From: Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha

The United Progressives Party (UPP), Anambra State chapter, has decried the politics of back-biting, brickbats, name-calling and character assassination going on in Anambra State.

The party noted that what the state needed now was peace-building and ideological politics that could transform the state to greater heights through human and infrastructural developments.

A statement signed by the state Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Uche Amaku, expressed disappointment that instead of scaling up development and ensuring peace and harmony in the state, Governor Willie Obiano stooped low to engage in needless brickbats with certain personalities, including his predecessor, Mr. Peter Obi and Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State.

While praising the reconstitution of the State Working Committee of the party by the National Working Committee, Amaku noted that the party was coming to groom leaders and empower the people with proper political education and social orientation to make the state occupy its position as the leading state in Southeast and Nigeria as a whole.

He stated that the reconstitution of the 28-member State Working Committee led by Sir (Dr.) Sylvester C. Igwilo and Fidelis Okafor as chairman and secretary, respectively; has paved the way for UPP to terminate the politics of inducement, impunity and exclusion in the state.

Amaku commended the National leadership of UPP, especially Chief (Dr.) Chekwas Okorie, for heeding the call by various tendencies that joined the party for an all-inclusive state working committee.

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According to him, “Having undertaken this seamless reunification of the State Working Committee, with due respect to  Article 21 section 2(C) of the UPP constitution, the NWC has placed the ball on the court of Anambra UPP to champion the cause of a new political order in the state,”.

“After the tempestuous years of political banditry by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), NdiAnambra looked forward to the continuity of development and peace when Peter Obi imposed Obiano on the state. But rather than concentrate on the task of building Anambra as the leading state in Igbo land, Obiano forgot how he came and took arms against outsiders to the government.”

“It is because the governor has shown lack of focus and understanding of the basic ingredients that make Anambra State great that the state has continued to manifest despondency and political delinquency, whereby young men who have been denied participation through local government system have taken to online platforms and social networks to pour insults on their elders”.

“This is not what we bargained for; Anambra should be first again by building its young people and providing purposeful leadership to the people. We say no to politics of name calling and commend great Anambra people like Ifeanyichukwu Okonkwo, who has been setting healthy agenda for a new political culture in the state,” he asserted.

Amaku stated that as the spokesman of UPP, he hopes to engage all relevant stakeholders to ensure transparency and inclusion, noting that money politics have tended to limit the participation of the masses in the affairs of their state.

The publicity secretary said it was disappointing that none of the big-name politicians that defected from one party to another could take up the challenge thrown up by Ifeanyichukwu Okonkwo, to explain to the people their reason for choosing a particular party.

He, however, stated that the UPP would use the opportunity of the November 18 governorship election in the state to hold politicians, especially those aspiring for public office to expose their knowledge and explain reasons for their political decisions.