Anambra Traditional rulers at war over Obiano’s second term-----as ASATU divided too

www.odogwublog.com reports that against the believe in some quarters that the Anambra state traditional rulers council has endorsed Governor Willie Obiano for a second term in office, the council is divided over the decision as some traditional rulers have scored him too low to return.

Last weekend , the traditional rulers council was coerced by the Government through the office of the Commissioner for Information and Strategy , Chief Tony Nnacheta to sign a communiqué which among other things endorsed Obiano for being ‘wonderful ‘ in Anambra’s history.

The communiqué was signed by Nnaemeka Achebe , Obi of Onitsha as Chairman of the traditional rulers council , Igwe S.I Okafor of Okpuno , Chairman Seminar committee/ Deputy Chairman ; Igwe E.C Onyia of Odekpe, Deputy Chairman as well as Eze Prof Chukwuemeka Ike of Ndikelionwu who is also deputy Chariman of the council.
Their statement read: ‘’ ………for the above reasons, as well as His Excellency Governor Willie Obiano’s accomplishments in just two (2) years in office, traditional rulers join their colleagues in Anambra North traditional Rulers’ council in strongly and unreservedly endorsing and supporting His Excellency Governor Willie Obiano in his second term bid as the Executive Governor of Anambra state.

But same traditional rulers members across the state told our Correspondent that Obinao was a disappointment but demanded what they would have done when coerced to sign a communiqué which has no meaning.

A traditional ruler from Ayamelum and Orumba South who would not want to be mentioned told Authority to forget about the communiqué even that from Anambra North as it has no meaning to those who signed it and those it was signed for querying if such were not signed for then Governor Chinwoke Mbadinuju.

The angry traditional ruler from Ayamelum said: ‘’ Peter Obi deceived us and brought Obiano who does not value us. We are from Anambra North yet our development stopped where Obi left it as the continuity mantra disappeared immediately after election. We cannot sign for his second term but when a crowd is doing something and you don’t agree, you may be, marked out for persecution.
‘’You can imagine the crisis Obiano’s administration has instituted in so many communities for their selfish interest, they are just gossips listening to roadside talks and running down people and communities because of 2017. He does not know that the only thing that would give him second term is his deeds and good performance in each community. They claim agricultural revolution but that is scam, as people’s land would be acquired for public interest only to be diverted to personal aggrandizement. We have evidences across the state including at Oba and Awka not to talk of my zone…….

‘’What has he done for Ayamelum , mention one thing and I will tell you how it came about. The flyover they have commissioned three times and continued to shout they have changed Awka is a scam and have you seen the traffic there every morning and evening especially when workers are home bound and while going to work? Is that flyover?   They just wasted space and filled it with cement.


The traditional ruler from Orumba South pleaded that his town should not be mentioned but scored Obiano below 40 percent in performance. He demanded to know one project Obiano has started and completed aside monument of cement at Aroma creating confusion to road users.

‘’Aside what former Governor Ngige and Obi left that Obiano is commissioning what has he done.  He failed when he left governance and was pursuing to erase a legacy of sorts Obi left and forgetting that Obi fought all kinds of battle to be what he is today and could not be erased overnight by mere mortals. I was not in support of Obi while in office but he was legendary and reconciled with all those who hated him including myself for the sake of Obiano.

‘’………let me tell you, we would support a candidate from the North but not Obiano, he cannot win election in his stead again as he has so many people planning against him there right now including his chiefs who said he is doing divide and rule in his zone……’’
    

The same is going on at the Anambra State Association of Town Unions, ASATU; the National President of Dr. Jude Okolo from Oraifite community and Secretary, Peter Nwagu from Onitsha community.


Some of the Presidents general insisted that Obiano has taken them for a ride before their traditional rulers.

They said Obiano prefers to deal with traditional rulers and ignore the Presidents General especially lamenting how he schemed them out and passed Anambra State Vigilante Law.


Even the Dr Okolo and Chief Nwagu who signed the gallantry advertorial on his birthday lauding him had called the Vigilante law passed by state House  controversial law, which Okolo said, makes traditional rulers the chairman of Community Vigilante Committee and the Presidents-General the secretary.

Okolo said the law created lots of confusion in various communities in the state, even as he blamed the members of the State House of Assembly for the friction.

The Anambra state vigilante law 2014 passed by the State House of Assembly emanated from the Executive and it would be recalled that the National President of ASATU had earlier led his entire members to the Speaker Right Hon Rita Maduagwu to stop the passage of the law which would entrust the security of the communities on the Traditional rulers rather than the President Generals but failed.

He however argued that the presidents-General should have been made the Executive vice-chairmen of the committee as that would keep the status of the traditional rulers sacrosanct, adding that it would have been more productive if the traditional rulers were made ‘ceremonial chairmen’.
In his words ,‘’We proposed an arrangement where the Traditional Ruler becomes the Chairman of the community vigilante committee playing an advisory role only while the President General becomes the administrative head as the Executive Vice Chairman or Secretary. Secondly, both of them will be co-signatories of the community vigilante committee bank account.

‘People like vigilante men should not be the kind of people that would be frequenting the palace. It seems as if the traditional rulers didn’t understand that what the PGs were agitating for was to protect the sacred symbol of Igweship, but we, the PGs have given in to the decision of the House of Assembly while envisaging that the law as it is would have a need for revisiting in future”.

But aside the crisis on the law which they vowed not to vote Obiano for a second term, which propelled Obiano to source for resources and pronounce a N20 Million project for every community which the bidding is on now, the Presidents Generals are hell bent on teaching him a lesson as traditional rulers don’t even know where and how elections are conducted.

The councilors and chairmen despite the splash of millions on them ads their allowances and severance so to speak penultimate week are already plotting against the second term of Obiano.

www.odogwublog.com reports that this entire plot would come to nothing if Obiano points at what he has done in every community since he assumed office rather than one controversy to the other caused by his appointees. 

He has so many appointees that they even create confusion for the Governor in several ways, limiting his chances of returning for a second term.