“The current speaker is from Anambra North and the former Governor is also from Anambra North” —Ebuka Onyekwelu
Within the Anambra State political cycle, there is increased concern about who becomes the next Speaker of the House of Assembly. The Anambra State 8th House of Assembly is expected to resume on 12th June, 2023 and on that first sitting, the leadership of the House must be elected. Barely two months to go, the politicking has taken near centre stage, with permutations and various schemes playing for and against potential speakers. At the moment, the current Anambra Assembly is still observing the election break but ready to commence sitting within the week and it is perceptible that efforts by the various individuals and their camps, to emerge speaker will assume total new dimension this week.
So far, there are arguments that the speakership has to go to Anambra North senatorial zone, considering that Anambra South and Anambra Central have the Governor and Deputy Governor. However, those arguing on this basis quickly ran out of ideas when confronted with the fact that the current speaker is from Anambra North and the former Governor is also from Anambra North. It happened that upon House resumption in 2019, notwithstanding that the then governor Willie Obiano, is from Anambra North, Rt. Hon. Uche Okafor from Anambra North emerged speaker. Beyond this, there is another point that is difficult for those advocating that the position be left for Anambra North. That point is that considering the nature of majoritarian democracy, it is conceivable that APGA would produce the next speaker of the Assembly. Therefore, of the eight returned members of the House, only four are members of APGA and out of the four, only one is from Anambra North zone.
The question is; should capability be sacrificed on the altar of zoning? Since it is in doubt that the only returned APGA member from Anambra North can discharge the duties of a speaker, the option left would be to consider other zones. Anambra South has just a member of APGA extraction, Hon. Emma Nwafor, from Aguata zone, same zone as the governor, while Anambra Central has two members, Hon. Chukwuma Okoye from Awka and Hon. Ejike Okechukwu from Anaocha. Clearly, Hon. Okechukwu is the most balanced for Speakership. But there are permutations that he is ‘loyal’ to Sen. Victor Umeh and this narration is gaining prominence and for good or bad reasons, perception is usually stronger than reality. However, in politics, it is a general rule that once interests are not aligned, then, there is no question of loyalty to anyone. Umeh is now in LP, while Okechukwu is in APGA, so it is left to be seen how Umeh and Okechuku will work together towards any political end now or in the new future. For Hon Chukwuma Okoye, he is argued to be from the same constituency with the Deputy Governor and therefore not suitable for the position in addition to his personal incapacitation.
Hon Chukwuma Okoye, he is argued to be from the same constituency with the Deputy Governor
There are also those who are arguing that the House of Assembly Standing Order should be amended to accommodate first timers to contest for speakership. In fact, it is rumored that the governor might be favourably disposed to this option. Those in favour of this cite instances in the past where first time lawmakers were elected speaker. But, knowing all we know and having experienced diverse shades of struggle for sustainable democracy, is it justifiable to have a first timer assume office as speaker at this age and time? Will such serve public interests and the interest of the government of Anambra State? How will the inexperienced greenhorn speaker navigate the troubled waters of group politics? How will he harmonize various and opposing interests in the Assembly? Finally, how will he lead other members to get the job done?
Yet, there is an argument that a member of the opposition say, Hon. Somto Udeze can be considered for Speakership, just to ensure that it remains in Anambra North based on equitable power sharing. This, clearly, from all political standpoint, is only as viable as APGA has approved of it to be.
Since 1999 however, it does appear that Anambra North senatorial zone has produced more speakers than other zones. In 1999, Rt. Hon. Bart Onugbolu from Anambra Central was Speaker till 2003. In 2003, Rt. Hon. Mike Balonwu from Anambra North took over from him and stayed till 2007. Then, Rt. Hon. Anayo Nnebe took over and stayed till 2011 and was succeeded by Rt. Hon. Chinwe Nwaebili from Anambra North. Hon. Nwaebili handed over to Rt. Hon. Rita Maduagwu from Anambra South in 2015 and she was succeeded in 2019 by Rt. Hon. Uche Okafor from Anambra North. Based on this, the argument on zoning to Anambra North for equitable power sharing suffers a major puncture and arguably leaves the speakership to Anambra South and Anambra Central based on the same equitable power distribution, depending on the side of the isle one stands. In any case, it is more than convincing that every available option has its own baggage carefully carved out, real or imagined.
In all, APGA’s utmost concern must be about producing a competent speaker who will ensure stability in the House, rather than any transitory, unrealistic permutations advanced to serve defined political interests. As the House resumes sitting this week, the struggle for the top job in the House is expected to take a whole new turn, even as the life of the current Assembly terminates gradually, to usher in the 8th Anambra Assembly.
Ebuka graduated with a second-class upper-division degree in Political Science from the University of Calabar in Nigeria. He furthered his education by obtaining a Master's Degree in Political Science with a specialization in Government and Development Studies from Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Awka, Nigeria. His academic background and professional experience have equipped him with a deep understanding of political dynamics and governance issues.
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