By Our correspondent
The Senator representing Anambra South Senatorial District, Chief Ifeanyi Ubah have vowed that Nnewi clan must produce the next governor of Anambra State.
The incumbent governor of the state, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, is entitled to to run for a second term in 2025 on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
But speaking at Nnewi,during a visit to the zonal leaders of the party at the residence of the All Progressives Congress( APC) South East Organizing Secretary, Mr Dozie Ikedife (jnr), Ubah,
called on the Igbo to discard thoughts that APC belonged to any particular tribe.
He said he had come to see the leadership of the APC in the zone for formal introduction of himself to them and familiarization following his recent defection from the Young Progressives Party (YPP) to the APC.
Ubah said he did not come for leadership positions in the party which he said he knew had been already distributed but he came to ask for support to ensure that the APC produced the next Governor of Anambra State after Soludo.
“All I’m appealing for is if it is possible, for us to work together to achieve our political aim. Ndigbo need to embrace national party which is their best bet.
“Anambra is owing Nnewi North the opportunity to produce a Governor. Nnewi is the home of late Rt Hon Nwafor Orizu, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, an Igbo leader, among others. These people who suffered for the Igbo deserve to be considered to allow the community that produced them to also produce the Governor of Anambra State.
“Ikedife (jnr) has taken me round to see the leaders of the party in the State. I’m in consultations. I’m a consolidator and a unifier. I said I must come to see you through our leader, Ikedife (jnr), “he said.
He noted that some Igbo had been deceived to believe that the APC is an Hausa or Fulani party. He described that as a wrong impression which he said he had come to correct. He said that it was only in Anambra that many had been deceived to a large extent to believe that the APC was not for the Igbo.
In his analysis, the Senator said there are five States in the South East geopolitical zone being controlled by four political parties. According to him, LP controls Abia; Anambra, APGA; Ebonyi, APC; Enugu, PDP and Imo, APC.
He said those States in the South East under the APC Governors were better off as being controlled by a national party with the benefits accruing to them, adding that they enjoyed themselves.
“We are the only zone in the six geopolitical zones that has only five States. Others have six, seven and more. In these five States you have four political parties in control, what do you think you can achieve with that? We won’t be making any progress by removing ourselves from the national party.
“We should be wise and join the moving train. A good footballer knows how to score a goal. I saw the benefit of belonging to a national party, and I had to join them for our overall benefit.
“I left the Young Progressives Party (YPP) to join the APC. Are they not all progressives? The young shall grow and of course the young has grown. One thing is remaining for us to achieve, that is Governorship.
“We have given our brothers in Aguata. They have taken four (years) and four remaining. Let an Nnewi man enter the remaining four. Nnewi is only asking for the four years be given to them. Then when we come home we shall within ourselves know who will go for us.
Don’t misquote me. I say give it to Nnewi and it is left for us to know who will go for us. We must stand firmly to get what is due for us. Let us tell them so whenever we go,”the Senator concluded.
Ikedife (jnr), told Ubah that he was highly welcome to the APC fold with the assurances that he would be roundly supported in any way he needed help.
“Before your entrance into our great party, we had resolved that the Anambra APC must produce the next Governor of the State. It appears we have bought a big player who will bring the winning cup home. We know you are a big fish. We will be all out to canvass for support,” Ikedife (jnr).
Some of the zonal leaders present during the visit were Ozo Prince Bonti Onuigbo, Publicity Secretary; Mr Ozoemena Unegbu, Legal Adviser; Mr Izu Okeke, zonal leader; Mr Abiola; Hon Smart Okafor, the immediate past lawmaker who represented Nnewi North in the State House of Assembly and Frank Ewuzie, Zonal Organizing Secretary.
Others are the Secretary of the APC, Nnewi North Local Government Area, Hon Nnamdi Azubuike who promised that the party must massively mobilize for the next APC Governorship candidate to achieve victory; women leader; community leaders including Chief Agu Onyeka and other grassroots party members.
