The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has replied the national chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Abdulahi Ganduje for saying that the state has remained politically dislocated from the centre because it has remained in APGA.
Ganduje, while speaking during a colloquium organized by APC in Nnewi on the issue of marginalization of the South East, said Amambra has been missing out because it has failed to belong to APC, which is the party controlling the federal government.
The National Publicity Secretary of APGA, Mazi Ejimofor Opara who reacted to the comment by Ganduje, said even though Anambra controlled by a minority party, it has remained better than most states that claim to have connected to the center.
Ejimofor reminded Ganduje that his activities in Kano as governor were some of the reasons the state chose a governor from New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), which is a minority party.
Ejimofor said: “First, I wonder the level of progress Kano State made under Ganduje’s APC that resulted in a revolutionary and historic rejection of the party by the people in 2023 as the people opted, instead, to vote for the NNPP and were ready to stake their lives to defend their votes.
“Ganduje should understand that the South East and Ndi Anambra in particular are more interested in why Kano State, after him, decided enmass to disconnect from the APC -controlled Centre.
“APC is nonexistent in Anambra and I am sure Ganduje himself knows this for a fact. Again, the continued existence of APGA in Anambra is performance based.
“Anambra, and indeed the South East is APGA land. There is no doubt about this, and even where the region decides to negotiate a handshake to the centre, the APC has proven not to be such a viable alternative. I sincerely hope that Mr. Ganduje will seek to really see that which is not hidden, than opting for deliberate ignorance.
“From Peter Obi, to Willie Obiano and now Professor Soludo, Anambra has remained on a trajectory of progressive growth, and it is for this reason even a political neophyte would state without double checking that Ganduje was either speaking to impress his host, or he is sincerely ignorant of the facts.
“Anambra under APGA has remained a state of many firsts, and in recent times the state under the Soludo government has won many awards.
“Recall that Anambra has won award as the state with best deployed ICT, and Anambra State ICT Agency under Mr Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata won that award. Anambra has also been named as the state with the least out-of-school children record.
“If all these awards are what it takes to be disconnected from the centre, then Anambra will gladly remain disconnected.”
Opara added that it is appalling that a political party that proposed a colloquium turned it into a political rally and ended up conducting a primary election, where the host senator, Ifeanyi Ubah was unashamedly declared the candidate of the party in the next election.
[Vanguard]