The All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, has tackled the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje, for his comment that Anambra State has remained politically disconnected from the center by remaining in the minority party, APGA.
Mazi Ejimofor Opara, APGA’s National Publicity Secretary, in a statement on Saturday said Anambra, though governed by a minority party, has remained better than most states Ganduje claimed were connected to the center.
Ganduje had, on Friday, while making his remarks during a South East APC colloquium held in Nnewi and organised by Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, stated that Anambra has been politically dislocated from the South East by remaining in APGA.
But replying, Opara stated that Ganduje’s eight years as governor of Kano State were some of the reasons the state chose a governor from the New Nigerian People’s Party, NNPP.
“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 Southeast and Ndi Anambra in particular are more interested in why Kano State, after him, decided to disconnect from the APC-controlled center.
“Well, the APC is nonexistent in Anambra; 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 Southeast, is APGA land. There is no doubt about this, and even where the region decides to negotiate a handshake with 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 rather 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 that 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 the award as the state with the 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 lowest out-of-school child record.
“If all these awards are what it takes to be disconnected from the center, then Anambra will gladly remain disconnected,” he said.
He noted 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 declared the candidate of the party in the next election.