Obi of Onitsha Snubs APGA team, rejects
Peter Obi choice of Obiano against the
wish of Anambra North.

More Trouble In APGA.

(Why Peter Obi Insists on Obiano – Fidelity
Bank to buy Orient Petroleum)..


The Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka
Achebe appeared to have snubbed the
campaign train of the All Progressives
Grand Alliance, APGA when they paid him a
courtesy call in his Ime-Obi palace on
Wednesday, before moving down to their
campaign rally at the All Saints’ Anglican
Church Catedral Field, Onitsha, Anambra
State.

The APGA campaign team, comprising the
National Chairman of APGA, Chief Victor
Umeh; Governor Peter Obi and his wife,
Margaret; the Deputy Governor of the
state, Mr. Emeka Sibeudu and his wife; the
the APGA Governorship bearer, Mr. Willie
Obiano and his wife had gone to Achebe’s
palace for a scheduled courtesy call but
they discovered to their chagrin that Obi
Achebe was not around to receive them in
person.

However, the Ajie of Onitsha, Engr. O. C.
Adibua, a member of Achebe’s cabinet who
received the team briefly at the palace on
behalf of the Igwe, told them that Achebe
was not readily available to receive them.
A source from the palace told newsmen
that Achebe was occupied in another
engagement which could be more
important to him than the APGA team,
more so, when the team might have
missed the time scheduled for the visit.
Another anonymous source hinted that the
royal father was not happy with the
manner with which Governor Obi single-
handedly brought out Obiano as APGA’s
flag bearer, after tasking the traditional
rulers in Anambra North Senatorial District
to produce a consensus candidate from the
district for APGA.

The sour relationship between Achebe and
Governor Obi over the handpicking of
Obiano came to lime light last month when
the royal father threw in the towel as the
Chairman of Anambra State Council of
Traditional Rulers, explaining that he had
other more important assignments to
attend to.
It was gathered that Igwe Achebe like
other traditional rulers in Anambra North
Senatorial District were slighted that after
undergoing a rigorous search to pick Chief
Chike Obidigbo as the consensus candidate
of Anambra North, Gov. Obi made a last
minute somersault on his earlier promise
and personally handpicked Obiano, his
fellow director in the Fidelity Bank and
foisted him on the party barely two weeks
to close of entries of governorship
candidates by the parties.
Gov. Obi was said to have promised the
people of Anambra North that he would be
succeeded by a candidate from the zone.
The zone through a group known as “Olu
Na Adagbe”, chaired by Chief Shedrack
Anakwue and an 18-man committee set up
by Gov. Obi with Prof. Sylvester Anika and
Felix Ekulide respectively as chairman and
secretary, respectively, worked together to
select and screen 14 aspirants across party
lines and Chief Obidigbo was also chosen
as the consensus candidate.

After the Committee’s recommendation,
another committee of Igwes from Anambra
North, including Igwe Achebe and
Presidents-General of Town Unions in
Anambra North, equally confirmed Chief
Obidigbo as their preferred consensus
candidate, but during the APGA primaries,
the Governor was said to have splashed
money on the delegates and requested
them to vote massively for Obiano, a
strategy which worked out as planned.

A source close to the monarch revealed
that the Onitsha monarchs and other royal
fathers are disturbed that after such a
rigorous search for a credible candidate
from Anambra North zone, Gov. Obi
betrayed them and rubbished the entire
process by foisting his business partner on
the party.

Commenting on the development, a
cultural organization, Ndigbo Voice, led by
Dede Uzor A. Uzor, noted that if it was
true that Governor Obi foisted Obiano on
the people, after under going rigorous
search and setting committees led by
Achebe, then the governor was not fair to
the royal institution.

Uzor however advised Achebe not to be
too disappointed by the action or else
people will at a stage begin to interpret his
action as being partisan politics, instead of
being neutral as a father to all and sundry.