As the countdown to the Anambra governorship election tails off to the final day, it is common knowledge that one of the numerous candidates will emerge as the governor when the good people of Anambra would have cast their votes to select Peter Obi’s successor.
What is not common knowledge, however, is that Tony Nwoye, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the November 16 governorship election, was part of the civilian thug that assisted Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Ige who forcibly kidnapped the ‘illegal’ governor Chris Nwabueze Ngige in 2003.
It is also not common knowledge that Tony Nwoye led the irate arsonists that burnt down two radio stations in Anambra state, government vehicles, torched the state government house and held hostage members of the state House of Assembly ostensibly to force them to sign a document that Chirs Ngige, then governor of Anambra State, had resigned as governor in November 2004.
These illegalities came on the heels of a gentleman agreement between the self-imposed godfather of Anambra politics, Chief Chris Ubah, and Dr. Chris Ngige which had gone awry and Chris Ubah was bent on dealing with Ngige whom he felt had betrayed him and therefore was not to be trusted anymore.
Among the members of the Chris Ubah-led gang that destabilised Anambra in 2004 was Mr. Tony Nwoye, the PDP flag bearer in the forthcoming Anambra governorship election, who was president of National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) in 2004 and led a group of irate students to cause the debacle in Anambra, and Chief Obinna Uzoh, PDP guber aspirant who lost to Tony Nwoye in the PDP guber primaries and has made several attempts at the Anambra government house without success.
Others are Mr. Uchenna Emordi, who was the chairman of PDP in Anambra in 2004, and Mr. Ossy Nsugbe, known within political circles to be Chief Chris Ubah’s political errand boy.
In the unfolding political era, it will interest Anambra people to know that this gang of actors are not yet done with Anambra State as all plans are still in the offing to see that they take control of Anambra State by hook or crook.
Presently, the same group has propped up Mr. Nwoye as the candidate of the PDP with the backing of the political henchman of Anambra State, Chief Arthur Eze, who is Chris Ubah’s political godfather.
Is it this same Tony Nwoye that perpetrated all these punishable crimes against Anambra State that PDP is trying to foist on Anambra people? This newfound love between estranged godfathers and godsons is being fostered by no single reason beyond sharing the collective patrimony of Anambra people and Tony Nwoye is nothing but a point man and front for Chris Ubah and Arthur Eze.
How will an egghead state like Anambra that boasts of the likes of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Prof Chinua Achebe, Sir Louis Odumegwu Ojukwu, Ikemba Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Prof Kenneth Onwuka Dike, Prof Chike Obi, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, and a host of others allow a gang of upstarts like Chris Ubah and Tony Nwoye to rule over them in this 21st century when excellence in business and governance defines the future?
At this juncture, it will be proper to state with all sense of modesty that the Igbo man, nay, the Anambra man, is blessed with a high Intelligence Quotient (IQ) by Providence and therefore should apply all available wisdom at their disposal including street wisdom in choosing their governor.
This is definitely a defining moment in the lives of Anambra people and any wrong choice in electing the next governor will certainly pull Anambra back to the dark days of Chris Ubah-Chris Ngige debacle.
Anambra people, please choose right!
