Before now, APGA used to have as many as 25 seats within the House of Assembly out of 30, however within the final election, you had solely 16. What is your confidence that you’ll carry out higher within the subsequent election?
I’ve confidence that we are able to do higher. Truly, over the last administration, we obtained as much as 27 seats at some extent, however this time round, we obtained 16, earlier than the present speaker joined us. Part of why we misplaced a few of these seats were the issues I had recognized earlier than. The sham primaries we performed. We had loads of inside points. Most of those that were aggrieved didn’t go away the get together, they stayed inside the get together and labored in opposition to the get together. That was how we misplaced. We had conditions the place our members were campaigning for the opposition get together. We are comfortable that loads of our members are again. Most members of PDP who were with me after I was the chairman there have come to us, and I can let you know that anybody who continues to be in PDP just isn’t in any get together at present.
Then the Labour Party, a few of them are with us. Most members of that get together have understood that the feelings of the Labour motion doesn’t look like one thing that may final lengthy. I can let you know that issues can by no means be worse than they were earlier than. As lengthy as now we have credible primaries, the election in Anambra gained’t be an issue for APGA, and I can guarantee you on that.
Anambra is really APGA and the folks of Anambra nonetheless imagine in APGA and we’re getting extra assured daily, and the governor is working far more than we anticipated and generally we are inclined to neglect that he’s lower than two years in workplace. His achievements are already competing with these of people who find themselves 4 years. So his achievements will make the election very straightforward for us to win.
Two former governorship candidates within the final election have rated your governor very low. One is Obiora Okonkwo and the opposite is Ifeanyi Ubah. So what have you ever to say about this?
Let me begin with my brother, Obiora Okonkwo. I’m beginning with him as a result of I do know him too properly, and I do know with each kindness to him that he must rebuild his political profession. He ran for governorship and misplaced very woefully in my group. He had 103 votes and APGA obtained 1,188 votes. Those days we are going to say that he misplaced his deposit in Ogidi, his personal group. Many folks can say it occurred as a result of he ran beneath the improper get together, which was Zenith Labour Party, however what occurred within the final presidential and nationwide meeting election is what is going to retire any critical politician. He was the DG of PDP presidential candidate, and PDP didn’t win even one polling unit in Ogidi ward one and two, together with his polling unit. After that, he disappeared and immediately he’s now castigating our governor. I don’t take him critically. He has so much to restore and he has to come back again residence to restore the harm he has carried out to his political profession.
Again, if he is considering governorship, it means he has learnt nothing from the outdated errors. Part of the outdated mistake was that governorship was zoned to the south, however he insisted on working, though he’s from the central zone. His get together gave it to the south senatorial zone and he left for Zenith Labour Party. We have a practice of zoning, and it have to be sustained. That custom can’t be stopped as a result of now we have the likes of Obiora Okonkwo. He is a younger man, he will be affected person and his time will come. The South will rule for eight years, earlier than it involves the Central and that’s once we will start to take heed to folks like Obiora Okonkwo. For now, it’s not the flip of Central, we’re ready for the South to finish their tenure.
Back to the South the place the likes of Ifeanyi Ubah is coming from. Still on the idea of zoning, will probably be dishonest for him to say he’s coming in to finish the 4 years of south earlier than the rotation continues. We have a governor from the south already, and he’s doing very properly. For Anambra folks, we’d slightly he completes his 4 years, in order that the rotation is sustained with out interruption. It can be a threat to present it to a different particular person from the south, as a result of he would need a second time period.
But once more, the identical Ubah you talked about was at a city corridor assembly in Abuja and he recommended Soludo, saying that he’s doing very properly. He even mentioned he wish to be Soludo’s marketing campaign supervisor. I do not forget that by going into APC, Senator Ubah has gotten his debt cleared and his courtroom circumstances eliminated. I admire the transfer, however it’s a private transfer and never for Anambra folks.
Beyond that, the approaching race can be based mostly on the efficiency of Soludo. In two years we’re all actually impressed. We have so much to speak about these tasks the governor is doing when the time comes. Dr Okonkwo doesn’t see the 400 kilometres of roads the governor is doing in numerous elements of Anambra, he didn’t see the employment of 5,000 academics and the second part so as to add extra 3,000, he gained’t see free natal and antenatal look after Anambra ladies, he gained’t see the free training. You don’t simply sit in your consolation in Abuja and criticise. Let him come residence and reconcile with the folks of Ogidi who’ve rejected him. He is a failed politician.
You have been six months on this saddle because the chairman of APGA in Anambra State. Let us know what you will have been doing inside this time period?
Thanks for reminding me that I’ve been right here for six months. It has been an fascinating interval and in addition difficult. I’ll let you know why it has been difficult. We got here in at a time when the spirit of APGA members was fairly low. We were battling with many issues. We are simply coming in when the results of the final election can’t be mentioned to be one of the best for APGA in latest occasions. We by no means had it so low. We obtained solely 16 seats within the House of Assembly, 4 within the House of Representatives, and we were additionally battling with intra-get together grievances arising from the primaries, which had its personal unfavorable impact.
We came upon that fairly a variety of our get together members labored in opposition to us, arising from the poor conduct of the primaries. We additionally had challenges arising from the mindset of the get together members, so we wanted to work on the mindset of the get together members, particularly on not opening as much as new members. There were challenges arising from disunity within the operational construction.
