When the widow of the late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Mrs. Bianca Ojukwu, declared interest to run for the senatorial seat of Anambra South senatorial zone, she stepped out on the political turf with panache only fit for a queen that she is.

She had in her kitty, eighteen millionaires, including an American based billionaire medical doctor, Dr. Godwin Maduka throwing their weight behind her to intimidate would be opponents.

The overwhelming support of the rich class perhaps, massaged her ego to the high heaven, making her see the contest as a work over.

Apart from the millionaires, she also had in her corner, the state governor, Chief Willie Obiano who many believed wanted to use the position to compensate her for the commitment and support she gave during his second term campaigns.

Though politics in Nigeria is a game of financial dominance and power, there is also a small ton of popularity that is needed to make a candidate acceptable to the electorates. By popularity, it means the aspirant or candidate must have written his name in gold through philanthropy and the likes.

Bianca Ojukwu no doubt is a quintessential beauty with class and panache but, she lacks the political armour and good will to pull the kind of crowd needed in political transmutation.

According to a political analyst, Emma Oba, “It was good and bad that Bianca lost. She isn’t cut out for politics, otherwise, no one can stand in her path. I still can’t place her personality. She tried to be an on air personality in Enugu years ago but failed.

“We’re still awaiting her file as Ambassador to Spain and her stint as Special Assistant to former president Goodluck Jonathan. I think what befits her is the privileged office of the First Lady. It’s now up to the richest man to decide in 2021.”

Apart from being a beauty queen and having the support of millionaires, one wonders where Ojukwu would have gotten the grassroots support that would earn her a win in a highly competitive zone like Anambra South Senatorial zone.

The question is, if she had managed to bulldoze her way past notable politician like Nicholas Ukachukwu to clinch the party’s ticket, would she have been able to trounce dogged opponents in the person of self-acclaimed godfather, Chris Uba of PDP, and his elder brother, the incumbent Senator Andy Uba of APC.

Though the former may soft pedal if well induced financially, the latter may give in to any sort of inducement because he needs the accolade to remain relevant.

The issue of lack of grassroots presence may have also played a major role in messing her opportunity as she seems far from being close to the middle class.

Apart from grassroot issues, her family led by the son of her late husband, Emeka Ojukwu Jnr., also threw a spanner in her wheel. Though that may not have mattered to her, the likelihood of Ojukwu Jnr. still having pockets of diehard supporters who are ready to run a mile to ensure her failure cannot be ruled out.

Few days to the party’s primary election, the Movement for the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) also kicked against the election of Ojukwu as the APGA senatorial flag bearer for Anambra South senatorial zone.

The group had in a statement released to journalists called on the delegates not to vote for late Ikemba’s wife saying that her going to National Assembly will only give the Hausa Fulani members of the red chambers who do not have regard for the late Igbo leader the privilege to ridicule her like they did to Senator Remi Tinubu, wife of former governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu.

And, as if in obedience to MASSOB’s demand, the delegates chose Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu over Bianca Ojukwu to fly APGA’s flag in the 2019 general election.

To further buttress their no support against Ojukwu, MASSOB had in a press release on Friday, October 5, 2018 expressed joy that the leadership of APGA and party delegates from Anambra South Senatorial zone harkened to the clarion call it made few days to the conduct of the exercise for late Ikemba’s wife not to be supported for such political venture.

The statement said: “We understand that some disgruntled and self centered persons are behind her pressured political ambition, they wanted to deceive and use her perceived political position to enrich and draw an unmerited attention to themselves but she failed to know that they really wanted to bury her, our queen mother.

“Though she is loved, honoured and acknowledged by Ndigbo as the wife of Eze Igbo Gburugburu, MASSOB can never allow Iyom Bianca Ojukwu to be rubbished or ridiculed by Hausa Fulani people in the red chamber of the National Assembly.

“The leadership of APGA should not be blamed or castigated because of the failure of Iyom Bianca Ojukwu.

“She failed because she disobeyed her husband and our ancestors who have seen the ridicule she will encounter in red chamber of the National Assembly. Her failure is a divine act.”

Apart from MASSOB, some political pundits are of the opinion that Ojukwu has not done anything in the zone she is fighting to represent, enough to warrant her representing the zone at the national assembly.

According to them, people barely know or have anything tangible to hold on to as what she could achieve if given a chance.

Feelers have it that the wife of the governor, Mrs. Ebelechukwu Obiano, was not in support of her candidature but preferred Ukachukwu for the ticket.

The words of a political analyst, “Bianca Ojukwu cannot make a good representative. Though she is beautiful and intelligent, she is not close to the people. The same people she wanted to go and represent barely know her. She is a fly high kind of person who only mingles with the rich class. She is arrogant and may not be able to stoop down to mingle with the low class that would give her the vote to win.

“She is not meant for politics. If she is given a political appointment, good but she is simply not a politician.”

Perhaps, she may have assumed that she had it all going for her; not with the perceived backing of the state governor and the support of eighteen millionaires but, in politics, grassroots support holds sway.

Ukachukwu, even though rich at his level may not have had any millionaire singing his praise but, in the heart of the delegates, he was a raw gold that has not only been tasted but trusted, hence he won the coveted ticket.

In the journey that started during the second term electioneering campaigns of Governor Willie Obiano, Bianca Ojukwu, the paragon of beauty came, saw but failed to conquer.

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