and achievements
both in his official capacity and as an individual in his constituency
would count for him. Besides, his family has a strong history and
record of philanthropy and community service. Ihiala people, the
Catholic, Anglican, Pentecostal Christian communities, youth
organizations, community leaders and youths, had roundly endorsed him,
making him the candidate to beat.
Momah Chudy Ifeanyi : The APGA candidate who came a distant second
with 12, 774 votes emerged as the party's flag bearer in controversial
circumstances and he had no political records. Uncertainty loomed
around his candidacy as he was said to have been dragged to court over
the APGA ticket by one Mr. Martin Nabineli who was alleged to have won
the primaries by 39 votes as against Momah's 36, but was shortchanged.
Apart from this case, some people had expressed serious concerns about
his background.
Read more at:
http://247ureports.com/true-story-of-the-battle-for-ihiala-federal-constituencythe-nestoil-boss-connection/
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