The Anambra governorship elections screening exercise of APGA, where six out of the 13 aspirants were disqualified, was trailed with controversy. There were insinuations that the disqualification was arranged to deliberately shut the affected aspirants out of the race. What do you have to say about that exercise?

Just like other political parties, we initially had 14 people that indicated interest in APGA’s ticket. And it became necessary to screen the candidates, to ensure that only those who are qualified passed to the stage of the primaries, where voting will take place for the party’s candidate. The National Executive Committee (NEC), first of all, met on August 1 to approve the guidelines for the primaries, setting up a three-man screening panel and five-man screening appeal panel to handle the screening exercise. Of course, 13 people eventually picked the nomination forms, and all the 13 appeared before the screening panel. The panel, using the guidelines and other relevant criteria, screened the 13 aspirants. At the end of the exercise, seven people were cleared to contest the primaries and six people were dropped. The screening panel was very strict in applying the rules for screening of the aspirants. They were thorough. All the aspirants commended the screening exercise. They gave each aspirant about 40 minutes. So, they were grilled. It was not just a screening that somebody can say you work in and work out. The aspirants were grilled for 40 minutes each, answering the same set of questions and having their documents checked.

After this thorough exercise, of course six people were dropped. And the six people approached the screening appeal panel the next day. The screening appeal panel was made up of experienced people, including lawyers. After looking at the appeals, of course, they reached the decision that they had no reason to tamper with the decision of the screening panel and found the appeals to be lacking in merit and accordingly dismissed all of them. Since that was done, five of the aspirants have accepted the verdict of the appeal panel. But only Prof. Charles

Chukwuma Soludo decided to challenge his non-clearance in court.

Do you mean you are satisfied with the job of the two panels?

Roundly speaking, we had implicit confidence in the works of the two panels because they are men and woman of integrity. Therefore, we are satisfied with their work.

But looking at the criteria that were used to adjudge the aspirants, there are some that seem not to be okay with some people. For instance, the issue of financial strength of the aspirants on which one Chinedu Idigo was dropped; the issue of voter’s card on which Obaze, the former Anambra SSG, disqualified, though he had appealed to be allowed to present the card on Monday, August 19, 2013, which was the day INEC fixed for the commencement of updating of voter registration.

Don’t you think that the appeal panel was not fair enough to have, hook, line and sinker, affirmed the verdict of the screening committee?

When the NEC made the guidelines, they were not made with a view to knowing what an aspirant may have or may not have. The things that were necessary were specified in the guidelines, that you must possess them. The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria requires anybody who will contest for an election to be a registered voter. So, if you are going to contest for the ticket of APGA, you ought to be a registered voter. At the time of the screening, it was imperative that anybody appearing before the screening panel must be armed with a voter’s card. That you are to register some time in future, the party will not wait for you to go and register in future and then come back, though the possibility that you will register in the future may be there. But the panel was dealing with the aspirants as at the date of the screening. So, there was no witch-hunt at that. Others may have left other things, and if the panel decides to wait for everybody to go and get what they do not have, you don’t know how long you will wait for everybody. So, they have to apply the rules that you must be in possession of all those documents at the time of screening. It was very unfortunate for that.

Nobody knew Henry Obaze was not a registered voter. And he admitted he was not a registered voter. At that point, the panel had to apply the rules. He was disqualified.

Then, on the issue of Chinedu Idigo, who was disqualified for doubtful financial capacity to prosecute the elections; that one came from the answer he gave to the panel. They asked him how prepared he was to prosecute the election financially. He said that it is the party that will fund his campaign. That was the response he gave. He argued that it is wrong for a candidate to fund his own campaign; that if a candidate wins an election and he funded his campaign, that he would be forced to recoup his money. So, no party will look at somebody who is leaving his burden of financing his campaign on the party to go and become candidate. Otherwise, he could get nominated and he will start looking at the party and everybody will be stranded. So, his disqualification came from his own answer. That showed that he wasn’t prepared.



