From Ifeoma Ejiofor
Ahead the November 8 Anambra State governorship election, a prominent support group for the incumbent governor, Anambra Patriots for Soludo, (APS) has appealed to the aggrieved members of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) to return home.
The reconciliatory move is aimed at ensuring that Gov Charles Chukwuma Soludo wins all the votes that will be cast on November 8.
The Convener of the APS, Arc Okey Ezeobi, made the appeal during an interactive session with journalists shortly after a meeting organized by the leadership of the group in Awka to reconcile all the aggrieved members of APGA, who left the party since 2022.
Arc Ezeobi maintained that his group has been showcasing the good works of Gov Soludo noted that APS is not talking about winning an election this time but to sweep all the total votes.
‘But we are looking towards having a 100% votes. It is on record that the former Governor, Chief Willie Obiano won 21/21. We are not talking about this now, we are talking about 326/326, winning in every polling boot in Anambra State,” Ezeobi said.
He pointed out that APS believes firmly that sweeping all the total vote cast on the election day is possible because of the unprecedented landmark quality governance, Gov Soludo has occasioned in Anambra State.
‘We have done it before, we have a record nobody can beat even tomorrow, except another governor from APGA. There is something strategic Soludo is doing that people are not seeing. He is building institutions, setting out policies, and strictures that will outlive his administration, so that even when he left, the person he will be handing over to will have no option than to continue on the same track.
‘At the end of day, Nigerians in general and indeed Ndi-Anambra in particular will see that the solution is in Anambra. What do I mean by this? I mean that Nigerians everywhere, every state will be coming to Anambra State to copy Anambra model,” Ezeobi noted.
Commenting on the meeting proper, Ezeobi said, “We observed that there are many aggrieved members of APGA, who said they are not interested in the system anymore due to a feeling that they have done so much for the party without getting anything in return.
“In the spirit of Onye Aghana Nwanne Ya, our APGA Mantra, it is important for us to reach out to everybody to reconcile the differences to see a bigger picture ahead of us instead of looking at it on a personal basis.
“APS has gone out on that mission to search every nook and cranny of Anambra State for all the old APGA faithful who are hibernating because of what had happened in the past. This is one phase; it is something we are going to be doing consistently through the election period to make sure that they return. We have a database of all of them in the 326 wards of the State,” the APS Convener asserted.
He expressed optimism that with Gov Soludo’s landmark achievements, the aggrieved members will have no reason to continue staying in other political parties.
The Managing Director(MD) Anambra State Bureau for Public Procurement, recalled how the APS began, and explained that it had come up with a publication that contains Gov Soludo’s achievements so far.
He said that the publication will soon be made public, noting that APS will storm the entire markets in Anambra State, next week, for aggressive market and grassroot mobilization to tell people the gospel of Gov Soludo and his achievements.
The Chairman of the APS, Chief Ejiamatu Damian Enekwechi in his speech appealed to the aggrieved members of APGA to bury the hatchets and return to the party and join hands in supporting Gov Soludo, for the overall interest of ndi-Anambra.
The member representing Njikoka II Constituency in Anambra State House of Assembly, Hon Jude Akpua; Special Adviser to Gov Soludo on Security, Air Vice Marshall Ben Chiobi,(Rtd); the Director, Anambra State Project Monitoring Office, Obumneme Akunyili; the National President, Anambra State Association of Town Unions(ASATU), Barr Titus Akpudo; and a chieftain of the APGA, High Chief Ben Obi and prominent members of APS addressed the gathering.
Some of the aggrieved APGA members, Lady Njide Anusi, Dame Theresa Udemezue Okoye, Hon Friday Udensi and Mr Kenneth Emenike, amongst others expressed their grievances, but declared readiness to rejoin the party.