The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) recently completed its circle of senatorial district endorsements of Governor Charles Soludo for a second term in office with a rally at Anambra South Senatorial District. OKEY MADUFORO reports on the event
Primary of affirmation
At the Alex Ekwueme Square, Awka, the Anambra State capital, delegates for the All Proressives Grand Alliance (APGA) gubernatorial primary election, had only Governor Charles Soludo to elect as the party’s candidate for the November election given that he was the only aspirant that purchased Expression of Interest and Nomination forms.
However, other political parties such as the All Progressives Congress (APC) took on APGA, describing the exercise as lacking in internal democracy. Their argument was that the ruling party in the state did not allow prospective aspirants from purchasing forms to contest the primary election against Soludo.
Chairman of the APC in the state, Basil Ejidike, who told reporters that there is no visible semblance of a democratic process with APGA did, insisted that it was a charade.
But National Publicity Secretary of APGA, Ejimofor Opara, who countered Ejidike’s claims, rather cited the controversy and what he called confusion that played out during the primary election that produced Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu as the candidate of the APC as a clear indication that the opposition party is the one guilty of it claim. “This is laughable and a case of the kettle calling the pot black. When you look at what happened at the APC primary election, you will agree with me that it was indeed a rape of the democratic process,” he said.
There is no doubt that both parties held their governorship primaries but the process that led to emergence of their respective candidates, could be described as mere affirmation. However, since after the primary election of APGA, it has been a gale of endorsements for Soludo, with over fifty support group lending their voices to it.
Anambra North takes the lead
For the people of Anambra North Senatorial District, it wa endorsement by all the political parties in the area with major political leaders making glowing statements in favour of the governor. The immediate past lawmaker of Anambra East and West Federal Constituency, Hon. Chinedu Obidigwe, who spoke at a rally in Anambra North declared that the the seven local government areas of the district will deliver their votes come the November 8 gubernatorial election to Soludo. “We shall never loose any local government or ward in Anambra North because we are good to go,” he said.
We have a zoning arrangement that have all the while been respected and it cannot change now… so we cannot afford to distort this gentleman’s agreement which is written in our minds
Similarly, an ex-lawmaker of Ogbaru Federal Constituency, Hon. Chuchu Onyema of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said: “Soludo is the governor of everybody and we are assuring the people of the state that Anambra North Senatorial District will support his second term ambition.”
A former representative of Oyi/Ayamelum Federal Constituency, Gabriel Onyenweife, who spoke in like manner, told the governor that “it is the resolve of the entire people of Anambra North that you will go for second tenure and this is not just an APGA affair. This resolve is the resolution of the Peoples Democratic Party, All Progressives Congress, Labour Party and Young Democratic Party, among others.”
Anambra Central promises to return Soludo
It also went the same way with the people of Anambra Central Senatorial District, where the likes of the deputy governor, Onyekachukwu Ibezim, the deputy speaker of the state House of Assembly, Pius Okoye, the state chairman of APGA, Ifeatu ObiOkoye, hail from. Obi-Okoye said: “What we have come to do is to further reaffirm that we have no alternative to the governor and there are pointers to this fact.
When you look at the number of projects going on in the state, one wonders what his perceived opponents are going to tell Anambra electorate.” He added: “Again, we have a zoning arrangement that have all the while been respected and it cannot change now.
You know that after Soludo’s second term in office, the governorship position will return to my zone, Anambra Central, so we cannot afford to distort this gentleman’s agreement which is written in our minds.” The deputy governor, Ibezim, who re-echoed ObiOkoye’s views, noted that the state cannot be thrown into confusion by the antics of those who are from Anambra South angling to be governor. “Anambra people are enlightened and wiser, so they cannot be fooled by the promise of a candidate going for only one term,” he stated.
Anambra South not left out
Apparently, Anambra South Senatorial District appears to be the battleground given the fact that it has a by-election to replace the seat of late Senator Ifeanyi Ubah. The election would hold on August 16 and that would be a litmus test for the various political parties ahead of November 8 gubernatorial election.
Most of the contenders in the governorship poll are from Anambra South as Soludo. The governor, who spoke at an endorsement rally by his kinsmen, not only stated that the gubernatorial position of the state is not meant for street urchins, but contended that it would be a shame for a state that produced and still producing great men and women to be governed by pedestrians. He warned the governorship candidates, particularly those from Anambra South not to rely on the guise of contesting election to destabilize the peace already achieved in the state.
His words: “This is a state where the likes of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, Akweke Nwafor Orizu, Odumegwu Ojukwu, Chinua Achebe and a host of other academic giants originated from. So, our state would not be governed by street urchins and touts that have no clear academic qualifications.
Anambra State has passed that stage and has moved on from that shameful past. “People with questionable secondary school certificates and those whose examinations were written for them by machineries cannot be governors in Anambra State because the citizens are not fools and they can not be taken for granted.”
Soludo further said that Anambra is on the rise and that the general and overall consensus of the citizenry is that the Solution Government should continue on the trajectory of its transformative governance and quality leadership. He pointed out that another consensus of Ndi-Anambra is that there is zoning in the state; that after his eight years in office, the next governor will come from Anambra Central.
According to him, anybody contesting the governorship election from Anambra South is trying to disrupt the zoning system in the state, noting that some people are going around lying to the people that they would do just one term if elected, when the constitution allows eight years of two terms.
Beyond endorsements
While these endorsements are largely by chieftains of APGA hence expected, the candidates – Ukachukwu of APC, George Moghalu of Labour Party and Paul Chukwuma of Young Peoples Party, Jeff Nweke of Action Alliance and Paul Nwosu of African Democratic Congress – have also received similar endorsements.
The highlight of every political rally is endorsement possibly from the same Anambra politicians that sees politics not as a warfare but business. But ahead of the November 8 election, it would be left for the voters to decide on which among the endorsements would be translated to real votes.
