Anglican Church dares PDP over deputy gov ticket

Archbishop Chukwuma and Chime

In this write-up, IHUOMA CHIEDOZIE examines the demand by the Anglican Church to have its member pick the deputy governorship ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party in Enugu State

It was understandable that the prospect of a Muslim-Muslim or Christian-Christian presidential ticket would be a cause for grave concern in Nigeria, given the country’s multi-religious nature.

Before the All Progressives Congress eventually settled for Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, a senior pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church, as the running mate of its presidential candidate, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd.), not a few Nigerians were worried that the opposition party would field a Muslim-Muslim team.

A former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, had to take it upon himself to voice the feelings of most Nigerians when he warned the APC against a Muslim-Muslim ticket. Obasanjo, who is not known to be a card-carrying member of the APC, waded into the matter after Buhari suggested that he (Buhari) would not mind having a fellow Muslim as a running mate.

In an apparent response to the suggestion, Obasanjo warned against a Muslim-Muslim ticket, or even Christian-Christian ticket saying, “Sensitivity is a necessary ingredient for the enhancement of peace, security and stability at this point in the political discourse and arrangement for Nigeria and for encouraging confidence and trust.

“It will be insensitive to the point of absurdity for any leader or any political party to be toying with Muslim-Muslim or Christian-Christian ticket at this juncture. Nigeria cannot at this stage raise the spectre and fear of Islamisation or Christianisation.”

There is little doubt that, had it not been for the concerns over a Muslim-Muslim ticket, Lagos State governor, Babatunde Fashola, or even his predecessor, APC national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, could have emerged as Buhari’s running mate.

Any of the Muslims who lost out in the race to become Buhari’s running mate on account of faith would probably understand that the complex nature of the country would not have favoured a Muslim-Muslim ticket in the elections, anyway.

Indeed, it was expected that Nigerians would cringe at a same faith presidential ticket – Christian-Christian or Muslim-Muslim – in 2015.

However, unlike the case of a Muslim-Muslim ticket at the federal level, concerns raised by the Anglican Church over a Catholic-Catholic gubernatorial ticket in Enugu State came as a surprise.

Before the Enugu State Peoples Democratic Party picked Mrs. Cecilia Ezeilo, a Catholic, as the running mate of its governorship candidate, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, also a Catholic, the Anglican Church in Enugu State demanded that the party must offer the deputy governor slot to an Anglican.

At a news conference in Enugu on December 17, Anglican bishops in the Enugu Ecclesiastical Province, led by the Archbishop of Enugu Ecclesiastical Province, Most Rev. Emmanuel Chukwuma, had warned that the PDP may lose the support of Anglicans during the 2015 governorship election if a member of the Anglican Communion was not picked as the running mate.

The other bishops, who were at the news conference alongside Chukwuma, are Archbishop Amos Madu, Bishop of Oji River Diocese; Rt. Rev. Emma Ugwu, Bishop of Awgu/Aninri Diocese; Rt. Rev. Chijioke Aneke, Bishop of Udi Diocese; Rt. Rev. Prof. Evan Ibeagha, Bishop of Nike Diocese and Rt. Rev. Dan Olinye, Bishop of Eha-Amufu Diocese.

There are fears that the unexpected demand, which was not eventually met, could lead to another crisis for the PDP in Enugu State, where the party is just recovering from an internal rift caused by a power struggle between Governor Sullivan Chime and the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu.

The fears are not unfounded as the Anglican bishops specifically warned against a Catholic-Catholic governorship ticket, and also alleged that members of the Anglican Communion have been marginalised in Enugu State.

The bishops noted that since Ugwuanyi is a Catholic, it would be wrong to field another Catholic as his running mate.

They alleged that despite the huge population and contribution of Anglicans in the development of the state, they have been marginalised in political appointments.

Insisting on an Anglican running mate, Chukwuma noted that Anglicans are not against Ugwuanyi as a candidate, but would support him if one of their own was selected as his running mate.

Chukwuma said, “Right now, as it is, we are crying out to the world to say there is trouble looming in Enugu State if Anglicans are not considered in the governance of Enugu State in the coming dispensation. We wholeheartedly support his (Ugwuanyi’s) candidature because we believe that as it is now, there is no other candidate that is more credible than Ugwuanyi, but Ugwuanyi should not succumb to the pressure of selfish people who want to perpetrate their sister or their brother as deputy, he should be very careful and he should be aware that it is not going to augur well.

“We as Anglican bishops are crying and appealing that Anglicans in Enugu State are saying that the Anglican Church must be given the position of deputy governor next year. For the position of governor and deputy governor to be Catholic/Catholic will not be acceptable to us. In the federal level, people are not happy with Christian/Christian ticket, hence the president has taken a very good stand to return as president and pick a Muslim as his running mate.

“Why should Enugu State, therefore, nominate a Roman Catholic governorship candidate who we are not against and wanting again to nominate a Roman Catholic as the deputy governor? We, Anglicans, say no to that kind of arrangement.”

