Anambra North senatorial poll: How the battle was won and lost By ANTHONY EMEKA

The much-talked-about general elections in the country have come and gone and it calls for celebration that the prediction of some doomsday prophets that the nation would

break up or go up in flames did not come to reality.

In Anambra State, it is no longer news that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) cleared the three senatorial seats and majority seats in the House of Representatives during the Presidential and National Assembly elections held on March 28.

What is rather news in the state is that although the Senator-elect for Anambra North Senatorial District, Princess Stella Adaeze Oduah, has yet to take a seat in the hallowed chambers of the National Assembly, she has kept empowering people, communities and institutions more than already serving senators.

The people of Anambra North made a strong statement that a golden fish has no hiding place when they gave a resounding victory and mandate to Princess Oduah above all her competitors.

Oduah polled 143,178 votes to win. Chief Dubem Obaze of All Progressives Grand Alliance ( APGA) got 70,906 votes to come second, while Chief Ralph Okeke of All Progresives Congress (APC) got 6,891 votes to come a distant third in the race.

Oduah beat her closest rival with a margin of 72, 272 votes, where a total of 230, 498 votes were cast a total of 7,784 votes were rejected.

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Returning Officer for the zone, Mr. Celestine Sunday Okaro, declared Oduah the winner at the Onitsha North Local Government Council Secretariat.

He stated: “By the powers conferred on me by the INEC Act as amended, I hereby declare Princess Stella Oduah of the PDP with 143,178 votes the winner; having scored the highest votes returned.

“I would like to thank the party agents, security personnel, the media men and INEC officers for their co-operation, patience and comportment while this exercise lasted.”

The returning officer for the election said Oduah recorded 62 per cent of the votes cast, winning in five of the seven local governments of the zone. Her closest rival, Chief Obaze scored 31 per cent.

She polled 9,782 votes in Ayamelum to APGA’s 15, 292 votes. In Onitsha North, she recorded a whopping 43, 237 votes to APGA’s 8, 860 votes. The princess also proved the powerhouse she is as she took Onitsha South as well, registering 25, 875 to Dubem’s 10, 110 votes.

In Oyi, she kept the pace with 12, 301, while APGA came close with 10, 682 votes. Anambra West also kept faith with the Senator-elect as she garnered 9, 007 votes to Obaze’s 5,863. But Anambra East rebelled by giving her 8,871, while Obaze coasted home with 12, 342 votes. But Ogbaru, her home local government, gave her a befitting last lap victory with 34, 388 votes to Obaze’s 7, 747.

Oduah’s major opponent and fellow Ogbaru son,  Obaze, however, failed to congratulate the winner on her  victory in the spirit of sportsmanship and in line with the good example President Goodluck Jonathan set in conceding defeat in the presidential poll.

The APGA government in Anambra State also reportedly cried foul, alleging that PDP manipulated the results in favour of its candidates. It pledged to reverse the victory through the courts.

While it is commendable that the APGA government realised that there are appropriate and legally recognised  channels of pursuing matters instead of resorting to lawlessness, it is also necessary to point out that it amounts to chasing shadows by  insisting on unnecessary litigations when there are incontrovertible pieces of evidence that the people spoke in choosing whom they want to represent them in Abuja.

The election of Princess Stella Oduah, the Adaezechukwu of Ogbaru land and Anambra North, can be likened to a cyclone, a mass movement beyond party affiliations and matrilineal cleavages. For the first time in the history of Anambra State,  a senatorial election generated more  attention than the governorship poll.

The 99 wards and about 56 communities in the seven local governments in Anambra North witnessed a  campaign anchored on practical demonstration of the desire to serve, an antecedent of touching lives positively and a personality devoid of negative baggage.

A political analyst, who saw it all during the electioneering campaign summed it all when he said: “Princess Stella Oduah was not only campaigning to be elected a senator, she was preaching development and renaissance and people saw it real in her and responded by giving her massive votes.”

In this series, we shall try to take a glimpse of the 87 days of tortuous campaign tours embarked upon by the Princess Stella Oduah Campaign Organisation, a few reactions from the people, including the outpouring of emotions from the aged and senior citizens of Anambra North and why the princess won overwhelmingly.