By Ikechukwu Okaforadi
Few weeks after Anambra governorship election in which All Progressive Congress (APC) lost to the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the APC stalwarts in the State at the weekend adopted the governorship candidate, Senator Andy Ubah, as the leader of APC in the State.
This was part of the resolutions arrived at during a three-hour night meeting of the party stakeholders at the Abuja office of senator Andy Ubah at the weekend, where they also resolved to sustain the suspension of the State Secretary of the party, Chukwuma Agufugo, who was accused of anti party activities.
During the meeting presided over by the State Chairman of the party, Basil Ejidike, which was also attended by senator Andy Ubah, serving and former members of the State House of Assembly and House of Representatives, among others stakeholders, Barrister Ebere Obi moved the motion seeking the party to, in accordance with the party’s tradition, adopt Andy Ubah, being the candidate of the party in the governorship election, as the leader of the party in the State.
The motion was unanimously endorsed by every stakeholder present, after it was seconded by former Speaker of Anambra State House of Assembly, Chinwe Nwaebili.
In the same vein, a member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Linda Ikpeazu, moved the motion for the endorsement of the suspension of the Secretary of APC in Anambra and for the adoption of the report read by the State Chairman, which was adopted by members unanimously.
Subsequently, Hon. Chiedu Eluomuno of the Anambra State House of Assembly, moved the motion that the APC members pass a vote of confidence on the State Chairman of the party, Basil Ejidike, and his team, which was seconded by Hon. Ezeudu Lawrence, who is also a member of Anambra State House of Assembly.
Responding to his emergence as the new leader of APC in Anambra, Andy Ubah said anybody that emerges as candidate of the party becomes the leader after the election, whether he wins or not, until the next election comes.
He appreciated the stakeholders of APC in Anambra for conferring the leadership of the party on him, adding that since some people are trying to destabilize the party, his duty will be to ensure that the party comes together as a united family, so that it could win upcoming elections in the State, saying “we have 2023 general elections coming, and if we don’t come together, we will not be able to win elections”.
He also lamented that people who are joining the APC from other parties are not happy over the effort by some individuals to distabilise APC in Anambra State, arguing that if those who are aggrieved genuinely love the party, they must be ready to come together to dialogue no matter what the issues are. He expressed readiness to work with anybody that is genuinely committed to the party, adding that he has never been a work alone politician.
In his remarks, the chairman of the party in Anambra, Basil Ejidike, said the crisis in APC in the State stems from his rejection of the attempts by one Minister to hijack the party structures by dictating when meetings should be called and what should be the agenda for meeting.
Ejidike also told the stakeholders that other States have done their State Congresses, remaining Anambra and three others States, due to the governorship election. He said the State must do it own wards and local government Congresses before the APC national convention.
The APC National Director of Organising, Ussiju Medaner, who was also present at the meeting, said what Anambra needs now is unity of purpose, adding that Anambra and South East in general is not known for local but national politics.
He cited the case of alliance between the NCNC led by Late Nnamdi Azikiwe and NPC led by Ahmadu Bello, which won election to form government, adding “Igbo are known for mainstream politics”.
He regretted that because of the incumbency factor in 2015, the East put their eggs in one basket, even as he pointed out that an Igbo man is mobile and everywhere in the North.
