Ministerial list: Anenih in the eye of the storm in Edo

Since the rush for federal appointments started in Edo State, a festering crisis has polarised the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, with some members accusing a former chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees, Chief Tony Anenih, of marginalising them, JAMES AZANIA reports

The compilation of the list of nominees for federal appointments has polarised the Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party. From all indications, the ruling Action Congress of Nigeria in the state may benefit from the lingering political crisis, if it is not well managed.

Last week, some PDP leaders in the state protested the nomination of Mike Onolemenmen for a ministerial appointment and Sarah Adetugbogbo as an ambassador-designate.

On Monday, party leaders in Edo South, including a former Minister of Defence, Gen. Godwin Abbe (retd); Mike Okhomina; Dr. Oni Edigin and chairmen of the party in the seven local government areas, were holding a meeting at the home of their leader, Owere-Dickson Imasogie, over what an insider described as the vexed issue of “who our ministers should be from Edo.” Their grouse is that they were not consulted before Onolemenmen and Adetugbogbo’s names were submitted to the Presidency.

The group was to later boycott a later meeting said to have been called by national party leader, Chief Tony Anenih, to resolve the matter.

Part of the contention of members of the group is that they have more qualified persons from Edo South and that sending the name of Adetugbobo, who served as commissioner for environment under Governor Adams Oshiomhole, was unacceptable to them.

In a similar protest in Edo Central, where both Anenih and Onolemenmen come from, some party leaders, who spoke to our correspondent, said they were aggrieved because they were not consulted before the endorsement of Onolemenmen, who some described as an “exiled PDP member.”

The National President of Esan Congress, Chief Victor Ifada, and Shaka Momodu, spoke on behalf of the protesting PDP leaders in Esan Central.

Ifada said, “We are protesting because you cannot bring a minister from Uromi without consulting us. We must be consulted before appointments are made. This time around, if they fail to listen to our people, we will move to another party. Edo Central is suffering in the present dispensation because of the PDP. But we cannot because of Anenih pick exiled people as our representatives.”

Shaka Momodu on his part said, “In Edo State, we have people like Prof. Julius Ihonbvere, who have better credentials than some of these people they are presenting. Onolemenmen has not been coming home. If it was Clifford Ordia, we will not even complain. If any appointment must be made, the youth must be consulted. You cannot just run to Abuja and then pick anybody. We will resist this.”

Another source, who revealed to our correspondent that a subsequent meeting called by Anenih held in the PDP chief’s Government Reservation Area residence in Benin, said the former Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees explained why he recommended Onolemenmen for a ministerial slot.

The meeting was called to resolve the protests that erupted with the nomination of Adetugbogbou, as ambassador-designate. The PDP leaders had on Wednesday, shunned a similar meeting called by Anenih after they insisted that he must meet with key leaders in the zone to resolve issues before convening a meeting of the larger house.

The source, who did not want his name in print, claimed that the meeting had in attendance some PDP members from Edo South, including Abbe.

According to the source, Anenih said he met with President Goodluck Jonathan, shortly after the latter’s return from his last visit to the United States, where the President told him his preference of the kind of people he wanted in his new cabinet.

The source added that Anenih revealed that the President intended to retain at least eight members from the last executive in his new cabinet, hence the need to put forward their best candidates.

The source said, “Anenih said the President expressed a desire for professionals in the new Federal Executive Council, a reason he gave for his choice of Onolemenmen as Edo States’ candidate. He also confided that the Presidency would forward the list to the Senate by Tuesday.”

Others have, however, kicked against Anenih’s choice, describing his explanation at the meeting as a ploy by the leader to impose his choice on them.

Another source, who also craved anonymity said, “We reject this, this is chief in his element again. How is an architect (Onolemenmen) better placed than others with excellent professional rankings, and in diverse fields?”

Another complication that could arise from the submission of Adetugbogbo’s name as ambassador-designate nominee is that the current ambassadorial slot by Edo is held by Edo South, with Eheneden Erediauwa, heir to the Benin throne as Nigeria’s Ambassador to Italy. The usual practice is that a state cannot produce two ambassadors at the same time, unless one is a career diplomat. This might further polarise the Edo PDP with one faction loyal to Anenih and another loyal to the Samuel Ogbemudia/Mike Akhigbe camp.

While Ogbemudia, a two-time governor of the old Bendel State is from Edo South, Akhigbe, a former Chief of Staff, is from Edo North.

Anenih was, however, said to have allayed the fears of the Edo South, assuring them of a pride of place in the party’s overall plans.

Our source said, “Anenih said Edo South has no course to worry, promising they would “enjoy” in the new scheme of things. He gave assurances that the Edo PDP governorship ticket will go to the area, come 2012, when the election would hold.”

A scholar at the University of Benin, Edo State, Prof. Eddy Erhagbe, has however attributed the intrigues playing out as part of the reasons for the country’s stunted growth, pointing out that such a development could constitute an obstacle to President Jonathan’s ability to fulfil his electoral promises to Nigerians.

The Associate Professor of History, International Studies and Diplomacy at the University of Benin, Edo State said, “Nepotism arising from a lack of courage and conflicting interests among some interest groups in the country who are bent on jumping the gun to have their stooges appointed as ministers have been identified as the indicators that may continue to hinder President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration from making a mark one month after his inauguration as President of Nigeria.”

Speaking at a public lecture in the state capital, Benin on Friday, on the topic, “The Challenge of Leadership and Good Governance in Nigeria,” Erhagbe appealed to President Jonathan to reject suggestions on how to compensate those who lost in the last general elections on the basis of political patronage.

He said, “If Nigerian leaders and followers must get it right, the government at all level, the mass media, institutions, families, civil society groups and religious leaders must as a matter of fact act as reagents in building a new Nigeria.”