The All Progressives Grand Alliance has replied to the National Chairman of All Progressives Congress, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje, over his comments that Anambra State has remained politically dislocated from the centre by remaining in APGA.
The National Publicity Secretary of APGA, Ejimofor Opara, who reacted to the comment by Ganduje said Anambra, though a minority party, has remained better than most states which claim to have connected to the centre.
Ganduje, during the South-East APC colloquium held in Nnewi, Anambra State, on Friday, said Anambra is not making the expected progress because it has remained in APGA and has also refused to connect to the centre.
The APC chairman also noted that former governors who ruled Anambra State under APGA ended up leaving the APGA after ruling the state, which, according to him, further demonstrated that the party had no bearing in national importance.
The colloquium was organised by the Senator representing Anambra South Senatorial District, Senator Ifeanyi Ubah.
But in a response on Saturday, Opara berated Ganduje, saying that his activities in Kano as governor were some of the reasons Kano chose a governor from the New Nigeria People’s Party.
Opara 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 en masse to disconnect from the APC-controlled centre.
“Well, the APC is non-existent 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 South-East 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 Ganduje will seek to see that which is not hidden than opting for deliberate ignorance.”
He added, “From Peter Obi to Willie Obiano and now Prof. Chukwuma 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 the 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 declared the candidate of the party in the next election.