By Praise Chinecherem
The All Progressives Congress (APC) South East Organizing Secretary, Mr Dozie Ikedife (jnr) has reaffirmed the party’s preparedness to take over from the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) come 2025.
He described APGA as a party that had squandered the political mandate given to it by Anambra electorate.
Speaking in a telephone interview on Sunday, Ikedife said the person best positioned to wrestle power from Governor Chukwuma Soludo remained Senator representing Anambra South, Dr Ifeanyi Ubah who is in frontline for the election.
He described Ubah as a known politician in the entire Anambra and beyond who not only has a proven track record, but has demonstrated he has the capacity to win elections.
He said, “Don’t forget that he is the Senator representing Governor Soludo’s Senatorial district. Senator Ubah will defeat anybody, any day from the Anambra South Senatorial district.
“Ubah has a track record and APC is going to bring somebody who has a track record to win the support of people in Anambra South, Central and North Senatorial districts.
“We believe that Ubah is the option for the APC right now. The reason is that we are going for electoral contest and that’s about winning votes and getting support of the people.
“Right now, I believe that he is the person best positioned to win the support of people in Anambra South, Central and North Senatorial districts.
“And with his political antecedents, his main base is business community and Anambra is a business hub. So, majority of Anambra people are in business and they can identify the ideologies of one of their own.
“I believe that when Senator Ubah gets the ticket of the APC, he is going to have landslide victory in the Anambra governorship election.”
Ikedife disclosed that Ubah had already promised to conduct local government election in six months when he assumed office as Governor, adding that the party leadership would hold him to that promise for the foundation of democracy to be redeemed in Anambra State.
According to him, there were enough indices to conclude that Anambra people would not risk giving their mandate again to the APGA but would rather support the APC as the best option.
“If you look at the cream of membership of our great party, APC, in Anambra State, it’s easy for APC to produce a strong candidate and whoever emerges on the platform of the APC will be better than what we have now in Anambra State.
“The State Governor has reneged on a lot of his promises. He has failed to conduct the local government election which is the foundation of democracy. He has failed to conduct the election and he has continued with double taxation. That’s too bad. The government has no respect for the masses of Anambra State.
“Look at how the government manhandles artisans and how they manhandles traders in the State. That’s not good at all. The current administration treat Anambra people with disdain.
“When APC governement comes on board, we are going to conduct local government election in the State. APC governement is going to connect Anambra State to the center and our party will bring governance to the grassroots. These are some of the things that are important to Anambra people.
On whether APGA with Igbo party mentality would not hamper the chances of the APC in the forthcoming governorship election, Ikedife dismissed that as a slogan by few people in the South East.
“Right now, the South East has five States and the APC is controlling two out of the five and APC has more National Assembly members from the South East. APC has more elected representatives from the South East. Then what is the basis for parading APGA as an Igbo party?
“APC is the party that is saying, hey, South East look at me, I’m the party that can treat you better then the APGA. APGA has been governing Anambra State for the past 18 years with nothing to show for it. APGA is a disaster in Anambra State and that’s why the State is the most underdeveloped in the South East.
“Soludo came and said he was going to give us Taiwan, Dubai and all of that in Anambra State. But he can’t afford Abakiliki. Go to Ebonyi State and see what is happening there, genuine development. Now, all we are asking Soludo is to give us Abakiliki. He should not worry about Taiwan or Dubai which we know is a pipe dream for him. Let Anambra look like Abakiliki or Imo, “Ikedife tasked Soludo.
He enjoined the Igbo in South East to find a way to embrace the APC as their choice of political party.
“I advise Ndigbo that APC is the way to go. The remaining three States of Anambra, Imo and Abia must make it a point of duty to embrace the APC which has the assurances to connect the entire South East to national politics, “he concluded.
