Godfather vs godson

hen Niccolo Machiavelli, in his book The Prince, noted that those who give political power to surrogates usually come to grief, he probably had in mind former and serving governors in South East. Since the present political dispensation that started in 1999, former governors who anointed their close allies to succeed them have always come to grief – so to speak.

It started in 1999, former Anambra State governor, Chief Jim Nwobodo picked Chimaroke Nnamani, who was practising medicine in the United States of America and introduced him to Enugu politics and invariably made sure he became the governor.

Before then, Nnamani was relatively obscure and an unknown political element in the state. The mission to make him governor started with political intrigues at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primary election, which an estate surveyor, Prince Agu was said to have won as the party standard bearer for the state. Analysts then said Nwobodo truncated it, taking advantage of his long political relationship and friendship with the late Chief Solomom Lar, who was then chairman of the party to thwart Prince Agu’s nomination and foisted Nnamani on Enugu State.

When Nnamani became governor and settled down for business, minor disagreement set in between the godfather and his godson and this snowballed into conflagration that saw the godfather losing his political empire to his godson.

At the end, Nnamani decimated Nwobodo’s political structure and finally uprooted him from Enugu politics. Since then, Nwobodo, said to be the political leader with mass followership in the state, has never recovered his ground.

Politically, Nwobodo ended up in grief for entrusting political powers to a man he thought would be answerable to him.

What goes around, comes round. In the same vein, present Enugu State governor, Sullivan Chime, served under Chimaroke Nnamani’s administration as Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice and at the end, made political mincemeat of his godfather.

When the time for Nnamani to choose a successor came, his former deputy, Ikechukwu Itanyi wanted the coveted seat. But Nnamani did not want him; he instead wanted Chime and so deployed his entire political arsenal to ensure Chime triumphed in the April 2007 governorship elections.

Chime was said not have much interest in politics and never for once aspired to be a governor, until Nnamani sold him the idea and promised to actualise it. He was enmeshed in his law practice and saw his appointment in the cabinet of Nnamani as purely a call to render professional service.

An insider source said, Chime was said to have initially declined the offer, but was compelled by some people to accept it. He reluctantly accepted to run. Even in his campaigns, he did not show much interest.  Nnamani was the chief campaigner. He took up the challenge and threw in everything in his political arsenal to ensure that Chime was not beaten in the election. He made use of the Ebeano political structure to defeat the opposition. The government media were at his disposal. All the government paraphernalia were given to him by Nnamani to execute his campaigns. It was as if Nnamani was dragging Chime by the nose to attend the campaigns. And at last, Chime the ‘reluctant candidate’ emerged the winner of the election.

He did all he could right from the party primary to the election proper to make sure that Chime succeed him and it came to pass as he planned.

However, within a short time, events unfolded that made Nnamani to come to political grief. It was not long after that signs emerged that the two men had parted ways.

The genesis was when Nnamani allegedly drafted list of those to be appointed into positions. Not all were honoured by Chime. That marked the beginning of frosty relationship and parting of ways between the two friends. Chime made friends with Nnamani’s political enemies. This further annoyed Nnamani.

Chime drew the first blood by declaring in a newspaper interview that contrary to his predecessor’s slogan, Enugu never worked. He started to question and repudiate the claims of ‘Enugu was working’, which was Nnamani’s (Ebeano’s) slogan.

According to the new governor, contrary to the claim of the former governor, Enugu was not in any way working and never worked under Nnamani.

While this barrage of attacks were going on, Nnamani kept mute and struggled more to get himself out of the web of corruption weaved around him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The frosty relationship between them got worse when Chime started reversing some of the policies of Nnamani’s administration. These include  the recall of 5000 workers disengaged by Nnamani, the increase in salaries of workers, financial independence granted to local councils.

2011 general election was a test of might and power between the two foes. While Chime was going for re-election, Nnamani sponsored former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr. Dan Shere on the platform of another political party. Chime won with landslide victory and that marked the end of Ebeano dynasty, a political structure of Nnamani. Chime decapitated Nnamani politically in Enugu State.

From Enugu to Abia State, in 2007, when the tenure of former Governor Orji Uzor Kalu was coming to an end, many showed interests to succeed him. However, he was inclined to Theodore Ahamefuna Orji, the current governor of Abia State, a man who never showed or nursed the interest of becoming governor.

By then Governor Kalu had left PDP, a party he helped to nurture and formed another party, Progressives Peoples Alliance (PPA). Orji was Kalu’s Chief of Staff and was detained in Kirikiri prison on account of EFCC charges. He didn’t campaign or mount the soapbox any day during campaigns and at the end of the election he had a resounding victory.

Governor Orji entered into Nigeria’s book of history as the first governor who didn’t show his face to electorate but won election while in prison custody.

The going was merry that at different fora or media interviews, when the governor was asked if Kalu was interfering? He always said, ‘no’. According to him, Kalu or his mother as alleged never interfered in his government more so, he was a man of his own.

However, when PPA was not ready to give him ticket over poor performance, he decamped to APGA and later to PDP and started waging unending war on his political benefactor to the extent that he caused Abia State University degree certificate awarded to Kalu 12 years ago withdrawn.

Now, the ball is in the court of Chief Willie Obiano, Anambra State governor-elect on the platform of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA). Governor Obi is accused of foisting his friend and business partner, Obiano on the state.

The opposition parties in the state maintained that Obiano was a stooge, which Obi wants to use to continue to rule the state by proxy.

The Labour Party governorship running mate, Dr Emeka Eze, told Saturday Sun that   Obiano, who has been produced by Gov. Obi doesn’t have the capacity to run Anambra State. “Obiano was born in Lagos, grew up in Lagos and went to school in Lagos, married in Lagos and worked in Lagos until Gov. Obi imposed him as APGA candidate. What does he know about Anambra State?

However, during the Anambra governorship election debate, Obiano was asked how he was going to cope with against his perceived godfather, Obi. He flared up and said that he was a chartered accountant of over 25 years standing and a professional banker and wondered how he was going to be a stooge to somebody.

By the time he settles in and sitting pretty, will Obiano dump his benefactor and indeed toe the line of Orji, Nnamani and Chime. Only time would tell.