REVEALED: How Jonathan And Obasanjo Caused Chaos In Anambra Over Secret Deal

A huge political tension has
developed in Anambra State over a
deal struck between former President
Olusegun Obasanjo and President
Goodluck Jonathan to impose Senator
Andy Uba as the governorship
candidate of the Peoples Democratic
Party as well as the next governor of
Anambra.
Several sources in Abuja and within
Anambra State said that Mr. Obasanjo
was one of the architects of the plan to
make Mr. Uba governor. A PDP
executive in Abuja disclosed that the
Uba deal was one of the conditions given
by former President Obasanjo to settle a
rift between him and Mr. Jonathan.
In addition, Mr. Jonathan has told his
associates that he needs Mr. Uba in
control of Anambra in order to guarantee
him a landslide victory in the state come
the 2015 presidential election. "The
president wants to ensure that he carries
Anambra and other southeast states,"
said a source. "That's why he needs
Chief Uba to be in charge."
Mr. Jonathan's administration has been
under fire from former President
Obasanjo, who has expressed
dissatisfaction with the incumbent
president's performance. Mr. Obasanjo
has also told his associates that he was
seriously considering the option of
backing a northern candidate to run
against Mr. Jonathan in the 2015
presidential election.
"I can tell you that nothing scares
President Jonathan more than Chief
Obasanjo's ability to marshal forces,
within Nigeria and abroad, against him,"
said a source who is close to the current
president. "He has been so jittery ever
since Baba [Obasanjo] started launching
his attacks. That's why he quickly agreed
when Chief Obasanjo told him that Andy
must become the new governor of
Anambra."
Many top political sources within the
PDP and the All Progressives Grand
Alliance (APGA) told SaharaReporters
that President Jonathan has enlisted the
hierarchy of both parties in the scheme
to put Mr. Uba into the governor's seat
in Anambra by hook or crook. In
meetings with Governor Obi and other
PDP and APGA interests, Mr. Jonathan
instructed that all steps be taken to
ensure that Mr. Uba's enthronement as
the next governor becomes a success.
But the plan is being stoutly resisted,
according to a spokesman for a coalition
of interests from across different political
parties, including PDP members.
"Obasanjo couldn't help his daughter
carry his own polling station in Ogun
State, but he thinks he can choose who
will be our governor in Anambra," said
the man, who in a telephone
conversation declared that his anti-Uba
coalition was confident of resisting both
Obasanjo and Jonathan. "Our people
voted solidly for President Jonathan in
2011. Yet, instead of treating us with the
respect we deserve, he sits in Abuja and
wants to dictate who will rule us. Their
evil scheme will fail."
According to several of our sources, the
recent upheaval in APGA was part of the
plot to clear the way for Mr. Uba to
coast to the governorship. Last week,
APGA announced the disqualification of
Charles Soludo, a former Central Bank
Governor, Oseloka Obaze, an erstwhile
top aide to Governor Peter Obi, as well
as other key governorship contenders.
"The [disqualifications] were part and
parcel of a deal to ensure that Chief
Andy Uba becomes the next person to
rule Anambra," said a longtime member
of APGA.
Several sources revealed that Governor
Obi was previously interested in
supporting either Mr. Obaze, a lawyer
and retired employee of the United
Nations, or former banker, Willie Obiano,
to succeed him. SaharaReporters also
gathered that APGA chairman, Victor
Umeh, once backed Mr. Soludo for the
governorship. A source said the former
CBN governor, who recently resigned
from the PDP and registered as a
member of APGA, had provided
substantial cash to Mr. Umeh to help run
the party.
However, both Mr. Soludo and Mr.
Obaze became casualties of President
Jonathan's decision to appease Obasanjo
as well as position a dependable ally in
Anambra. Several sources revealed that
Mr. Jonathan and his associates felt that
neither Mr. Soludo nor Mr. Obaze could
be fully trusted to help him in 2015. In
addition, Mr. Jonathan and his team
dread the prospects of Senator Chris
Ngige winning Government House,
Awka. A few days ago, Mr. Ngige
emerged the APC's governorship
candidate in a controversial congress
that some party members described as
undemocratic.
According to some sources, President
Jonathan persuaded Governor Obi to
abandon Obaze, his primary choice as
successor. SaharaReporters learned that
the Presidency also paid a huge sum of
money to APGA chairman, Umeh, to
persuade him to back away from Mr.
Soludo.
A source close to Mr. Obi revealed that
the Anambra governor was "taken by
surprise and is very unhappy" with the
president's advocacy for Mr. Uba. "He
[Obi] wanted either Obaze or Chief Willie
Obiano, but what can he do once the
president has spoken?"
Of all the serious APGA aspirants, only
Mr. Obiano, a respected former banking
executive, survived the purge that swept
away Mr. Soludo and Mr. Obaze. A
source in APGA told SaharaReporters
that the Presidency perhaps spared Mr.
Obiano because they saw him as a
political push-over who would be easily
rigged out by the PDP machinery. But
the source added that both Mr. Obiano
and Mr. Ngige would beat Mr. Uba in any
free-and-fair contest in Anambra.
One of the members of the emerging
anti-Uba group told SaharaReporters that
the PDP would have had an uphill task
winning an election in Anambra even
with a good candidate. "But when it
becomes clear to our [Anambra] people
that Obasanjo and Jonathan are
engineering Andy as our next governor,
more of our people will rise in stout
opposition."
A PDP member of the coalition vowed
that the people of Anambra were tired of
what he called "the politics of
imposition." "Don't forget that Chief
Andy Uba did not even win senatorial
election. We all know that the seat he
has in the Senate truly belongs to
[Nicholas] Ukachukwu. I can assure you
that our people still remember the role
Chief Uba and Eselu [Mr. Uba's younger
brother, Chris Uba] played to destroy
Anambra when Obasanjo was president.
We won't allow a partnership of Ogboni
members to treat us like boy-boys," he
said.
A source within APGA told
SaharaReporters that the blame for what
is happening should go to Mr. Obi. "The
governor disappointed us and our late
leader and father, Ikemba Nnewi [Emeka
Odumegwu Ojukwu] when he effectively
turned APGA into a branch of the PDP
and an arm of the Presidency."
Several PDP members said that party
officials had directly or indirectly told
major governorship aspirants within their
fold not to waste their money and time.
"We were told not to bother spending
our money, that the [governorship]
ticket will be delivered to Dr. Andy Uba,"
said a source who said he was mulling a
run for the post. He added that other
aspirants like Nicholas Ukachukwu and
Annie Okonkwo had received the same
message.
"Is this democracy that we are seeing in
our country?" the source questioned.
"Our party says nobody should run again
except Andy. And the oppositions are
doing the same thing. Dr. Ngige was just
announced like that, without following
any real democratic way."
The source said he had heard of the
group mobilizing to fight against the
imposition of Mr. Uba, but said he was
not a member. Asked if he would
campaign for Mr. Uba, the source spoke
angrily. "If they impose him, why then
should I fight for him? Let those who
imposed him come and fight for him."