Again Bianca Ojukwu attacks Mr Peter Obi , praises Chief Willie Obiano as a silent revolutionist

Today is one year since Chief Willie Obiano started to pilot the affairs of Anambra State as governor. He took over from Mr. Peter Obi,
who ruled the state for eight years under the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), but Obi had since defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Though the defection of Obi to the PDP has been seen by many as a major blow to APGA, the wife of the late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, and Nigeria’s ambassador to Spain, Iyom Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, says Obiano has been able to hold the party together after Obi’s exit and subsequently returned the party to the path of honour and stability.
She said in this exclusive interview at her Enugu residence that Obiano who is now the leader and chairman of Board of Trustees (BoT), APGA is leading the party in line with the principles and aspirations envisioned by Dim Ojukwu for the Igbo, particularly Anambra people.
Bianca critically examined the period of Obi’s governorship of the state and Obiano’s one year in office and summed up that Obiano has in the last one year, carried out silent revolution in Anambra State which has yielded huge democratic dividends in line with APGA’s template for good governance.
Excerpts:
March 17 will be one year since governor, Willie Obiano, started to pilot the affairs of Anambra State. How will you assess his administration so far?
Well, there is no doubt that Governor Obiano hit the ground running as soon as he took over the reins of government in Anambra State.  He has kept the faith with the pledge he made at the inception of his administration that he would continue and consolidate the state’s developmental plans initiated by his predecessor, Mr. Peter Obi.  He also retained the Anambra Integrated Development Strategy (ANIDS), an ambitious project, which involved the simultaneous development of all sectors of the state; the foundation of which was laid by Peter Obi.  In fact, Governor Obiano never fails, at any available opportunity, to give credit to his predecessor for establishing a solid foundation for him to build on.
However, it is clear for all to see that Obiano, within just a few months of his administration recorded several remarkable achievements, most notably in the provision of an unprecedented level of security within Anambra State, especially in Onitsha, the economic nerve centre of the state, and undoubtedly the main economic hub of the South-East.  We are all relieved that he has succeeded in wrestling the city back from hoodlums and miscreants and has completely transformed the infamous Upper Iweka Park and its environs.  His bold approach in dealing decisively and forcefully with the kidnapping menace and the demolition of houses erected with the proceeds from this nefarious activity has yielded positive results.  He even set the tone by enforcing this policy first in his own local government area.  Moreover, he has introduced sophisticated training programmes for community vigilante groups.  Before now, people used to be afraid to come back to Anambra State for ceremonies, like funerals, traditional weddings or other cultural events, but the record number of Ndi-Anambra in the Diaspora that made it home for the Christmas festivities last year attests to the new found confidence and assurance that Anambra State is safer now than ever before. He has also done a lot in the area of agriculture, tackling unemployment by capacity building and job creation as well as pursuing an aggressive industrialisation programme.  He has more than doubled the Internally Generated Revenue in the state.  He has literally pulled all the stops to woo foreign investors as well as indigenous investors to Anambra State.  I am also particularly impressed by his operation clean and healthy Anambra, which is seriously addressing sanitation issues in the state.  The major difference now is that there is a more vigorous system of monitoring and enforcement.  He has launched so many programmes, which show clearly that he is a man of vision who is determined to make Anambra a modern metropolis.
Mr. Peter Obi, recorded high marks in terms of delivery of democracy dividends during his tenure. So, from what you have seen so far on Obiano administration, do you see him surpassing what Obi achieved at the expiration of his own tenure  in office?
I don’t believe that this should be reduced to a popularity contest or conjecture of who will outdo the other. This is a legacy issue.  Peter Obi acquitted himself creditably and was instrumental in the reformation of Anambra State.  Obiano has made it crystal clear that he is building on the foundations Obi laid under an APGA administration.  I am happy that you yourself have stated that Peter Obi recorded high marks, in terms of his achievements as a governor of Anambra State.  His accomplishments are numerous and he initiated a comprehensive and sustained development of the state in all sectors, most significantly, in the area of education, where his courageous move to return schools to their original owners being the missions yielded positive results, better management of the schools and better examination results for students of the state.  His frugality is legendary and he was judicious in his management and use of funds, which made him popular with International Donor Agencies.  His administration constructed over 800kilometre of new roads and opened up rural areas within the state.  He achieved so much without resorting to borrowing and saddling the state with debt and though he is no longer with us and despite his poor judgment and deficient calculations, which informed his defection from APGA, we have refused to let him bury that legacy like a child in an unmarked grave. We expected no less from him.  He is a product of our party ideology, and that is why we continue to highlight and celebrate his accomplishments.
We expect Governor Obiano to achieve even more for Anambra State. He has already achieved so much in the space of one year.  This is the collective aspiration of our people who hunger for even greater development.  The APGA template for governance will remain the benchmark for all succeeding administrations in this zone.
Equally, with the exit of Peter Obi from APGA, Obiano is now the new leader of your party. Has Obiano been able to fit into the new role?
It gives me great joy today that APGA is in safe hands with Obiano.  He rose to the occasion when faced with the unexpected crisis that was created with the defection of Peter Obi to PDP just a few months into his administration.  Many members were confused and traumatised. Obiano has gallantly taken up the role thrust upon him and is shepherding the APGA political family, taking full cognisance of our party ideology, and Ojukwu, our spiritual leader’s principles and aspirations for our people. He has been able to galvanise the political heavyweights in Anambra State, who, in the past, had the propensity to keep successive administrations embattled or at best distracted.  He fully appreciates the need for the collaboration of the major stakeholders in Anambra State in order for him to succeed, so he actively reaches out to them via town hall meetings to solicit their co-operation as well as their honest and constructive criticism and solutions, all in a bid to foster a better relationship with our party since many of these stakeholders belong to other parties but in no way does this make him a soft touch.
