By Tony Icheku


The imposition of Dr Anthony Nwaubani as LP Chairmanship Candidate for Ikwuano LG in Nov 2, 2024  LG Election was a clandestine covert operations which left party officials and aspirants shell shocked. 


However, quickly recovering their composure, they realised the wisdom of playing along if they choose to continue their political career under the LP. One by one they chorused congratulations to Nwaubani. All would have been well, but some  sanctimonious grave painters have come out to stuff White lies down our throats and generally re-write on their favour the abracadabra we all witnessed. The LP Ikwuano LG chairmanship candidate, Dr Anthony Nwaubani emerged from a despotically managed charade lacking in all principles of fair play, credibility, transparency and due process. The people were waylaid and robbed of their democratic rights.


1. Credibility

The so-called LP primary was really an  imposition of candidates. The Professor George Chima-led ABSIEC was given strict instructions to only sell one set of chairmanship forms in each LG. He was given a name, cleared from Government House, Umuahia to sell the form to.

Genuine aspirants who began as early as July to make consultations and engage with party stakeholders were shunted aside without consideration.



2. Consensus

Consensus candidate according to the Electoral Act, 2022 means that "A political party that adopts a consensus candidate shall secure the written consent of all cleared aspirants for the position, indicating their voluntary withdrawal from the race and their endorsement of the consensus candidate". Stated simply 'A consensus candidate at the political party level is one whose position was decided by the whole party' - No such thing was done in Abia LP. An invisible despot simply gave a  list to the party officials to announce 


In the specific case of Ikwuano, not even the LG chairman of LP knew Nwaubani was a  chairmanship aspirant until he was announced as the flagbearer; And no chairmanship aspirant withdrew from the race and none endorsed Nwaubani.


3. Personal Interest

The sneaky exercise which produced Nwaubani gave no  considerations to competence, experience or vision, rather personal connection to Governor Alex Otti and inclinations to be loyal to him were basic and fundamental requirements. Thus Nwaubani was simply seconded  from his Senior Special Assistant, SSA position to LP LG chairmanship candidate. Did he even resign as at when due?


Of course, we respectfully acknowkedge that Dr Anthony Nwaubani is respected financial guru, professionally trained banker and scholar, but he was no aspirant for Ikwuano LG chairman and never expressed ambition to be one, the closest Nwaubani has gotten to grassroots politics was maybe attending his village meetings occasionally.



4.Concerns

A sampling of the opinion of LP leaders beginning from the ward level would confirm that the process was not only flawed but equally lacking in the essential elements of democratic exercise — namely fairness, transparency, and the reflection of the people’s will.

 

The autocratic imposition from above silenced  the voices of the people, their fundamental rights to choice were  suppressed, and the  aspirants rights were aborted like an unwanted pregnancy.


The so called LP consensus exercise could at best be described as a roguish, autocratic manipulation and mangling of a democratic exercise. It lacked an iota of credibility. The exercise was a demoralising, unfortunate arrogant usurping of the people's right to choice and participation in a democratic exercise


There is little doubt that the  essence of the whole brazen rape of democracy was to lay a conduit pipe to the envisaged financial autonomy to LGs which would be managed by elected officials. Those behind these manipulations expect loyalty from their stooges, for them  people-centric leadership anchored  on integrity, service, accountability and transparency remains an anathema. But it remains to see how far  they would go with their heist?