Shedding further light on the alleged marginalisation of Anglicans in the state, Chukwuma said, “We are not in minority in Enugu State and we totally reject that intention and we are warning that if they want peace to reign in this state and for them to enjoy our cooperation, it should not be Roman Catholic/Roman Catholic ticket.

“You can say Anglicans like Jim Nwobodo, C.C Onoh were governors, but after that time, they cannot prove to us that Anglicans have been governor or deputy governor.

“When Chimaroke Nnamani, a Methodist took over from Navy Capt Agbaje, he made Okechukwu Itanyi, a Roman Catholic, his deputy. After that he handed over to Sullivan Chime who is a Catholic and Sullivan chose Onyebuchi, who is a Methodist as his deputy.

“Now, he is going away again; Ugwuanyi Ifeanyi, we don’t have anything against his candidature, but we are saying give us an Anglican deputy, otherwise you are looking for our trouble. If you look at in Enugu State right now, the governor is not Anglican, the deputy is not Anglican, the Speaker is not Anglican, the Secretary to the State Government is not Anglican, the Chief of Staff is not Anglican. Where are we? For the posts of commissioners, we are marginalized because we don’t have good number. They (Anglican commissioners) are not more than three or four.”

While it was possible that Anglicans in Enugu State have been feeling aggrieved over the perceived marginalisation, the comments made by their bishops served to bring the matter to the fore, making the alleged maltreatment of Anglicans to become a factor in Enugu politics.

The PDP leadership in the state has tried to allay the fears by explaining that there was no anti-Anglican, pro-Catholic agenda in the state.

Moreover, Chief Ikeje Asogwa, the Enugu State PDP chairman, noted that the party did not actually refuse the demand made by the Anglican Church but that the request came very late.

Asogwa, who explained that the decision to choose a female as Ugwuanyi’s running mate was a deliberate attempt to show fairness in the distribution of political positions in the state, said the request came after the party had chosen and submitted the name of the running mate.

Asogwa, who spoke at an event organised by the Nigerian Union of Journalists said, “Let me say it again that Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi is the Enugu PDP governorship candidate, and I want to say that even before the bishops made their demand, the party had forwarded the name of Mrs. Cecilia Ezeilo, to the appropriate quarters as the running mate to the party’s governorship candidate.”

But the PDP state chairman added that besides the fact that the party had already picked the running mate of its governorship candidate before the Anglican Church made its request, the position was not supposed to be based on religious denomination.

Be that as it may, the prevailing sentiment among members of the Anglican Church in Enugu is that the authorities should take deliberate actions to address the concerns raised by the bishops, particular concerning the issue of marginalisation.

An Anglican, Michael Ejirike, who spoke to our correspondent, expressed reservations that “nothing was done” about the demand made by the bishops. Ejirike, who admitted that he was not aware of the “marginalisation of Anglicans” until the bishops spoke on the matter, said Catholics are not the only people in Enugu State.

The Executive Director, Center for the Advancement of Literacy and Leadership, Bismarck Oji, described it as an attempt to introduce ‘church politics’ in Enugu State. He disputed the claim that Anglicans have been marginalised in the state.

Oji said, “For Anglicans to be asking for the deputy governorship slot is uncalled for and an attempt to introduce church politics into Enugu State. In the Second Republic, both Jim Nwobodo and C.C. Onoh (former governors) were Anglicans. Okwesilieze Nwodo, a catholic, was governor for barely one year during the Third Republic. At the resumption of democracy in 1999, Chimaroke Nnamani, another Anglican/Methodist was governor.

“As such, the incumbent, Sullivan Chime, is the first Catholic to have served a full tenure as the state governor, right from the era of the old Anambra State till date. The people of Enugu State are not interested in playing inter-church politics. Going by what happened in Anambra last year, where crisis between Catholics and Anglicans led to loss of lives and destruction of property, it is a dangerous to introduce such sentiments into Enugu State politics.”

“Such sentiments are indeed retrogressive and counterproductive. The people of Enugu State have never seen one another as Catholics or Protestants. Enugu politics has been based on sectional sentiments, like what part of the state one came from, I mean the Awgu, Nkanu, Nsukka or Udi political blocs.

“That (sectionalism) too, being wrong and uncivilised, is what we expect religious leaders to preach against and not to introduce a religious dimension into the issue. Ethnic and religious sentiments have been the bane of Nigerian politics and should be discouraged in the buildup to the 2015 election. Nigerians should choose their leaders based on the candidates’ manifestos and track records,” Oji added.

For Rev. Okechukwu Obioha, the President of Njiko Igbo Forum, a socio-political organisation, the demand shows how the high level of corruption in the country has impacted negatively on governance. According to Obioha, such demands are made because political office holders are expected to serve their people first, before addressing the needs of the general society.

“Corruption is not only when you give or receive bribe – it is also corruption when you do something out of selfish sentiments without considering merit. If not that corruption had eaten deep into the fabric of the Nigerian society, we would not be talking about where one comes from or worships when we talk of political offices. This is happening because people go in there to serve their own people first – that is why somebody will tell you that the governor or deputy governor must come from a particular group,” Obioha said.