ANAMBRA 2017:APC PLOTS WILLIE OBIANO'S OUSTER


Anambra 2017: APC Plots Willie Obiano’s Ouster

By Nigeria Newspaper On January 16, 2017

By Geoffrey Ekenna And Felix Nwaneri
An imminent crisis is looming in Anambra State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC). It is over who flies the party’s flag in the governorship election billed to hold in the state later this year.
The impending war is connected with the array of political heavyweights in the state, within and outside the APC fold, who are jostling for the party’s governorship ticket.

They are all aiming to take out the incumbent governor of the state, Chief Willie Obiano, who is of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
Some of those jostling for the ticket are a former governor of the state and current Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige; the member representing Anambra East and West in the House of Representatives, Tony Nwoye; former Anambra Central senatorial district senator, Mrs. Uche Ekwunife; oil tycoon and candidate of Labour Party (LP) in the 2014 gubernatorial election, Dr. Ifeanyi Ubah; APC National Auditor, Chief George Muoghalu and industrialist, Chief Chike Obidigbo, as well as businessman, Dr. Obinna Uzor. From outside the party is the senator representing Anambra South senatorial district on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Andy Uba.
A host of other governorship aspirants are also said to be waiting for APC to announce its guidelines for the primaries before they join the fray.
Highly placed sources told New Telegraph over the weekend that even Obiano is under pressure by the national leadership of the APC to dump his party for the ruling party at the centre.
It was gathered that the APC leaders are dangling the carrot of the automatic ticket of the party to Obiano. The governor rode to power in 2014 on the back of a strong performance of APGA by his predecessor, Mr. Peter Obi. But contacted, the Special Adviser to Obiano on Media, Legislative Matters and Strategy, Prince Oliver Okpala, dismissed the story.
He said that the governor would return for a second term on the platform of APGA. Okpala said: “Governor Obiano has no intention whatsoever of crossing over to the APC.
When you talk of automatic ticket from APC, does he not have automatic ticket in APGA? Is anybody contesting the ticket of APGA with him? By the grace of God, we will remain and run for the election on the APGA platform. Obiano has no intention whatsoever to leave APGA.”
Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State recently declared that APC is determined to take over Anambra State in the coming governorship election in the state. Okorocha, who said the South-East cannot afford to be in opposition, averred: “I want to let you know that by 2017, APC will take over Anambra State in a free and fair election, and Anambra State will become the second APC state in the South- East.
“With the entry of prominent Igbo sons into APC, like Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, Senator Ken Nnamani and others, APC will not leave any stone unturned in the South-East,” Okorocha said.
Ngige, who is seen as leader of the party in the state, has persistently denied having interest in the governorship contest. He recently told his supporters to count him out of the race.
He said his work as a minister is challenging, hence, the governorship election is not his concern. “I have a job I am doing for the Federal Government. I am in charge of labour and employment; I have too much on my hands to start talking about governorship in Anambra State.
Right now, I have a powerful ministry that is challenging. My brain is working for now. The governorship does not concern me, but you will see me when APC picks its candidate for the 2017 election,” he said.

But New Telegraph gathered that contrary to his position, the former governor, who represented Anambra Central in the Senate between 2011 and 2015, is interested in the governorship race and has already commenced moves to grab his party’s ticket.
“Ngige remains one of the popular politicians in the state given the way he draws crowd wherever he goes. So, APC stands a chance of winning the governorship election if it hands him its ticket,” a party source told New Telegraph.
For Ifeanyi Ubah, who was the coordinator of Transformation Agenda of Nigeria (TAN), which worked for the failed second term bid of former President Goodluck Jonathan during the 2015 general elections, it is not clear whether the governorship poll prompted his recent defection to the ruling party.
While calls made to his telephone line did not go through and a text message sent to him was not replied, our correspondent learnt from some of his loyalists that he is yet to brief them on his ambition.
It was reported last year that Ubah had declared interest to take another shot at the governorship, but he quickly came out to disclaim the report, saying he only stated the need for the polity not to be overheated as that could cause a distraction to the incumbent governor.
Senator Uba’s ambition on the platform of the APC is also hazy, though New Telegraph gathered he has demanded from the party’s leadership, the governorship ticket before he defects to the party.
Highly placed sources within the party insist that Uba is pushing to be assured of the ticket before he moves to the APC. He has already offered Ekwunife the deputy governorship slot.
He believes that with Ekwunife, who ‘defeated’ Ngige and former National Chairman of APGA, Chief Victor Umeh for the Anambra Central senatorial ticket, he would be able to run Obiano out of the seat. Ekwunife, who is in London currently, declined to speak when contacted.
She said she has not decided to run or accept any of the numerous offers she has received. But sources close to her confirmed that Uba has offered her the deputy governorship slot.
“You know, those we want are people who can move the party; people who can mobilise the party and beat Obiano. I know that Uba made Ekwunife an offer. Uba is insisting on getting the ticket.
I don’t know if she would agree, but you know that to have been declared winner in an election contested by Ngige and Umeh is not a joke. She is seen as somebody who can remove Obiano from the seat,” the source said.
Uba was elected governor of the state in 2007, but served for just three weeks before he was removed by the court on the ground that there was no need for the election that saw his emergence as the then governor, Obi, was yet to serve out his tenure.
Efforts to get Uba to confirm or refute the claim over the condition he gave to the APC leadership were unsuccessful, as he did not pick calls made to his phone.
One of his aides, who promised to get across to him and report back to our correspondent, did not fulfill his promise as at press time.
For Nwoye, who was elected into the House of Representatives on the platform of the PDP before he defected to the APC last year, it was his bid to take another shot at the governorship of the state after flying the PDP’s flag in the last governorship election that motivated his defection to the ruling party.
The former National President of National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), who hails from Anambra North senatorial district, has always enjoyed the backing of oil magnet, Chief Arthur Eze. For now, the battle rages within the party, while Obiano prepares for a second term.

SOURCE: Anambra 2017: APC Plots Willie Obiano’s Ouster



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What a joke. If any party should be plotting Obiano's ouster, it should be PDP. APC has not structure in Anambra.

Ok

i really want ifeanyi uba or andy uba to be the next governor

The only hope for APC is to use soldiers to change results at collation centers.

Anambra people should learn from how Wike resisted Abuja tyranny and insisted on being present at the tallying of the votes.

Democracy is about allowing people to choose their leaders and not the President in Aso Rock abusing his powers by using Police and army to shoot the people so that he could rig the polls for his friends.

Afam4eva:
What a joke. If any party should be plotting Obiano's ouster, it should be PDP. APC has not structure in Anambra.

O you are gravely mistaken. PDP does not have the capacity to plot Obiano's removal. Right now, they are as useless as the P in Psychology.