Leadership (Abuja)
17 August 2008
interview
Chucks Akunna, is no stranger to Anambra State politics especially that involving prominent titans in the south eastern state politics. He served both Andy Uba and Chris Ngige, former governors of Anambra, as chief press secretary (CPS). In so doing, he has courted controversies as well. For instance, quite a few political watchers think he played a role in Ngige's camp before joining the Andy Uba's political train. But in this interview with Associate Editor NICK UWERU, Akunna puts all the issues in perspective. Excerpts:
You have been out of the public glare for sometime now. What have you been doing?
After the Supreme Court judgement I begged to take my leave. My boss and I had some differences, I then decided to leave. I am now a fish farmer. It is very challenging.
But do you still long for the old days when you were in the thick of politics?
Well these are two different worlds that are poles apart. Now I can afford to sleep and wake up at twelve noon. Go to the farm to see the fishes. In my political days, even waking up as early as 5 am you will be scared because you don't know what will be in the front page of the news paper. But now I am indifferent about all that.
What is your relationship with your former boss?
It is cordial. We have not seen since January. But we have spoken a couple of times on phone since then.
You said that you are indifferent to politics, does it mean that you are less concerned about the events in your home state?
Nothing can be further from the truth. I am from Anambra State. I can say that no body can be more Anambra than I am. I have three siblings and parents who reside there; I have relatives at the place, too. So anything that happens there affects me.
So exactly what is Andy Uba doing?
When I left him I put everything behind me. I have never discussed anything about Anambra politics with him. Once in a while I send him text messages. I left Anambra State and all those matters.
But it is rather strange that in the face of the many events in the state and in PDP particularly we have heard nothing from Andy Uba, given his political clout.
Don't forget that for seven and half years no media house had his photograph. You know, with every sense of modesty, I can claim to be the first to put his photograph in the media. Andy Uba is a quiet person, he is not giving to too much talk in the public. That was why in his eight years in the Aso Rock, nobody new much about him. I don't think there is anything unusual about his quietude.
But the trend in Anambra and the national level at large seems to be that Andy Uba is being sidelined.
It is normal but quite unfortunate. The kind of politics we play in the South East is quite strange. Don't forget that I was one of his earliest aides. I knew how a lot of people related with him and it hurts me to see the same group of people go to the press today to disparage him. And it smacks of ingratitude?
One of your senators, Annie Okonkwo, has been in the news. Even though he is in PDP, he appears to be the most caustic critic of Andy Uba, what do you think caused this?
Senator Annie Okonkwo is my senator, because I am from Anambra Central. When he started shouting that he was fighting Andy Uba, I did not take him seriously. I have had cause to read his interview on Andy Uba and I then concluded it was in very bad faith. To begin with Okonkwo's political career began in 1990 he tried to be a senator, he lost, he later joined UNCP, he tried to be a senator but he was blocked by the military. In 1998 he again tried to be a senator, but he failed also he tried to be a governor under the PDP platform but he got stuck at the primary level. In his five attempts at getting into a political office, this was the first time he has won.
But did Andy Uba play any critical role in his emergence?
Of course! Don't forget that there is no independent candidate in Nigeria. You must be sponsored by a party. And Andy Uba having won the governorship candidacy in Anambra state, he held the aces. And I was privy to the issues. His ticket was not even contested. Even Doctor Jerry Ugokwe who is now an ambassador, I was privy to how Andy Uba took his case up to the President while he was in Aso Rock. That Andy Uba stood his ground, insisting that Annie Okonkwo is the guy he wanted to work with; that is something. To every intent and purpose, Andy Uba mobilised a lot of support for him.
Don't you think this is a sort of disagreement between two party men in the politics of PDP in Anambra?
As it were, I will say that Senator Annie Okonkwo is the arrow head of those who want to bring down Andy Uba. Don't forget like I said, God used Andy Uba to make Annie Okonkwo Senator of Nigeria. A lot of people don't like Andy Uba because of his perceived enormous influence. They can't understand why a young man who just came from America, became so influential, they can't wait to see him die politically. It is very unfortunate. As Christians we need to understand that power comes from God. You have to be favoured by God to be something in life. For what Uba has done, it is not fair that people should seek to destroy him.
Doesn't Andy Uba's emergence as governorship candidate for the party in Anambra make him unassailable in the face of these obstacles?
Thank God you mentioned this point. I covered PDP extensively as a journalist. I covered the party in the heat of its crisis when you have parallel factions of one party in one state. And I am familiar with how the crises are resolved. In PDP, there is an unwritten code where if there is a parallel faction of the party, the party would either repeat the congresses, harmonise but in any case you protect the incumbent. In the case of Anambra, Andy Uba is like the incumbent governorship candidate in Anambra state. In accordance with the tradition in PDP, he should have a bigger say in what happens in the party at the state level. It is quite amazing that in the case of Anambra it has not happened that way. Any way there are reasons why it has not happened that way. Let us analyze the situation critically. The presidential candidate of APGA, Dim Chukwuemaka Odumegwu Ojukwu, is from Anambra State. The vice presidential candidate of AC, Senator Ben Obi, is also from the state. You discover that two very powerful forces are from the state and for Andy Uba to have delivered Anambra state in the Federal House, and Senate, 100 percent, this is not the best way to say thank you to such a man.
