The last may not have been heard about the
multifarious reasons behind the
opposition of key members of the All
Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA to the
emergence of Dr. Willie Obianor and Dr. Chike
Obidigbo as two opposing flag
bearers for the party in the Nov 16, 2013
governorship election in Anambra
State.
This mindset of the leaders of Thought from the
Anambra North Senatorial zone
was revealed to journalists in an interview
yesterday in Awka by the former
Secretary to the Ankabra state government,
Ichie Okwuchukwu Ezeaku. He pointed
out that the leaders of the area are not happy
with how Dr. Obianor was
“foisted on the party and the zone”.
Ezeaku told journalists that he and other
leaders played key role in the
emergence of Dr Chike Obidigbo as the
flagbearer of APGA under the leadership
of Chief Maxi Okwu because he came out tops
after series of screening processes
by different groups from the area.
According to the high chief and elder
statesman, “I participated in this
primary that produced Dr Obidigbo to show my
anger against what Gov Peter Obi
and his group did earlier where they presented
an unknown stooge of his as
flagbearer of the party. I am protesting against
what they did. I therefore
endorse what happened here in the emergence
of the popular candidate, Dr
Obidigbo.
“Gov Obi had in his own wisdom said it was
the turn of the north zone to
produce the next governor and we all
welcomed and embraced the idea. We
therefore set up different committees to screen
the aspirants. The Olu n’adagbe
Clan, women group, professionals, traditional
rulers and other established
groups from the zone screened all the groups
and Dr. Obidigbo came tops having
been adjudged the best.
“However, in the midst of all these we had
sought the governor’s opinion
whether he has a candidate in mind but he said
no. We just found out he hid
Obianor because he suspected and knew he
would not make the stringent screening
requirements”, Ezeaku emphasized.
On whether he did not consider the issue of
double candidates for most of the
parties in the state as a prelude to political
crisis, The former SSG said it
would not breed any problem if only “gov Obi
simply advises his surrogate
to throw in the towel and return back to
wherever he was coming from, because
all the processes that threw him were
flawed.”
Another pleader chief Gaius Eze said it was
shocking that a man who was not
known in any ward in the party in the state
could emerge overnight and clinch
the ticket just like that. Hear him, “this is APGA
where we have sequence
and everyone has history. Here is not PDP
where all manner of things happen and
any person could be foisted on the state by a
godfather and godmother.”
Maxi Okwu said he would not comment further
because the leadership issue was already
in court.