Why Anambra-South Should Produce Next Governor, Says Emecheta

Raymond Ozoji, Awka

The National Chairman of Willie Obiano Support Group Mr. Jude Okechukwu Emecheta has said that the next governor of Anambra state should emerge from the south senatorial district for reasons of equity and equality in the zoning and rotation of governmental powers among the three senatorial zones of the state.

Emecheta observed that Anambra-North and Anambra-Central senatorial districts have had their fair share of gubernatorial powers and that it was time Anambra-south mounted the saddle to also have its own token of the seat of power in the state.

The astute politician who spoke with our correspondent in his office in Awka yesterday, noted that any attempt whatsoever to deprive and deny Anambra-south its turn to produce the next governor of Anambra state in 2021 would result in  agitations and counter agitations.

He said Governor Willie Obiano must hand over the baton to an APGA person from Anambra-south to sustain the tempo of developmental strides in Anambra state stressing that the idea of Speakership of the 7th Anambra State House of Assembly was the least of the pressing needs of the senatorial zone. He said what Anambra-south needs is the governorship of the state just as the Igbo nation needs the presidency of this country.

Emecheta noted that it does not matter where the Speaker of the 7th Anambra legislature comes from but what is of paramount concern is that the next governor of the state should come from Anambra-south senatorial zone.

According to him, Anambra-south held the Speakership of the outgoing 6th state assembly but the position was nothing to write home about because nobody from the zone felt the impact of the position, not even the constituents of the speaker.

He said,  “We have had a speaker for the past four years from the south but what did we achieve from it. Just a name. People who want to be speaker from the south is purely for self-aggrandizement. What would they do for us, nothing! Look at the national level, the Vice president is coming from the southwest and the Speaker of the House of Representatives is also coming from the southwest. It’s a political decision.”

He further explained that if proper checks were conducted and it is obvious that the Speaker of the 7th state assembly could come from anywhere, so be it because the Speaker according to him should be someone who would be able to create a harmonious working relationship between the executive and legislative arms of government.

Emecheta recalled that the outgoing speaker of the 6th state assembly who hails from the south side of the state suffered series of impeachment plots and also lost her re-election in her constituency because she was not in the good books of her people in Nnewi-south local government area. He stressed that her people didn’t vote for her because they said she did virtually nothing in the area.

The national chairman of the Willie Obiano Support Group however admonished the leadership of the incoming legislature to assist the executive in strengthening the security architecture of the state to enable more investors to come into Anambra state to invest as well as create jobs for the citizenry, emphasising that the 7th legislature should not waste its time plotting impeachment of the governor but should strive to help the governor succeed to enable the people to reap dividends of democracy and good governance.