What are the things that you think would stand your party out for victory in the coming Anambra governorship poll?

The performance of our party in Anambra for the past eight years. The state has been peaceful and there has been a lot of developmental projects executed in the past eight years. The people of the state experienced civil rule for eight years, with astonishing dividends of democracy. What everybody is looking for is development, and our government has done very well. Our party has not been associated with brigandage that PDP was noted for before we took over government. Anambra has been restored to the path of rectitude when good news only comes from there. Good news of achievements of the citizens and the government. And I can tell you that they are very eager to allow APGA continue in government in Anambra.

Are you not worried in any way by the strength of newly created All Progressives Congress (APC), a combination of three or more major opposition parties, which has already adopted a former governor of the state who is currently a serving senator, Dr. Chris Ngige, as its candidate?

The election is actually going to be between APGA and PDP. PDP because it has been there for a long time and the Federal Government of Nigeria is being run by the PDP. APC is nowhere there. It is not there yet in Anambra and it cannot make any impact. We are going to beat PDP again. You know it was largely the ACN that metamorphosed into APC. Ngige was the candidate of ACN in 2010; we beat Ngige and the PDP. That time, Soludo was the candidate of the PDP. So, we had beaten them in 2010. We will have no difficulty beating them again. Our support base is still intact in Anambra. Our government has performed very well to the satisfaction of the people. There might be little scepticism on the part of some people. It is not possible that in government, you satisfy everybody at a time. But in terms of promoting common good, APGA excelled in Anambra, not necessarily lining the pockets of some people or selfish individuals. And I can tell you that our scorecard is quite impressive. Our governor has less than seven months to hand over, but he is working like somebody who has just taken over government. So, there is no difference between our take-off and our ending. The state is witnessing massive construction of roads still going on everywhere. All sectors are still receiving attention. I don’t think Anambra will wish for a government that is better than that of APGA. They can’t get it. So, they know that they cannot get anything better in the other parties.

So, should we take it that victory is certain for APGA?

Surely, we will get victory. And remember that the crisis that plagued the party was celebrated by our opponents. But when we made up our minds to resolve it, it jolted all of them. The combination of Victor Umeh and Peter Obi in Anambra in this election with other stakeholders will be formidable.

Some opposition parties, mainly ACN, ANPP, CPC came together to form APC to give them a formidable force to kick out the ruling PDP at the national level in 2015. Your party refused to be part the merger arrangement. Where does APGA belong for the 2015 general elections?

APGA is a political party standing on its own. In 2015, we will decide what we are going to do, based on the strength we can muster. If we can muster enough strength to continue standing alone, we will do. If we cannot, we go into alliance discussions with any political party.

Including APC?

Any political party we find convenient. Parties that can protect what we stand for. We did it in 2011, where we supported President Goodluck Jonathan. So, it is not by dictation. The party will look at the prevailing circumstances and then take decision that will protect the interest of the party and its members. We didn’t join the merger. And like you said in your question, APC will kick out the PDP. It is for that same reason that we said we should not join such amalgamation of people who represent different things. The people who are in APC represent different things.

Are you saying there is no need for the PDP to be kicked out in 2015, after being there for over 14 years with nothing meaningful to show for it?

How can they kick out PDP? If you look at APC, it is full of noise-makers. I do not think that the best way to go is through noisemaking. A party that is just registered should begin to cultivate the will of the Nigerian electorate. By beginning to talk about who to kick out and who not to kick out is not the best way to go about it. I use a story in the bible about a woman who was brought out for stoning by the people of the community. They said she committed adultery and must be stoned to death for that. Jesus Christ was there. Then Christ said to them: “Anyone among you that is without sin should cast the first stone.” And all of them, as they pick the stone, Jesus wrote the number of sins and number of time they committed adultery and fornication, that person would drop the stone and go away. At the end of the day, nobody could throw the stone because they were all sinners. And when they had all left, Christ asked the woman to look round and see whether her accusers were still there. There was nobody left and he asked her to stand up and go home and sin no more.