Would you mind sharing those reasons with the public?
No, I'm not in the best position to say this why or why not. But from the grapevine, we have heard that there is no love lost between the national chairman of the PDP Chief Vincent Ogbulafor and Andy Uba. The story goes that both men had their differences when Uba was in the Villa (Aso Rock) and Ogbulafor was the national secretary. I don't want to believe that, but if that where true, it is most unfortunate. As the Party chairman in the state, it will be very ludicrous for the party chairman to condescend to being vindictive because Andy Uba appears to be vulnerable, as it were.
There has been friction between the current governor, Peter Obi, his deputy and the law makers. If it is not a matter of budget to day it is on accountability, people say that Andy Uba is responsible for this friction.
Nothing can be further from the truth. If you have the benefit of working with Peter Obi or talking to those close to Peter Obi, you learn that the fundamental problem with the governor is that he feels he knows everything. You know, we had a governor in the past who was like that but he failed.
And who is this?
Emeka Ezeife came into power with a PhD from Harvard. If you go to him to make some observation he will simply tell you that he has a PhD from Harvard, so what can you advice him on. I guess that was his greatest undoing. Peter Obi is walking in the same path. He is the ADC, he is chief detail, he knows everything. Don't forget that he is also a philosopher. The consensus in the state is that he has not performed well. Andy Uba could not have been responsible for that. Perception and reality are related. The perception of him is that he has not done well. Even in APGA he is a lone ranger.
Now you used to be the CPS of Chris Ngige, former governor of your state until the election tribunal pushed him out. But you still went ahead to serve Andy Uba in the same capacity, even though both men where not the best of friends. Some people have tended to see you as mole in Ngige's camp working for Andy. How will you react to this?
I have heard so many things and some day I hope to properly put this in perspective. I am currently working on a book that I hope might shed some light on this matter. I am proud to say that I am one of the first persons that Dr Ngige told of his ambitions. He told me this at the PDP secretariat. I met him and asked if he has any story for me that day. He told me that there was this breaking news. He mentioned Andy and Chris Uba, ABC Nwosu, that they wanted him to go for governorship ticket. So from the outset I knew what was happening. I knew where the betrayals began and knew what culminated into the kidnapping on July 10. It is on record that on that day, I was the only aide who spoke out to the world about the kidnapping. He was only able to speak to the outside world around 4.00 P.M. in the afternoon. I was the only person who made calls, I spoke to FRCN, and it is on record. It is on record too that I was the only aide that slept with Ngige that night when all the others abandoned him. After all these, why would I betray him? The truth is that I never knew him before personally before he became governor. I was introduced to Ngige by the late national vice chairman, AK Dikibo. It was he who asked me to work with Ngige. Even before he died I had told him that I wanted to quit but he told me to hang on. I was with Dikibo at the eve of his death on the 5th of February. I know the things we discussed I know the things he told me. So when he died, I was not impressed with the way Ngige and I treated his family. For this among other reasons, I had to leave.
You had the benefit of working with Andy Uba and Chris Ngige, how will you compare both men?
I am a sociologist and the dictates of my discipline tells me that each person is unique. Ngige is a very thorough person, so thorough that it can spill into egocentrism, everything centres on him. But Andy Uba is more of a team player. He will allow you do things your own way, he does not mind if you took initiative in certain chores.
What do you think is the way out in resolving the political tension in Anambra State?
Like Karl Max said, conflict is the engine of progress and in every assemblage, knowing how you manage or resolve conflict is the most important thing. If it is true from what I gathered that Sir Ugbolafor has shifted his aggression from Abuja because he felt he was not treated fairly when he was a special assistant to bear on the Peoples Democratic Party PDP in Anambra State is very unfortunate. Vincent Ogbulafor is a knight of the catholic church and the Christian religion preaches forgiveness. If God has been good enough through his grace by lifting him to the position of the National Chairman of the PDP, I expect him to lead by example in line with the Christian doctrine of forgiveness. At this period that the party is trying to reconcile aggrieved members, I do not expect the National Chairman to despise some members at whatever level.
There is rather an urgent need for the National Chairman to convey a meeting of major stakeholders and address all issues at stake. I mean it is superficial, you cannot be talking of going out to woo aggrieved members who are still in your fold who helped to ensure that the party won in the state. In fact the time is right for the PDP to review it's position on Anambra, because failure to do so is capable of sending dangerous signals. What is happening in PDP in Anambra State can be likened to what is happening in EFCC. I mean for people to honour your invitation and your party men denigerate your candidate that there is nothing like the governor-in-waiting that itself is anti-party because you do not mock your candidate in public. As it is, Andy Uba is still PDP's governorship candidate, He is, you can't wish that away.
What would you say is the role of Andy Okonkwo in the ongoing cold war of the PDP in Anambra State?
His role is there in the papers, he has been making unguarded utterances. I do not know but there are rumours that he wants to run for governorship. But you do not enter the university without passing JAMB. You are a senator today and you have not given me, as an indigene of Anambra State, effective representation, so, lacks qualities to aspire for governorship. He was recently rated low. I just want to think that it is not true that he is nursing that ambision.
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