Anambra
has easily become the sick child of the Nigerian democratic
experiment for a combination of reasons. All civilian governors
of the state have been non-performers; the level of insecurity
remains high, the State Assembly has been both docile and
inept and the state's politics is seething with corrupt
practices. Governor Mbadinuju's administration reached an
all-time low in governance when the entire state bureaucracy
ground to a complete halt as a consequence of recurrent
strike actions by workers and teachers who were often owed
arrears of several months of pay. To cope with rapidly deteriorating
security situation, the last administration quickly assembled
a vigilante outfit that ended up discrediting its creators
by their licentiousness. The last electoral cycle witnessed
a spirited battle by former Governor Mbadinuju to remain
at his post as state chief executive despite his dismal
performance track record. It took loud public outcry at
the eve of election primaries to persuade the ruling party,
PDP, to make him the only incumbent governor to be denied
a second term under his party platform.
Based on performance, last April's general elections would
have provided a golden opportunity to bring positive change
in Anambra state by rejecting both the ruling party and
their candidates for woefully failing to pay heed to yearnings
of the electorate. Many parties saw the vulnerability of
the factitious ruling party in the state and prepared to
wrest power through the ballot box. It is widespread knowledge
that there was gross impropriety in the conduct of the April
general election all over the country, particularly Anambra
state. The PDP, armed with a more elaborate and robust party
machine, saw a gaping hole in the system and went ahead
and exploited it to the chagrin of a large segment of the
state's population who obviously were poised to terminate
PDP rule in Anambra, at least, in the short term. Respectable
eyewitness accounts assert that nothing which would be described
as general elections happened in Anambra state on April
19, 2003. Yet, we have an INEC scorecard that awarded landslide
victory to the ruling PDP and its array of candidates at
all levels in the state. Disenchanted opposition parties
and their candidates are now demonstrating unusual resolve
in their bid to undo the charade that took place in Anambra
state on election day.
Those who were declared winners by the electoral commission,
including the incumbent governor, were promptly sworn into
office even as the battle for their legitimacy continues
in the electoral tribunals. It was an eye-opener to read
that one of the first official engagements of Governor Ngige
was to pay homage to his political sponsor by visiting Uga,
Aguata LG, in appreciation of the pivotal role that Chief
Chris Uba, 'Eselu Uga', played in getting him into the State
House, Awka. In public glare, Governor Ngige literally prostrated
before 'Eselu Uga' expressing his and one would presume,
the state's indebtedness to the election-winning wizardry
that could only be wielded by his larger-than-life mentor.
As news reports have exposed, the Anambra governor virtually
yielded the right of selecting his cabinet and other major
appointments to the whims and caprices of Chief Uba. Recent
revelations indicate that there were also a lot of underhand
financial deals, implicating state funds, that the Governor
had committed himself to, without following proper channels,
all in a bid to appease the demigod of his newfound political
ascendancy.
The weekend of July 10-13, 2003, witnessed a public display
of the macabre dance and frolicking which have characterized
the subterranean relationship that exists between the incumbent
governor and his number one political mentor, Chief Chris
Uba. The best way to get to the bottom of the crisis, which
precipitated the reported attempted 'overthrow' of Anambra
state governor by his estranged bedfellows, is for the National
Assembly to conduct a judicial enquiry over the matter.
This affront on our democracy is neither an Anambra nor
PDP exclusive affair as some would prefer to paint it. The
National Assembly, preferably the Senate, should set up
a judicial tribunal with appropriate powers to subpoena
witnesses to testify under oath about what they know and
the role they played in the ongoing political melodrama
in Anambra state. This tribunal, when its job is done, could
result in impeachment or removal of all culpable elected
officials and imprisonment or severe fines for others who
sought to trample on the machinery of governance of Anambra
state for myopic and selfish objectives. This recommended
line of action is salutary for the traumatized citizens
of Anambra state, in particular and the rest of Nigeria,
in general.