With this illustration, it does appear that you are trying to tell us that APC cannot in anyway be better than the ruling PDP, perhaps because they have both sinned?

APC is lambasting PDP as harbouring corruption in Nigeria. If you look at people in APC, there are so many corrupt people in APC. So, for the Nigerian electorate, what would be the distinctive feature that will attract their votes to them? It is not by making promises. Nigerians are wiser. You parade corrupt people in government and you are making noise against other people. They cannot get those votes by making noise. The votes will come by convincing the people that you are different; that you are indeed different from the PDP that you want to unseat. If they (Nigerians) see corrupt people in your nest, nobody will look in your direction. Like it is said, potential is nothing until it is realised. The election will soon come, and when the election comes, after 2015, APC will begin to assess itself in terms of the strength it has. Today, they are just doing merrymaking and noisemaking. By the time the elections come, they will know whether they are indeed an alternative to PDP, or whether the Nigerian electorate have any regard for them.

What is your message to the Anambra people as they prepare to come out en masse for the November 16 governorship poll in the state?

We will continue to do those things we have done for the people of Anambra that have made the people get so attached to APGA. We have done a lot of revolutionary things in the state. We have laid very solid foundation for that state. And we have no reason to disappoint them or let them down. So, their hope should still rest on APGA for the fact that we are not known for scrambling for state resources. The state resources will still be better managed by APGA government. As a major stakeholder in Anambra government, during the crisis, I never disturbed the government; I never sponsored mayhem; I never incited anybody against the government. It is a remarkable difference. When the PDP members quarrelled in the past, they burnt all the public buildings in the state. And if they come back, there is no guarantee that they will not quarrel again. If you give them that government, they will quarrel again. The treasury will be their target. And once they quarrel over it, they burn down public buildings and there will be no governance. So, that stability, which APGA has brought to governance in Anambra, should be allowed to endure. And the only way it can endure is by entrusting governance in the hands of an APGA governor in the 2013 election.

Let me see how that boko haram party APC will campaign in Anambra..

Nice interview. **watching as events unfold**

EXCLENTE !

I can't wait to see the shameless faces of Obi's hater!

We will see how it plays out in November. But the fact remains that the election is between APGA and PDP in Anambra.

Initial gra-gra...o ga eme gi vom n'anya...up Ngige

I agree strongly with Umeh that the contest is between Apga and PDP, Soludo is just a part of waht the US MArine calls 'collateral Damage'.
'
MEANWHILE PETER AND APGA IS CURRENTLY FINALIZING ARRANGEMENTS TO USE THE TEACHERS IN ANAMBRA STATE TO RIG THE NOV 16 ELECTION. WITHIN THE WEEK HE HAS BEEN MAKING ARRANGEMENT FOR A RETREAT OUTSIDE ANAMBRA STATE WHERE HE WILL TEACH THEM SOME SKILLS ON HOW TO AID APGA TO WIN THE ELECTION. HE HAS PROMISED ALL OF THE PROMOTIONS AT ALL LEVELS.
i challenge you to investigate this matter and prove me wrong

Only a goat would think that APC can win a givernorship election in Nigeria. Unfortunately, we have lots of goats on Nairaland!

Unfortunately APGA and PDP in Anambra state are one and the same party. PDP intentionally sold out Anambra to APGA to ensure Peter Obi's continuous support for Jonathan at the Federal level. We all know Tony Nwoye cannot win in Anambra. When did he join politics. He is just a cultist who used to be Andy Uba's chief thug. Soludo was the real candidate but they frustrated him out of both PDP and APGA. You should all ask why? Because PDP needed Peter Obi's backing at the Federal level so they have backed him to install him puppet Obiano. Soludo was by far the best candidate but in his absence, Onwa might just carry the day because Nwoye is not a real candidate (just like Ribadu was in 2011) and Obiano is just a puppet.

slimghost: Only a goat would think that APC can win a givernorship election in Nigeria. Unfortunately, we have lots of goats on Nairaland!

perhaps, you are one of the goats.