Known for his generous and expansive personality, Arthur Eze is well -known in Nigeria's byzantine business world and has been active behind the scenes on the political stage. He regularly made headlines for his perceived role as a political power -broker in his native state of Anambra.

When Governor Jim Nwobodo was the Governor of the old Anambra State(now Enugu State), Chief Arthur Eze(aka Arthur 1,000) won the contract to  build the Anambra State Broadcasting Service and Television studio(ABS Channel 50), as it  then was.

Governor Nwobodo used this Dunukofia Chief to siphon millions of Naira, at the time. For example, A studio that could cost no more than N2Million naira by 1981 gulped approximately over N300Million then. Who helped to reap off Anambra State? Arthur 1,000. 

Chris Ubah the enfant terrible of Anambra Politics (that kidnapped an incumbent governor and thus carried out the first civilian coup in Nigeria against then Anambra Governor, Chris Ngige) learnt his tricks from Arthur Eze. 

But Chris later chased away Arthur Eze from the state.

Arthur fled to London when the fire of Anambra Politics as stoked by Chris Uba became too hot for him. His house boys Chris Uba and Emeka Offor that Arthur Eze taught the trade made an inside coup and chased him away.

But today, the man, Arthur Eze is back as one of the godfathers of the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate for the February 2010 election, Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo.

The Peoples Democratic Party Finance Committee on Tuesday (Two days ago) raised over N2 billion in a fund raising dinner organised for Anambra PDP Chapter, as the party stepped up preparations for the forthcoming Anambra State gubernatorial election.

Arthur Eze was the chief launcher.

Details of donation at the event, shows that the Chief Launcher, Prince Arthur Eze made the highest donation of N250 million, followed by Chairman of the occasion, Sir Emeka Offor, who donated N100 million.

Dignitaries present at the dinner were Vice President Goodluck Jonathan PDP governors, ministers, PDP National Assembly members, Speakers state houses of assembly, PDP chieftains, Anambra State PDP governorship candidate, Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo and his running mate, Senator Emmanuel Anosike, their wives and other supporters of the party.

In his speech at the event, the PDP national Chairman, Chief Vincent Ogbulafor expressed his party’s resolve to RE-CLAIM Anambra state in the election. 

Addressing supporters at the dinner, Vice President Goodluck Jonathan also stated that PDP is determined more than ever before to CAPTURE Anambra State in the forth-coming election. 

One of the greatest fallacies of the year was the Peoples Democratic Party pronouncement that in anointing Soludo as the PDP gubernatorial candidate in Anambra State they are freeing the state from the clutches of rapacious godfathers.

This is far from the truth. On the contrary Professor Soludo has been, is, and promises to be always beholden to godfathers.

Right now events point to the fact that apart from Tony Anenih and Alhaji Mangal, Soludo has sworn obedience to another god-father, Arthur Eze.

Arthur Eze had earlier donated N30million to the Soludo campaign; a great pointer that god fatherism is back with a vengeance.

Chinua Achebe, rejecting the Award of the Commander of the Federal Republic by Nigeria. [CFR}said:

For some time now, I have watched events in Anambra State with alarm and dismay. I have watched the chaos in my own state where a small clique of renegades, openly boasting its connections in high places seemed determined to turn my homeland into a bankrupt and lawless fiefdom. I’m appalled by the brazenness of this clique and the silence, if not connivance of the Presidency.”

In 2005, Emmanuel Obiechina, Visiting Professor, African Studies, Harvard also said:

"Anambra is like a bleeding wound in the body politics of Nigeria. The wound must be stanched if the organism is to be saved. The Anambra tragedy, being paradigmatic of the many ills that afflict the experiment, will paradoxically, provide both the insights and the challenges for saving democracy in Nigeria".

History of god-fatherism in Anambra State:

Arthur Eze (for Emordi under Abacha)

Emeka Offor (for Mbadinuju under Obasanjo)

Chris Uba (for Ngige under in-law Obasanjo)

...all these were Anambra godfathers (for governors or governors to be under an Abacha/Obasanjo regime

Today, it is Anenih/Arthur Eze/Emeka Offor (for Chukwuma Soludo)!

With the arrival of Soludo in the Anambra political landscape, it is no surprise that many would-be-godfathers are queuing up to swing back to action. Why?

Must this trend continue under President Yar’adua?

These massive 2 billion Naira donations on Tuesday is a pathway to political influence and god-fatherism which makes the Anambra State treasury the victim thereafter.

Take it or dump it, Arthur Eze and co donation must be paid back either through contract or any convenience rightly disposed.   

As Arthur Eze Acknowledged in that interview with the Daily Trust on December 29, 2009 (just two weeks ago): “No politician will give you contract without asking for percentage,”

The path of salvation for Anambra is personal finance to guarantee independent but popular policies that enhances the lives of the people.

Chukwuma Soludo is human and I don't see him not being loyal to these individual financiers rather than the Anambra people, if he is elected Anambra Governor.

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