A grassroot group in Anambra State, Association of Town Union Presidents General (ASATU) has pledged to work for the victory of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
The Idemili North and South Local Government Area chapters of the group, during a visit to the Director General of PDP campaign in the state, Prof. Obiora Okonkwo, proclaimed their unwavering support for the candidacy of Atiku and his running mate, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, pledging to ensure that Idemili leads the PDP victory in the state.
The group were hosted to an interactive session by Okonkwo, at his hometown in Ogidi on Wednesday.
The group congratulated Professor Obiora Okonkwo on his nomination as the State Director General to lead the Atiku-Okowa campaign in Anambra State, noting that he is a round peg in a round hole and assuring him of their unalloyed support to help deliver Anambra State to the PDP party, emphasizing that the party has always won elections in the area with ease and such would continue in 2023.
Leaders of the group, which consisted on PGs said: “We are non-partisan; our only interest is the progress of Ala Igbo and Ndi-Igbo in Nigeria. Your promise of Atiku Abubakar restructuring Nigeria is our take home, and if there’s a true understanding that he’ll champion true federalism, we’ll be proud partners of this project and support you convincingly to deliver Anambra State to ensure his victory.”
President Generals who spoke during the meeting included: those of Oba, Nkpor, Umuoji, and Ogidi.
Okonkwo while addressing the group went down memory lane to explain the relationship of the PDP and ndi-Igbo, starting from the days of former Vice President, the late Alex Ekwueme, who he said were the founders of the party in 1998, and how he warned that ndi-Igbo should not for any reason leave the party but ensure that they achieve political success with the party.
Okonkwo reminded of the complexities of our politics in Nigeria and why no region can win the presidency alone without the support of other regions, noting that the South East will only find its feet politically if it continues in the People’s Democratic Party and gives its bulk votes to Atiku Abubakar in the 2023 polls to inherit the Presidency and support of the Northern region after the term of Atiku Abubakar.
We have contributed immensely to building PDP since 1998; we cannot abandon the party now that it’s certain that we are positioned to benefit the Igbo Presidency from the party if we ensure that the party gets back to power in 2023.
Today, the PDP’s task is to dethrone the APC as the ruling party in 2023. If we don’t free Nigeria from the misery and pain that the ruling APC has inflicted upon them, Nigerians won’t forgive the PDP. Okonkwo urged the Town Union leadership to uphold the “umunna” political philosophy, which has helped the region attain political dominance in the past and present, and to make sure that we continue to support the PDP, not as individuals, but as region.
Professor Okonkwo continued, “Like any other person here, I would have been happier if we had succeeded in getting the PDP Presidential ticket zoned to the South East, but the reality is that Presidential candidates have emerged, and amongst them, it is inevitable that Atiku-Okowa of the PDP is coasting to Victory, and we cannot afford not to be part of the success story to enshrine our interest in them.” Prevailing thoughts and emotions will not benefit our state or region politically.
He reaffirmed his firm belief that Atiku Abubakar would fulfill all of his commitments to Nigeria and ndi-Igbo, asserting that only Atiku Abubakar alone possesses the political will to restructure Nigeria and devolve power and resource control to the various regions of the country, which has remained the primary need of ndi-Igbo in Nigeria. The marginalization of Ndi-Igbo and the nepotism of the current government are issues that Atiku’s administration will address since Ndi-Igbo believe in “One Nigeria” and all that is required is justice, fairness, and equity. Without a shadow of a doubt, Atiku Abubakar will be an excellent leader and bring about a political renaissance for the Ndi-Igbo.
