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 will do higher. Truly, over the last administration, we acquired as much as 27 seats at a degree, however this time round, we acquired 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 carried out. We had quite a lot of inner points. Most of those that were aggrieved didn’t go away the social gathering, they stayed inside the social gathering and labored in opposition to the social gathering. That was how we misplaced. We had conditions the place our members were campaigning for the opposition social gathering. We are pleased that quite a lot of our members are again. Most members of PDP who were with me once I was the chairman there have come to us, and I can inform you that anybody who continues to be in PDP is just not in any social gathering at present.
Then the Labour Party, a few of them are with us. Most members of that social gathering have understood that the feelings of the Labour motion doesn’t appear to be one thing that can final lengthy. I can inform you 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 consider in APGA and we’re getting extra assured daily, and the governor is working far more than we anticipated and typically we are inclined to overlook 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 nicely, 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 acquired 1,188 votes. Those days we’ll say that he misplaced his deposit in Ogidi, his personal group. Many folks can say it occurred as a result of he ran underneath the incorrect social gathering, which was Zenith Labour Party, however what occurred within the final presidential and nationwide meeting election is what’s going to retire any severe 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 all of a sudden he’s now castigating our governor. I don’t take him severely. He has rather a lot to restore and he has to return again house 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 previous errors. Part of the previous mistake was that governorship was zoned to the south, however he insisted on operating, regardless that he’s from the central zone. His social gathering 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 may be affected person and his time will come. The South will rule for eight years, earlier than it involves the Central and that’s after 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 premise 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 nicely. For Anambra folks, we’d reasonably he completes his 4 years, in order that the rotation is sustained with out interruption. It could be a threat to provide it to a different individual 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 counseled Soludo, saying that he’s doing very nicely. He even mentioned he want 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 court docket circumstances eliminated. I admire the transfer, however it’s a private transfer and never for Anambra folks.
Beyond that, the approaching race could be based mostly on the efficiency of Soludo. In two years we’re all actually impressed. We have rather a lot to speak about these initiatives the governor is doing when the time comes. Dr Okonkwo doesn’t see the 400 kilometres of roads the governor is doing in numerous components of Anambra, he didn’t see the employment of 5,000 academics and the second section so as to add extra 3,000, he gained’t see free natal and antenatal take care of Anambra ladies, he gained’t see the free training. You don’t simply sit in your consolation in Abuja and criticise. Let him come house 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 could 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 likewise difficult. I’ll inform you 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 the perfect for APGA in current instances. We by no means had it so low. We acquired solely 16 seats within the House of Assembly, 4 within the House of Representatives, and we were additionally battling with intra-social gathering grievances arising from the primaries, which had its personal destructive impact.
We discovered that fairly various our social gathering members labored in opposition to us, arising from the poor conduct of the primaries. We additionally had challenges arising from the mindset of the social gathering members, so we wanted to work on the mindset of the social gathering 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 social gathering to fulfill 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 displaying curiosity any longer. Some of the issues were from primaries, so we wanted to persuade them that issues could be carried out differently underneath my watch. So we introduced again the arrogance of the folks.
There were additionally the grievances of previous political appointees, of greater than 3,000, consisting of all types of individuals. Some were not gainfully employed, some were associates to associates, 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 underneath Governor Soludo believes it’s higher to show folks easy methods to fish reasonably than giving them fish. The previous political appointees felt that they had 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 carry 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 acquired 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’re thrown again into the labour market.
So, that’s a part of the rebuilding course of and other people have begun to point out curiosity within the issues of the social gathering. Again, now we have additionally began inaugurating varied buildings in a brand new method, and a few of the issues now we have discovered is that it’s not simply the social gathering executives that it’s important to belief to ship. We normal out a course of the place the grassroot people who find themselves not the everyday social gathering officers can perform within the affairs of the social gathering.
We have conditions the place palliatives come, and components of the issue we had up to now was that those that are the leaders maintain these items, so past the executives, now we have damaged wards into kindreds, and when now we have issues to share, we guarantee that each kindred will get it. So these are a few of the issues now we have been doing.
One good factor is that now we have been in a position to carry again self-discipline. We misplaced it up to now, so after 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 help teams, a few of them usually are not members of our social gathering, however it is vitally essential that they exist. So you should permit them to run their organisation and maintain their help.
So, all collectively, we mentioned we’ll rebrand the operational modus, so that we are going to have higher concord and technique within the operations inside the social gathering and the help teams, with the complete information the social gathering stays supreme.
While we’re working to attain the identical objective, the social gathering should maintain its supremacy. It has not been straightforward, it has not been what we’re used to. Before, we had help teams that were stronger than the social gathering and higher funded than the social gathering, however now we’re working collectively as a household. I at all times inform them, you’re employed as a help group, however we don’t need city guerillas, those that simply costume up and are available to Awka and present themselves as help teams, however don’t have any buildings, right down to the ward degree. So now we have requirements by which we will acknowledge you as a help 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 carry the social gathering again to life, make it seen as one political household, working for one goal and imaginative and prescient, underneath a revered chief.
By subsequent yr, electioneering for the governorship election would start, and with the labour motion, and the Ifeanyi Ubah’s defection to APC, Soludo could have problem in returning as governor. What do you assume?
By Labour you imply Valentine Ozigbo, is it not? Unfortunately, that identify has develop into synonymous with shedding elections. If he contests, he can be contesting in opposition to his homeboy from Aguata (Soludo). As for the ‘Obidient’ man (Peter Obi), APGA has crushed 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 mustn’t repeat itself. It was like what occurred in 1967, after we went into battle with Nigeria with out preparation. It is just not more likely to occur to Ndigbo once more. There can 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 cut-off date, 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 won’t put him within the radar but, till that point comes. We have additionally advised him as a celebration to please consider 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 the direction of the top of subsequent yr, most of what he has began will crystallise.
When we start to see the community of roads that might transfer from Amansea, come by Okpuno, and a flyover, which might be coming earlier than the election, after we see the dualisation from Amawbia right down to Uga, with a flyover, which turns to Isuofia in the direction of Nnobi, the folks would know who to vote.
Like my governor at all times says, simply wait and see. See what is occurring 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 advised us that by this time subsequent yr, no one in APGA could have the arrogance to return out and contest for the ticket in opposition to him.