Make no mistake, he is a stern taskmaster, and exacting of competence and diligence as far as his executive team is concerned.  It is our hope that as leader and BOT chairman, he will be more assertive in handling the party’s internal administrative issues.  However, being a bridge builder and mediator, he relies more on persuasion and negotiation in dealing with these issues rather than manipulation and does not feel compelled to take others down for him to rise, unlike many of those he is forced to deal with.  I commend the fact that he has initiated a process of reconciliation and healing within our party. As I said before, the internal conflict in APGA left many walking wounded, and their injuries were further compounded by Obi’s nocturnal flight to another party.  Obiano has created a platform for reconciliation of the aggrieved through dialogue and his inclusive approach to governance, even regularly bringing those that served in his predecessor’s administration to proffer advice and strategies to help move the state forward.  He is tactically engaged in rejuvenating the party at the grassroots level, and in less than one year in office has laid the foundation stone for the erection of a magnificent APGA secretariat, something Peter Obi, despite having served two consecutive terms in office courtesy of APGA, failed to do.
How would you compare the leadership style of the party by Obi and Obiano and what are chances of your party in the upcoming general elections in Anambra State?
Well, I cannot really say much about Peter Obi’s leadership style of the party since that idea of taking control was a toga he kept shrugging off his shoulders and his interventions in party issues were often indirect, but the much I can say is that he devised his own peculiar operational system that he felt was expedient for running the party in a state of emergency.  The party was often embroiled in one crisis or another during his tenure.  He chose not to take a bold and decisive approach in handling party matters, and was more subterranean in his method, always reluctant to take unpleasant but necessary decisions, and failing to realise that those who seek peace must also prepare for war.  This cost us dearly.
Obiano, on the other hand, has been party leader for barely three months, but one thing I can say about his style is that with him, you know where you stand at all times.  He is genuinely committed to ensuring the growth and sustenance of APGA, and is not afraid to deviate from conventional means in order to handle critical situations when all other options fail. Obiano has been able to endear himself to party members not just in Anambra State but also in the whole of South-East.  Do not forget also, that he has to maintain a delicate balancing act of combining two roles – chief executive of the state, as well as the national leader and BOT chairman of the party.  In my opinion, his greatest strength lies in his ability to inspire in Ndi-Anambra, the resolve to do better, the commitment to join hands with the government to improve the state. There is a silent revolution going on in Anambra State today, a rebranding of the cultural identity of Ndi-Anambra, a sort of moral rebirth and social restructuring being championed by Obiano through the promulgation of a code of ethics, which essentially seeks to entrench a better value system and reawaken a certain citizen consciousness within Ndi-Anambra.  There is no doubt APGA is moving forward under his leadership.
Regarding our party’s chances in the upcoming general elections, I believe our prospects are very bright, not just in Anambra State but also in various states across the country where we have fielded good candidates.
Many people believe the exit of Obi from APGA created a huge vacuum. What was the vacuum created and has it been closed?
I wouldn’t go as far as saying that Obi’s exit created a huge vacuum in the party, rather a kind of emotional dislocation for most party members, who were not psychologically prepared for his exit. He bestrode the state like a colossus; he embodied APGA and the reclamation and emancipation of Anambra State by its own people.  It still jolts many of our party members when they see him dressed in another political party’s apparel that is not APGA’s.  Many party supporters publicly burnt their party uniforms bearing his image in a defiant display of outrage over his defection.  Now, hardly can one find anything with his image on it in Anambra State.  There is still an ominous silence that descends like a dark cloud each time his name comes up in discussions or at party gatherings. Many people still shake their heads in total disbelief as to how he tossed out a bird in hand to seek the multitude in the bush.  To add insult onto injury, he uncharitably referred to APGA as an “empty shell” shortly after his defection. Well, since he was the chief occupant of that shell for eight years, the indictment is his.  It has now become expedient to throw stones at his father’s house from the neighbour’s compound.  Nevertheless, our party has moved beyond mourning his exit.  The general perception is that this is a man who was carried shoulder high, who in the euphoria of the moment dared spit at the wind; he did himself the greatest disservice of all.
When Peter Obi left APGA, you were enraged by his action. Now, we understand there are moves to bring him back to the party. What is your take?
Well, we shall certainly welcome him back with open arms; after all, the return of the prodigal son was heralded with much fanfare.  However, Peter Obi must bear in mind that he has voluntarily relinquished his rights as the firstborn. That void has been filled in his absence.  If he returns he will need to toil for his own wealth, since he has frittered away his inheritance, the goodwill to which he was entitled under Ojukwu’s umbrella. Obi was always prone to asking ‘Is Anambra State cursed or are we the cause?’ Well, he need look no farther than the mirror.  For years to come, the cautionary tale will be told and retold of a much loved son to whom much was given, and therefore, from whom much was expected; a man whose morbid fear of political oblivion drove him to the edge of the cliff, where he committed political suicide; a man who had a date with history, but failed to show up at the appointed time. That man would be Peter Obi.

Interview by Chidi Nnadi of the Sun