Last week four Anambra lawmakers defected to APC to boost the electoral fortune of the party in the forthcoming gubernatorial poll. Chairman of APGA Chief Ifeatu Obi-Okoye spoke with Okey Maduforo on the position of the party, the Idemili rally and other issues.

It was a huge rally in Idemili which had the governor in attendance what informed that?

Well, we are the people of Idemili North and South local government areas and the rally was not just an endorsement of Governor Charles Soludo but the welcoming back of one of our own Chief Ifeanyi Ibezi who was with us before he joined the All Progressives Congress (APC).

It was indeed an opportunity for us to officially endorse the governor for second term at Abatete town and you will agree with me that it was a huge success.

The Governor talked about the paradox of Idemili North, and what we are doing is to break that jinx in November this year.

What is the jinx all about?

You see, Idemili North records the highest number of registered voters and everyone contesting the governorship or Senatorial District election must interface with us but at the end of the election the number does not reflect on the outcome of those elections.

The reason is simple in the sense that most people appear nonchalant about the election and to break that jinx we are mobilising widely and reaching out to everyone.

In the last Continuous Voter Registration we embarked on house to house visits and using town criers and leadership of the villages and town unions.

There is this format that I introduced that has to do with kindred wards and locals which also include the non-indigenes in the area and this oganogram has brought multiplier effects on the canvassing of voters, and the result will surely rob off positively on our party on election day.

But APGA is not the only party contesting, are you are telling us that the others are non existent?

Without sounding immodest, those candidates are those that we already know and most of them may have won elections in the past because people like us were there but today those that make Anambra politics what it is are all in APGA.

Again there is no gainsaying the fact that Anambra is APGA state and the party has continued to have a very smooth transition from APGA to APGA; from Peter Obi to Willie Obiano and to Prof Charles Soludo, and make no mistake about it, we are repeating same but in a very huge way.

Yes, we have the APC which is Nicholas Ukachukwu and George Moghalu of the Labour Party but politics is local and based on that you don’t expect the Anambra voter to look elsewhere if the party already in the saddle is meeting with his or her expectations.

The voter will prefer to support that known party due to the reason that he or she cannot predict what the new party will do when it comes to power, that is why politics is local and you cannot beat that.

What will other contestants say that they will do for the masses that is not being done at the moment?

Will they talk about road construction or youth empowerment or free healthcare or free education?

So, that informs why I said that we are coasting to victory on November 8, 2025.

There is this campaign slogan against APGA about the Agunechemba Security Squad which is not good for the party…

Remember that before the establishment of Udo Ga Chi operations, every politician went to the media accusing Governor Soludo of doing nothing but today, the Governor has tackled insecurity headlong and we have recorded huge results.

For want of something to say, they are now accusing the security outfit of attacking innocent people.

Apparently there is no perfect situation in any given society and if you say we should ban Agunechemba what other solution do you have for insecurity?

What it means is that we should ban the Police and other security bodies established by law.

We had the issue of #EndSARS against the police and by that argument we expected the public to call for the dissolution of the Nigeria Police for alleged extra-judicial killings or for human rights abuses.

Those making such demands before now could not visit their relatives in their respective communities and villages but today they go home to celebrate New Yam Festivals and celebrate Ofala festival because there is security in their homes.

So, those allegations or campaign slogans are no issue because we are on top of those challenges.

How about the incident that occurred at Onitsha where people were killed?

The matter is under the purview of the state police command and I believe that they are working on it, besides the state government has taken decisive action on that and the appropriate authorities will keep us informed about their findings.

I am not a security personnel to speak on the matter.

Four members of the Anambra State House of Assembly defected to the APC in support of that party’s candidate are you not worried?

Worried about what? It has always been the pattern of the party at every gubernatorial election in Anambra State, so it is no news.

Last governorship election we saw people defect to the APC and it all seemed like heaven would fall and some were not state House of Assembly members but National Assembly members.

They even boasted that the entire results had been written and what would happen on the election day would be a mere formality.

Today, they have started again with the same old move expecting to get good results.

I have been around in the politics of Anambra State and know the terrain perfectly well, so when people continue to apply the same system and tactics and getting the same results, do you expect APGA to get apprehensive or worried?

We are not losing sleep over their defections and those who defeated during the last election have all returned to APGA.

Even those that just defected are not members of APGA but members of YPP, Labour and others, so it makes no meaning to us as a party.

But they have capacity being incumbent lawmakers?

What capacity are you talking about when they cannot even deliver their respective electoral wards?

What capacity when they were even sponsored by some stakeholders who are now with us in our party?

What capacity when they cannot boast of any self sponsored or joint sponsored bill or even motion at the hallowed Chambers of the Assembly?

They do not have capacity at all and they merely went there for marketing and horse trading and once the marketing season is over they will return to their parties and then make attempts to get a second term ticket which may elude them.

How about the Labour Party factor in the coming election?

You see that bandwagon effects that you saw during the last general election will not apply here in Anambra State.

Today, where is the Labour Party or Obidient Movement group? The candidate of the Labour Party is riding on the crest of Mr Peter Obi to claim that he is going to win and we ask, how many gubernatorial candidates sponsored by Peter Obi made it as Governor of Anambra State aside Chief Willie Obiano?

Obi presented Oseloka Obaze under the platform of the PDP and he lost, he presented Valentine Ozigbo under the same PDP and lost and even today those he supported during the by-elections of Anambra South and Onitsha North who are from ADC lost the election.

So what makes you think it will not end up the same way? Today Valentine Ozigbo is a member of the APC and not Labour Party.

Take a look at the National Assembly and find out how many Labour Party members are still card caring members of the party.

The boast about Labour Party is no effect at all, and again what role will Peter Obi play during the election? Theses are questions you as a journalist need to ask the Labour Party or Obidient Movement people.