Opposition to Bianca's senatorial ambition mounts as Ifeanyi Ubah also eyes Apga ticket

FORMER Miss Nigeria Bianca Ojukwu is facing increased opposition to her bid to clinch her party's ticket for the Anambra South senatorial seat ahead of next February's elections from within the All Progressives Grand Alliance (Apga) that her late husband founded.

Ms Ojukwu, 51 is the widow of the late Ikemba Nnewi, Odumegwu Ojukwu, who founded Apga and ran as its first ever presidential candidate in 2013. Since she announced her decision to run, however, there have been objections to Bianca's candidacy, including from Ojukwu's children have opposed the plan saying it would not be proper to allow a woman from Ngwo, in Enugu State, to represent Anambra South Senatorial District.

With the Apga primaries drawing closer, things are heating up and although Bianca has the support of the Anambra State governor Willie Obiano, a lot of party members remain opposed to her. Bianca's problems are compounded by the fact that she will face stern opposition from likes of oil magnate, Dr Ifeanyi Ubah and Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu, who are also interested in the ticket.

Although Bianca  has the support of one of the richest men in Anambra State Dr Godwin Maduka and former Imo State governor Ikedi Ohakim, feelers from the party have it that Dr Ubah, the chairman of Capital Oil and Gas, is being favoured to grab the ticket. During the retreat and book launch of the party titled Apga, the Trials, Tribulations and Triumphs, at Finotel Hotel in Awka, the former Apga national chairman Chief Victor Umeh, reminded the guests how Dr Ubah rescued the party when it had problems in 2012.

He told the audience that Dr Ubah deserves compensation, adding that no other person had suffered for the party more than the Capital Oil boss. Chief Umeh’s glowing tributes about Dr Ubah were greeted with some murmurings, suspected to be  from Bianca's camp as many of her supporters were in attendance.

Apart from Chief Umeh’s open endorsement of  Dr Ubah, some Apga leaders believe that Bianca's ambition is tearing their party apart and if not checked it might lead to the party losing the Anambra South senatorial election in 2019. Some members of the Ojukwu family apparently see Bianca as arrogant, pompous and a snub who will never remember any of them if she wins any election.

However, Dr Godwin Maduka from Umuchukwu in Orumba South Local Government Area, that falls within the zone, believes that Bianca is the best thing that could happen to the zone. He urged the people of Anambra South to support the ambition of Bianca Ojukwu, as she had the capacity to showcase Nigeria as a country of heroes and heroines through her academics, as well as family and political experiences.

Dr Maduka said: "We know her life history and money alone cannot be equated to leadership. We should appreciate Bianca Ojukwu for agreeing to run for public office and I believe that she is not only qualified but over qualified.

“I am sure she has learnt a lot from her late husband, Ikemba Nnewi, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, the Igbo supreme leader and from her father, late C C Onoh. I’m happy she has accepted to run for public office."

To show his support for  Bianca’s ambition, Dr Maduka donated N20m at the book launch and retreat in Awka. This was seen as making a political statement to ensure his surpassed the donations of  Dr Ubah and Mr Ukachukwu.

One other major problem Bianca has is that Dr Ubah is a native son of Nnewi. Bianca though has a good pedigree as in 1988 she was the winner of the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria and then went on to be Miss Africa and the first African to win Miss Intercontinental before being appointed to several key positions including senior special assistant to the president on diaspora affairs, Nigeria's ambassador to Ghana and Spain and is now Nigeria's permanent representative to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation.