Willie Obiano: Anambra State governor

A youth organisation called Anambra Ekunie has flayed what it termed imposition of governors in the state over the years and said the era was over as the state prepares for the 2021 governorship election.

The group also warned politicians using a purported zoning gimmicks to fan the embers of disunity in the state to desist henceforth.

President of the organisation, Dr. Ifeanyi Achusi made the disclosures in a statement on Wednesday in Enugu.

Achusi said that the popular position among the various sections of the state was that zoning of the governorship seat ended with the emergence of Gov. Willie Obiano.

He said that the insistence that the successor of the incumbent governor must come from a particular zone was against democratic tenets and hence unacceptable.

Achusi said that the group after its recent meeting in Enugu resolved to encourage qualified candidates to vie for the governorship position in 2021 irrespective of the zone they come from.

He noted that the governorship position had successfully rotated among the three zones of the state since 1999, adding that it was morally wrong for a particular zone to appropriate the 2021 contest to itself.

“Anambra Ekunie is insisting that it is now the turn of Anambra people to elect their governor. We are done with the imposition of a governor on us.

“Our people must now rise to demand that their votes count and it must count for the most credible and most competent,” he said.

According to Achusi, Anambra remains one and cannot be balkanised by political merchants who see zoning as an avenue to impose a governor who will be subservient to them.

“We are disturbed by the outcome of a recent meeting of political and traditional rulers from Anambra South Zone wherein they insisted that their zone must produce the next governor in 2021.

“Anambra belongs to all of us and the governorship of the state is open to every Anambra son and daughter who wants to contest.

“Therefore, let all who are interested, male and female, young and old from all the zones enter the ring and let the people make their choice. That is our stand,” he said.

Achusi said that politicians from Anambra South Zone had in every election year contested for the position of governor alongside others.

“There is no doubt that Anambra rotates the governorship among the three senatorial zones but as it is now, all the zones have taken their turns.

“So, the logical thing to do is to begin the rotation afresh from the zone that wins the 2021 governorship election and not to ask others to stay away for you alone to present candidates.

“That has never been done in Anambra and will not begin now,” he said.