So we began rebuilding, rebranding, repositioning the get together to satisfy the imaginative and prescient that the brand new government wanted. It was not straightforward. We began by going round and visiting main stakeholders who had deserted us or not exhibiting curiosity any longer. Some of the issues were from primaries, so we wanted to persuade them that issues can be carried out differently beneath my watch. So we introduced again the arrogance of the folks.
There were additionally the grievances of outdated political appointees, of greater than 3,000, consisting of all types of individuals. Some were not gainfully employed, some were mates to mates, girlfriends to politicians, some lived in London, US, Abuja and plenty of locations within the diaspora.
But the present regime has a brand new imaginative and prescient for political appointees. The current regime beneath Governor Soludo believes it’s higher to show folks fish slightly than giving them fish. The outdated political appointees felt they’d been shortchanged. The promise was that they were going to be re-engaged, and all these were the crises we met and we wanted to convey again their confidence and make them perceive that the coverage drive of Governor Soludo is best than what they used to have earlier than.
We gave them examples that Soludo has employed 5,000 academics and that counted for us electorally. The governor additionally began the one youth two abilities programme. So they noticed that this mannequin is best. People obtained cheques for N250,000, N500,000 and extra to go and begin their very own commerce. So you see that it’s higher than incomes salaries because the appointees used to and on the finish of that regime, you might be thrown again into the labour market.
So, that’s a part of the rebuilding course of and folks have begun to point out curiosity within the issues of the get together. Again, now we have additionally began inaugurating varied constructions in a brand new method, and a number of the issues now we have came upon is that it’s not simply the get together executives that it’s a must to belief to ship. We normal out a course of the place the grassroot people who find themselves not the each day get together officers can perform within the affairs of the get together.
We have conditions the place palliatives come, and elements of the issue we had previously was that those that are the leaders preserve this stuff, so past the executives, now we have damaged wards into kindreds, and when now we have issues to share, we ensure that each kindred will get it. So these are a number of the issues now we have been doing.
One good factor is that now we have been in a position to convey again self-discipline. We misplaced it previously, so once we got here in, we determined to instil self-discipline, and that is from the highest. I mentioned one thing in regards to the operational construction, sure. We additionally suffered that earlier than, however now it’s our coverage that individuals who come up as assist teams, a few of them aren’t members of our get together, however it is vitally essential that they exist. So it’s essential to permit them to run their organisation and maintain their assist.
So, all collectively, we mentioned we are going to rebrand the operational modus, so that we are going to have higher concord and technique within the operations inside the get together and the assist teams, with the total information the get together stays supreme.
While we’re working to attain the identical objective, the get together should maintain its supremacy. It has not been straightforward, it has not been what we’re used to. Before, we had assist teams that were stronger than the get together and higher funded than the get together, however now we’re working collectively as a household. I at all times inform them, you’re employed as a assist group, however we don’t need city guerillas, those that simply gown up and are available to Awka and present themselves as assist teams, however haven’t any constructions, all the way down to the ward degree. So now we have requirements by which we are able to acknowledge you as a assist group. If there’s something now we have been in a position to do inside this era, it’s the truth that now we have been in a position to convey the get together again to life, make it seen as one political household, working for one goal and imaginative and prescient, beneath a revered chief.
By subsequent 12 months, electioneering for the governorship election would start, and with the labour motion, and the Ifeanyi Ubah’s defection to APC, Soludo might have problem in returning as governor. What do you assume?
By Labour you imply Valentine Ozigbo, is it not? Unfortunately, that title has develop into synonymous with shedding elections. If he contests, he will likely be contesting in opposition to his homeboy from Aguata (Soludo). As for the ‘Obidient’ man (Peter Obi), APGA has overwhelmed him twice. We beat him when he introduced a person from Ogbaru, Oseloka Obaze, and we beat him once more when he introduced Val Ozigbo. What occurred within the final Obidient Movement is a lesson to Ndigbo and shouldn’t repeat itself. It was like what occurred in 1967, once we went into battle with Nigeria with out preparation. It just isn’t more likely to occur to Ndigbo once more. There will likely be no Obidient motion within the governorship election as a result of that motion was tied round an emotion to develop into president of Nigeria. It had nothing to do with Peter Obi as an individual.
At that time limit, the Igbos felt it was their flip, rightly or wrongly. It has come and it has gone, and that issue can by no means come into play once more within the subsequent governorship election. Whether Governor Soludo will contest or not, we is not going to put him within the radar but, till that point comes. We have additionally informed him as a celebration to please think about his good governance. His authorities is lower than two years, and it’s not a time to evaluate anyone, however we’re positive from his programmes that when it’s time for campaigning, in direction of the top of subsequent 12 months, most of what he has began will crystallise.
When we start to see the community of roads that will transfer from Amansea, come by means of Okpuno, and a flyover, which might be coming earlier than the election, once we see the dualisation from Amawbia all the way down to Uga, with a flyover, which turns to Isuofia in direction of Nnobi, the folks would know who to vote.
Like my governor at all times says, simply wait and see. See what is going on in Onitsha south and the variety of roads arising. We have sat down with him (Soludo) and requested him how he intends to attain sure issues and he has informed us that by this time subsequent 12 months, no one in APGA can have the arrogance to come back out and contest for the ticket in opposition to him.
