2023 General Election: APGA Should Field Credible Candidates Who Can Win at The Polls- Princess Nwankwo

Princess Bibiana Ijeoma Nwankwo, former Senior Special Assistant to Governor Willie Obiano on Environment has urged the leadership and stakeholders of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) to close ranks and work towards the conduct of free, fair primaries that produce credible candidates for various political positions up for grabs during the forthcoming 2023 general election.

Ada APGA, as Nwankwo is fondly called, said that with the victory of the party in the Anambra governorship election last November, the momentum is on the party’s side to gain more legislative seats at the state and national assembly as well as extend its political foothold beyond Anambra state.

“The 2023 general election presents another golden opportunity for APGA to rebuild its structure and join other formidable parties at the federal level. It will be naïve for us to gamble the opportunity away.

So, I am appealing to APGA leadership to put initiate a process that will ensure that credible candidates emerge through a free and fair primary to fly the party flag during the general election.

According to her, that cannot happen unless the party was able to conduct a party primary that produces quality and credible candidates. “Problems usually start from not having a properly conducted primary.

We know that the party is superior to its members but sometimes, you find out that a lot of people want to offer their best to the party and the government when elected to power. But when the party gives the opportunity to someone else and deprives such individuals of such rights in an unfair manner, two things usually happen. Some will be forced to decamp to another party in their desperate bid to actualize their dream, while others may choose to seek redress in a law court or begin to cause trouble. Whichever way, the part is affected because it loses credible members to other parties.

“So, I believe we should put in place a credible structure and process that would allow everybody to participate in the selection of the best candidates to fly the party’s flag. By so doing, we are sure of a peaceful transition and there would be no disgruntled elements in the party.

The time has come for the party to focus on consolidation and not falling back into crisis as a result of poorly conducted primaries”, she adds.

The founder of Princess Bibiana Nwankwo Foundation (PBF) and Founder of the Young Mind Advancement Programme (YMAP), also urged the party hierarchy to consider giving more political positions to women, stressing that the party was blessed with women capable of serving the party and the state at all levels.

“I’m happy to see more women throwing their headgear into the political turf to contest for political positions in an arena filled with men.

I think APGA should encourage more women to contest political positions and even ensure that others are appointed into government to give them a sense of belonging. If you consider the pivotal role women play during electioneering campaigns and at other times in party politics, you will agree with me that they deserve more than they are given.

Princess Nwankwo, could not hide her dissatisfaction with the number of women appointed into Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s cabinet so far. “I was thinking that the appointment should be based on a 70:30 ratio so that we will be sure that we have enough women to represent the womenfolk at the highest decision-making organ in the state.