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Nov 6 Election: The 4 Classes of Defectors in Anambra and Why It Matters

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5 years ago

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By Ginika O. Nweke

In Anambra, there have been several defections in the past few weeks from various political parties to the All Progressives Congress (APC). A closer look at the situation reveals that there are four classes of defectors. Each class has different motivations and expectations from the other. What they all share in common is that none of them is decamping to APC because they feel it is a good party that is good for Anambra and has the interest of Nigerians at heart, or that APC as a party can improve the lot of Anambrarians, and promote economic prosperity and better standards of living for Anambrarians. None of them believe any of this, rather they are all decamping for personal reasons.
Here are the 4 Classes of defectors in Anambra:

1. The Corrupt Who Are Prisoners In Waiting
A large proportion of the people decamping from other political parties to the APC have corruption cases and are being intimidated and threatened by the government to join their party or get jailed. As far as political strategies go, the All Progressives Congress (APC) under President Muhammadu Buhari has been pathetic in its drive for power. They silence political opponents, threaten, blackmail, and intimidate them all to have them defect to the ruling party. As soon as said politicians join the ruling party, their corruption cases with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) magically disappear.

APC and President Muhammadu Buhari are extremely corrupt and have damaged the fabric of decency in Nigeria. Many people decamping to APC in Anambra are victims of President Muhammadu Buhari’s reign of intimidation and fear. Take for instance Senator Stella Oduah, she is facing corruption and money laundering cases that are wearing her out because she was being intimidated and victimised by President Muhammadu Buhari and his APC goons. She decided to take the magic pill and decamp to APC to quiet the noises and calm the troubled waters. She is now a puppy of APC willing to do their bidding, including turning Anambra into a Fulani enclave where innocent men and women are killed, and their villages taken by Fulani terrorists.
Some other politicians who are members of the Anambra State house of assembly who were elected on the platform of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) who recently decamped to APC did so because they are corrupt and were being threatened and blackmailed by APC goons to either join the APC or be jailed. They include Hon. Timothy Ifedioramma representing Njikoka 1, Hon Cater D. N. Umeoduagu representing Aguata 1, Hon Lawrence Ezeudu representing Dumekofia, Hon Arthur Chiekwu representing Idemili North, and Hon Edward Ibuzo representing Onitsha North. These lawmakers are hoping to avoid harassment and intimidation by EFCC because they believe they have financial misappropriation cases and in some instances, money laundering cases hanging over their heads and they are pre-emptively hoping to avoid the harassment and intimidation from APC goons, and in the process avoid accountability and prosecution by EFCC.

All Anambrarians and all Anambra voters need to ask themselves if these are the sort of people that should be allowed power. The answer is NO. Handing over Anambra state to sellouts who are prepared to do the bidding of the Fulani expansion agenda is suicidal for Anambrarians.

2. The Sore Losers
This class of defectors did so because they lost their primaries in other political parties or they were disqualified outright by their parties. Since they do not have good sportsmanship and do not understand that in politics you do not serve your agenda, and in a democracy, you serve the people and allow the people to choose their leaders, they felt the best option was to decamp to the ruling party.

One of such people is Hon. Nonso Okafor representing Nnewi North. He was a governorship aspirant under the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) before the party disqualified him. He felt betrayed by the party when he was disqualified from contesting and decided to throw a tantrum and break all his toys in the pram. Then he gave a long-winded incoherent statement to explain his defection. A percentage of defectors belong to this sore loser camp, and they are hoping that since the ruling party is so corrupt and criminal, they will be given crumbs in some form.

3. The Broke and Money Hungry
Mr. Andy Ubah, the Anambra gubernatorial candidate under the All Progressives Congress (APC) platform has gotten a lot of broke politicians to decamp from their parties to APC by giving some of them money, and because he is now broke himself, he has been making promises to give each one hundreds of millions of Naira if he wins. A large number of defectors did so based on a promise of receiving huge sums of money. Mr. Uba has promised some people N500 million and some others N300 million. Hon. Lynda Chuba-Ikpeazu falls under this category. She has been promised hundreds of millions by Mr. Uba and that is why she decamped from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to APC. Hon. Douglas Egbuna also a former member of the PDP defected to APC because Mr. Andy Ubah promised him hundreds of millions of Naira if he wins the governorship election on November 6.

