…Says wrong choice ‘ll lead to continued marginalization
.As Sen Umeh insists on full reintegration of Igbos into Nigeria 55yrs after civil war
CYRIL MBAH, Abuja
As Anambra State prepares for the governorship polls and senatorial bye-election, the people of the state and the entire southeast geopolitical zone have been reminded of the need for the region to key into mainstream politics for greater development by voting for political parties with national outlook.
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje who made this remark on Tuesday during a meeting with governorship aspirants and APC stakeholders from the state, also advised the state electorate not to repeat the mistake of the past by voting for the wrong people.
The APC National Chairman stated that the party intends to use the formula and blueprint of reconciliation introduced by the late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu to move the southeast into mainstream national politics.
According to the chairman “Five states controlled by four political parties (is not good enough). Where is the unity there? Where is the cooperation there? Where is the political investment there?
We have a company and many shareholders of almost equal shareholding. Who is the alpha and omega of the limited liability company? None.
“So, you can see the marginalization starts at home due to lack of synergy, due to lack of cooperation. Luckily enough, now we have two states for APC out of five, but still we want to pinch more, we want to get more. As we have been saying, if not because the military came in 1983, my son would have become the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in NPN, Chief Alex Ekwueme.He had good relationship.
“If we get more, then the Southeast has a political investment where things will happen like they happened before. I was in politics even at that time, he had a good relationship with Shagari. There was a high confidence in him before the military came. If they didn’t come, surely that could have been his way because Southeast had an investment in national politics.
“I know it’s a hard fact. Sometimes they say nationally, people will abuse me. But we are used to being abused. Even when we are sleeping, some people abuse us. So that is not a big deal.
Sometime ago, we had a meeting similar to this, but not as highly attended like this. I can remember in one of the hotels, many of you were there. Where I told your stakeholders, if we are to win a number of states in our party, all of you must be born again. Yes, all of you must be born again.
And then, after a number of speeches, undertakings were made to build a strong synergy. We even launched in a few fronts, instantly.
“In order to keep the party alive, our intention was to let a lot of activities take place until this time and beyond. That is how to keep the party alive. Thank you for accommodating us when we commissioned the secretariat. I was there and I was able to meet many of you, especially the aspirants who were there.
“So, what we are saying is that, we need your cooperation. We, members of the National Working Committee, we are just catalysts. Catalysts are not part of the chemical reaction, but we are catalysts.
We aid and give an opening environment so that the election, the action will take proper shape. We are not fighting anybody among you. Only what we want is to have one of you that we can put forward.
“So that, you know it’s not easy to get the government from any incumbent. It requires a lot of political calculation. And cooperation is one of them and then we move into other political calculations, which we don’t need to talk about them now, because we have not reached the stage yet.
So, please, we urge, we beg you. No litigation. No anti-party. No sitting on the fences. And no lukewarm attitude.
“Only what we require is your active participation. All of you will be gainers. All of you will be gainers if we have government in a number of states. You will be fixed to the national grid. As we have been saying, you are now a rural electrification, which is very weak link. So, help us to help you. You are all equal as far as we are concerned. You are all our children.
All the aspirants. So, please, don’t have any stereotype on any of our members concerning this contest. We are all for you. Once one of you emerges, we beg you, please rally around him and become the foot soldiers, so that we win this election.
Earlier, the APC Anambra State Chairman, Chief Basil Ejidike praised Dr. Ganduje and the National Working Committee (NWC) for their concerted effort to reconcile the APC members in Anambra State.
“I still remember in 2019, when you single-handedly sponsored the APC candidates in Anambra States.I also remember when you led a team to the state under former Governor of Anambra State, Chris Ngige, when we had a crisis in APC, you led a team of peace-makers to the state and you were able to effectively douse the situation.
“Today, we are here again on your invitation all aimed at making sure that APC in the state succeeds this time around. I thank you so much.
Of course, I lack words in thanking you. May God Almighty continue to bless you. Let it be on record that this is the first time the members of APC in Anambra state have been called by the National Executive of our party to discuss issues pertaining to election in the state.
For me, this is a clear signal for something good, and of course, I can’t wait to be part of the end product of this meeting and other ones that will come up,” he said.
However, Chairman Senate committee on National Population and Identity Card, representing Anambra Central district in the Senate Chief Victor Umeh has urged the Federal government to reintegrate the lgbos in the affairs of Nigeria having seen the truth in the non partisan stance of the Igbos in the 1966 coup.
In an exclusive interview with our reporter Ignatius Okorocha, Senator Umeh who quoted General Babangida in his recent book as exonerating the Igbos from having a hand in the civil war,speaks on the need to accord special honorary award on Prof Humphrey Nwosu for his role in the June 12 presidential election, National census and other issues of national importance. Excerpt:
According to him ‘’ I believe that what is very important for Nigeria at this stage is a national reconciliation and healing. You know, Babangida’s book was a very great book that he wrote, apart from bringing out the facts even against himself in the annulment of the June 12th presidential election, which he accepted responsibility, but also said that he was wrong in what he did.
‘’He was also able to make fundamental statements as a young military officer then about what happened in the civil war, what led to the civil war, particularly the first coup of January 15, 1966. It was able to bring out what myself had known previously because I worked with General Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu when he was National Leader of APGA and I was National Chairman of APGA. I worked very closely with him for five years, and most of these things I already had them in my knowledge. That coup was not an Igbo coup. The way Babangida posited in his own book, the account he gave of the coup is something that is open even for unbiased minds to have come to terms with it a long time ago. But because of maybe the casualties of that coup, people have not averted their minds to the concrete undeniable facts that the same coup was crushed by Igbo people. Ojukwu was in Kano then and he didn’t agree with the coup. And when he spoke with Major Nzeogwu, he was a Lieutenant Colonel then; so he was a senior officer to Nzeogwu, he disagreed with them, the same Ojukwu that later led Biafra.
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