…Nwibe warns party against consensus candidate
From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has concluded arrangements to summon all the aspirants on the party’s platform for the Anambra State governorship election to discuss the delegate lists for the conduct of the party primaries.
National chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, who made the disclosure when an aspirant, Engr. Bart Nwibe, paid him a courtesy visit, reassured him and other aspirants that the party would be above board in the conduct of the primary.
He said: “I want welcome you and to add that I have heard so many things about you. You are part of the progressives and if you are the right person to remove the incumbent, so be it.
“We are going to invite all of you back here in few days time to sit down over the delegates list. The aspirants will go through the delegates list and make known to us any complaint.
“Once that is done, I also hope that whoever emerges, all others will stand solidly behind him. Everything will be open and totally above board. At any stage you find that we are falling short of standard, tell us and be sure that we are going to make amends. I wish you the best of luck,” Oyegun said.
Meanwhile, Nwibe has warned the national leadership of the party against toying with the idea of a consensus candidate for the party, stressing that it was against the principle of democracy and democratic practice.
Speaking with newsmen after submitting his nomination and expression of interest forms at the party national secretariat, Nwibe, however said he would support the idea of having a consensus candidate if the parameters are clearly spelt out and agreed upon.
“The idea of consensus candidate runs contrary to the principles of democracy. Among all of us running for the office, I have not seen any with superior idea.
“But if somebody convinces me that he can do better than me for the people of Anambra State and presents a manifesto better than mine, I will be amenable to the processes. If we agree and define the parameters right, I will support that. Consensus must be well defined and the criteria clearly spelt out,” he said.
Nwibe who also emphasised that becoming governor was not a do or die affairs, further said: “I know that only one of us will emerge winner at the end of the day. Everybody with the right mental attitude will know that only one person will win it and so, it is not a do or die affair. God’s Will, will always prevail.”
He commended the party for its move to give a list of delegates to all the aspirants saying “giving the delegates list to aspirants is part of the process to make the primary credible and transparent. We will be dealing with the delegates and constitutionally, we know those delegates.
“We have been in this party for a long time and we know those occupying these offices. In recent time, some of them died, some left the party. I should have an idea of who should be in that list and so, I am not expecting any surprises because I don’t expect that those who joined the party yesterday will suddenly appear on the list”.
On his vision for the state, he said: “We are going to refine the petrol we use in Anambra State and generate the electricity we use. If we do these things, the middle class will thrive and we will create employment for our graduates because industries will come back. If I do eight years in Anambra State, the state will catch up with Lagos.”