The battle for Anambra North senatorial seat has virtually become an all- female affair in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as three prominent female politicians have lined up to pick the ticket.Those in the race are the former senator representing the zone, Senator Joy Emodi, who also served as the presidential adviser on National Assembly Matters, former minister of aviation, Ms. Stella Oduah and Senator Margery Okadigbo, wife of the late former Senate President, Dr. Chuba Okadigbo who herself, is the incumbent senator.
The three ladies are the leading aspirants in a contest that also has a number of men who, however, have been seemingly dwarfed by the carriage of the three women. It is thus not surprising that the bookmakers choice of the line up of candidates favours one of the women against the candidates that would emerge from the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA and All Progressives Congress, APC, in the February, 2015 Senate election.
Until few weeks ago, it was almost like a two woman contest with Oduah pitched in battle against Okadigbo, who has had a fairly but not totally eventful ride in the Senate. That was until some stakeholders within and outside the constituency mobilized to coerce Senator Emodi who occupied the seat between 2005 and 2010 into the race.
Mrs. Emodi represented the zone between 2005 and 2010 and in that time won praise for her robust representation of the people both in the constituency and in the Senate. Many pair her time with that of the late Senator Chuba Okadigbo as the best periods that Anambra North had in the Senate.
Sen. Emodi
It was no surprise that in the run-up to the PDP Senate primaries that some stakeholders started canvassing for her return, but she was understood to have initially flatly rejected the pleas mainly on account of the divisions in the party and the circumstances surrounding her exit as the presidential adviser on National Assembly Matters when she was forced out despite a global acknowledgement of her efforts in smoothening relations between the presidency and the National Assembly.
However, some concerned PDP stakeholders were said to have urged it on the presidency that the PDP could lose the Senate contest, a development that it was claimed could negatively affect the party in the presidential election as both polls are taking place on the same day.
It was partly on account of this that stakeholders in the zone were said to have brought pressure on Emodi to enter the race to retain the seat for the party.
Stakeholders from the seven local government areas in the zone met last Monday in Onitsha for the purpose of mounting pressure on her to join the race to represent Anambra North in the senate in 2015.
The Onitsha meeting was attended by her former coordinators, some of her diehard supporters from other political parties and leaders of many Non Governmental Organizations, NGO, operating in the zone. At the meeting, the stakeholders passed a resolution urging her to join the race immediately because, according to them, the zone was missing her quality representation in the senate.
Coordinator of Senator Joy Emodi Campaign Organization, Mr. Chuks Onyeizugbe said they had to urge Emodi to vie for senate because Anambra North has been feeling her absence for the past four years.
Another stakeholder, Mr. Anthony Onyejekwe from Onitsha said Emodi touched many lives, adding that people of the zone would work hard to ensure that she returns to the senate in 2015. “This is one person who never discriminated. She could interact with anybody irrespective of her position in the society and the rural women who she touched their lives have vowed to vote massively for her if she secures the PDP ticket,” he said.
Senator Emodi is remembered for her efforts in lifting the status of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, rehabilitation and strengthening of Niger Bridge, revitalization of the Onitsha Port project and re-positioning of agricultural areas to align them with Anambra /Imo River Basin Development Authority for better yields.
She also embarked on poverty alleviation programmes through which she gave micro credit grants to widows and youths, scholarship award to youths for secondary and tertiary education, as well as for ICT and other skill acquisition, provision of portable water and rehabilitation of rural roads.
Stella Oduah
The former minister of aviation, began mobilization for the contest soon after she was removed from the Federal Executive Council.
Since then, she has been visible in public gatherings, including the churches where she donates large sums of money.
The aspirant is considered to be very rich and as is the practise with professional politicians in the state, many of them have been flocking to her.
Though the airport rehabilitation project gives her some mileage in the opinion of some, however, the circumstances surrounding her removal may count against her as her opponents are likely to bring the issue of the aviation bullet proof car scandal to tarnish her image.
Besides, before her disengagement she was known to be largely an Abuja based politician who did not as much flock with her people at home.
Another issue that political operatives in the area are also taking against her is the fact that she is the only one of the three ladies married outside the zone, given her marital links to Edo State.
During one of her recent outings, she said the zone would be restored to its pride of place where the people’s creativity and entrepreneurial skills would top her priority, if voted into power.
Margery Okadigbo
Margery spent two years after the election on litigation and was only sworn in as a senator in July, 2012, a situation that maybe dulled her profile.
Her recent empowerment programme at the Oyi local government headquarters at Nteje was her first major outing and she did it in a big way.
Before then, some of the people of the senatorial zone were already becoming disenchanted with a pledge to punish her at the polls. However, many changed their minds after receiving the packages at the empowerment programme saying it was better late than never.
The Senator said she was using the occasion to mark her two years as a senator and commended all those who stood by her during the protracted legal battle in her journey to the senate.
Apart from the items distributed to the people, the senator has also facilitated employment of many people from the zone in various federal establishments and offered scholarship to deserving people in the area. Senate president, Chief David Mark who attended the ceremony described Senator Okadigbo as a good representative of the people, adding that she is toeing the footsteps of her late husband, Senator Chuba Okadigbo. He said: “Mrs. Okadigbo has only been in the senate for two years and look at what she has attracted to her senatorial zone. If she could do this in two years, one can imagine what she can achieve if she is given another opportunity to represent the zone.
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