All of this is already a putrid affair because it becomes clear that none of these people are defecting because of principles or political ideology. It also makes apparent the issue that Mr. Andy Uba is planning to raid the Anambra treasury to settle people and pay debts should he win the election. If he wins no doubt, he will raid the treasury for his personal use but there is no guaranty he will pay the people he is giving promissory notes to decamp to APC. Decades of his track record show that he does not pay his debts or meet his financial obligations.

4. The Coat Tail Riders
Another class of defectors in Anambra are those who are decamping because they feel that Mr. Andy Uba is a master rigger. They are basing their assumption on the rigging Mr. Andy Ubah unleased when he ran and became governor for 17 days back in 2007. They assume he will use the same apparatus to rig and win, and so they are hedging their bets by defecting from other political parties to Mr. Andy Ubah’s party, the APC. They are not strategic, they are pathetic.

The problem with their assumption is that things are different now. First of all, Mr. Andy Ubah is broke and cannot inject money into his campaign the way money was injected into his campaign back then. Secondly, it has been 14 years since then and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) now has better processes to ensure free and fair elections, and to ensure that the votes of Anambrarians will count come November 6. The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the electronic transmission of election results are some of the innovations and initiatives that now ensure that Mr. Andy Uba’s rigging of 14 years ago is a thing of the past that will never happen in Anambra again.

Ginika O. Nweke is a legal practitioner and public affairs commentator. She writes from Enugu

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Metro

Lagos Police Raid Dark Spots, Arrest 150 Crime Suspects, Recover Firearms, Illicit Drugs

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7 hours ago

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July 7, 2026

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The Lagos State Police Command has arrested 150 suspected criminals and recovered 100 unregistered motorcycles, firearms, suspected stolen property and illicit drugs during a coordinated raid on criminal hideouts in the Igando area of the State.

The operation, conducted under the Command’s ongoing Operation KO S’AYE, took place at about 5:45am on Sunday at Boolar, Okofilling Bus Stop, Igando, and other identified black spots within the Area M, Idimu axis.

According to the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Adebisi, the raid followed credible intelligence and involved a joint team of operatives drawn from different formations of the command.

He said the operation was aimed at flushing out hoodlums and other criminal elements allegedly terrorising the area.

Adebisi said a total of 150 suspects were arrested during the raid, while officers recovered 100 unregistered motorcycles, 54 mobile phones, one double-barrel gun, two single-barrel guns, one locally made double-barrel short gun, two military camouflage uniforms, assorted charms, six generators suspected to have been stolen, as well as substances suspected to be Indian hemp and other illicit drugs.

“All the suspects are currently in police custody, while investigations are ongoing to determine their individual culpability. Those found to have committed criminal offences will be charged to court accordingly,” he said.

The Commissioner of Police (CP), Lagos State Command, Tijani Fatai, commended the operatives for what he described as their professionalism and dedication during the operation.

He reaffirmed the command’s commitment to sustaining Operation KO S’AYE across the State to deny criminals safe havens and improve public safety.

“The operation will be sustained across the State to deny criminals any safe haven and ensure the safety and security of all residents,” the police commissioner said.

He also appealed to residents to continue providing timely and credible information to assist the police in identifying criminal hideouts, apprehending offenders and enhancing security across Lagos State.

The command urged members of the public to report emergencies and credible information through its designated emergency telephone lines.

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Metro

Okonjo-Iweala Rocks with Igbo Cultural Dances at WTO Open Day in Switzerland

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7 hours ago

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July 7, 2026

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The masquerade stamped its feet to the escalating tempo of the drums, bringing the raw spirit of Southeastern Nigeria straight into the heart of global governance.

The crowd erupted in cheers as Okonjo-Iweala immediately caught the rhythm.

She matched the masquerade’s energy, rolling her shoulders and executing graceful, rhythmic steps that perfectly mirrored the cadence of the Ogene.

