By Toby Chuks
Ahead of the 2025 governorship election in Anambra State, popular mass movement group known as Oga Ndi Oga Foundation has made a fresh case for zoning and rotation of power to be narrowed down to some sort of micro level in the State.
Consequently the group in tune with democratic right to freedom of opinion and speech has insisted that it is the turn of Nnewi bloc in Anambra South Senatorial zone to produce the next Governor of the State in 2025.
Addressing journalists at their headquarters in Awka the State capital, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation, High Chief Godwin Agbasimelo said that it had become necessary to micro zone and rotate the governorship seat around blocs and clans within a Senatorial district to deal with nepotism driven by clannish interest.
“It is a clear phenomenon that sitting Governors favour their blocs both in appointments and in execution of development projects.
“To this end, we the entire members of Oga Ndi Foundation having carefully observed the situation and clearly seen what is going in the State since the return of democracy in Nigeria in 1999, hereby with democratic right of opinion and speech say that it is the turn of Nnewi bloc and clan to produce the next Governor of Anambra State in 2025
“Our reason for saying this is very clear and not far fetched. We have three subdivisions in Anambra South Senatorial district which are Nnewi, Aguata and Ihaila and it is only Nnewi bloc that is yet to produce the Governor of the State.
Ihiala has taken its turn through late Chinwoke Mbadinuju while Professor Charles Soludo who is the current occupant of the seat as Governor is from Aguata bloc. So, let someone from any of the three Local Government Areas of Nnewi North, Nnewi South or Ekwusigo take the seat in 2025
“What we are saying is that let equity, justice and fair play prevail in Anambra State through zoning arrangement and rotation power has to be narrowed down to some sort of micro level within the Senatorial district by giving room to various subdivisions to share the eight year constitutional term within themselves, “he said.
On the impression in some quarters that giving another person from Anambra South outside Soludo who has only one term left for him a chance to become the next Governor of Anambra amounted to risk of allowing Anambra South to go beyond eight years, he said that the next Governor outside Soludo who has only one term left for him would certainly do one term of four years to pave way for another Senatorial district to take it.
He noted that any attempt by the people of Anambra South to exceed eight years in Government House would amount to someone turning to be destroyer of his building.
He advised 2025 governorship aspirants from Anambra North and Central Senatorial districts to quash their aspirations because, according to him, that would amount to working against zoning and rotation of power in the State. He warned that those working against zoning and rotation might be at the receiving end as the people of Southern Senatorial district could be a hard nut to crack if zone and rotation was jettisoned.
On the scheduled Local Government elections, he argued that the time frame for the elections was too short and called for a shift in date to enable adequate preparations for the exercise. He cited the case of neighboring States including Enugu and Imo States as examples.
He disclosed that the Enugu State Local Government elections to be held on October 5, 2024 was announced by the State electoral commission way back in May 2024 which he calculated to be about 180 days ahead while that of Imo State scheduled to hold on September 21, 2025 was announced by the State electoral commission in June 2024, 90 days ahead of the elections.
“How can we use 45 days to prepare for an election in 21 Local Governments and 326 wards involving no fewer than 18 political parties?
“Lest we should forget, there is going to be campaign for party nominations by aspirants who want to contest for chairmanship and councilorship, then political parties will screen the aspirants and conduct primary elections before going into State-wide campaign for the main elections.
“So, how can we get all these things done within 45 days, “he queried.