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Metro

The Inherent Power of Gift-Nurturing

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2 days ago

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July 5, 2026

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By Henry Ukazu
Greetings Destiny Friends,
The saying, the joy of life is not how happy you are, but how happy others can be because of you, is no fluke. The statement emphasizes the importance of building human relationships. Relationships are skills that need to be nurtured.
Building and maintaining relationships is a skill that everyone needs to learn. But importantly, one must be intentional in the kind of relationship they intend to build because failure to cross the t’s and dot the i’s can have devastating effects on a person.
As human beings, sometimes, we don’t know what we have until we lose them. It’s instructive to note that one of the major challenges Third World countries have is maintaining culture. These third world countries find it difficult to maintain their roads, schools, provide good health hospitals, or build infrastructural facilities for their citizens. Even as human beings, sometimes, we lack this mindset of not maintaining or developing what we have. This is because we might know how to sing, swim, dance, play soccer, write or even teach, but we don’t develop it.
It’s instructive to note that the world is usually attracted to strength and not weakness. Isn’t it true that nobody celebrates poverty, rather they eulogize successful and wealthy people. So, if you desire to be celebrated, endeavor to develop what’s inside of you.
Let me tell you, nobody can celebrate or talk about you if you don’t talk or celebrate yourself, and nobody can save you without you making an attempt to save yourself. According to a former President of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, “you can’t wake a man who is pretending to be asleep”. That’s a powerful statement insinuating the power of self-determination. When you develop what you have, the world will resonate with you. This is what I mean by the power of maintenance.
The question we need to ask ourselves is how do we maintain what we have? Well, maintaining what we have is not as hard as it may appear. All that is necessary for one to be intentional in developing and adding value to their life.
Everyone has a gift or talent, but the challenge we have is that we don’t take time to groom it. Beloved, if you don’t groom your gift, nobody will do it for you. If you don’t speak about yourself, nobody will speak about you. Sometimes, we want glory, but we are not willing to pay the price.
Furthermore, in every sphere of life, maintenance culture is very important. Failure to do so can make one spend more. Imagine having a car with a minor break, if the car is not properly fixed, it will affect other parts of the car. The same principle is applicable if one has a house which needs repairs. The principle of the broken window tells us when a window is damaged, it will be better to pull it out or fix it so we can focus on other things otherwise, it will affect other components in the house.
This principle is also applicable to business, politicians, academics, spirituality, health and family. As a matter of fact, it is applicable in every area of our life. According to Myles Munroe “whatever we don’t manage we lose”. So, imagine what will happen if we don’t develop our skills and talent. The grave is considered the richest soil on earth because of the millions and billions of talents that have been buried inside the soil.
As a budding entrepreneur, we have been told about the power of consistency. When one is consistent, the universe has a way of showcasing us to the world. Let me share a practical example of how consistency works. In 2018, I was given an opportunity to publish weekly articles by Chief Dele Momodu on this online newspaper. I took up the challenge and have been consistently publishing inspirational and creative articles that will assist entrepreneurs and progressive minds to unleash their potential.
Here is the catch, I have received numerous opportunities and recognition globally from resourceful organizations, in addition to meeting great leaders of thought who have developed interest in my work. It’s important to note that I wasn’t a great writer at the initial stage, but over time, I have honed my writing skills by interacting and reading from resourceful minds
For business owners, if you have a business, consider learning all necessary information including taking certification classes, training and networking with the right people to acquaint yourself to the extent an opportunity presents itself. Also, sometimes we wait for people or big organizations to give you big opportunities to showcase your work to the world, but we fail to understand that we have what it takes to attract global attention which will bring the big names and organizations we desire to come to us. But we are not willing to pay the price.
I can remembered when I started my business, I had no clarity of what I was doing, but because I was intentional to learn, I attended many online trainings and today I can boldly say that by the special grace of God, my organization have partnered with global organizations and United Nations Development Programme to train youths in Rwanda on Leadership. The moral of this message is that I maintained my line, I maintained my skill, talent, I developed myself, but more importantly I didn’t give up on what I have inside me. I may not know your experiences or situations or expectations, but if you can stay focused and do the needful, I have no doubt the world will celebrate you in due time.
Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the founder of Gloemi. He’s a Transformative Human Capacity and Mindset coach. He is also a public speaker, youth advocate, creative writer and author of Design Your Destiny Design and Unleash Your Destiny . He can be reached via info@gloemi.com
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