From Magnus Eze, Abuja
The All Progressives Congress (APC), at the weekend, assured its aspirants in the November gubernorship polls in Anambra State of free, fair and transparent primaries.
This was even as former governor of Abia State and vice chairman of the committee charged to deliver the party in Anambra, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, insisted that APC would rubbish Governor Willie Obiano’s incumbency power in the election.
Deputy National Chairman, South, Chief Segun Oni and Chairman, South East APC Zonal Committee on the Anambra election, Chief Jim Nwobodo gave the assurance during a strategic meeting with aspirants in Abuja.
According to Oni: “The chairman said I should give the assurance, as many times as possible during this meeting, that the process of primaries in Anambra will be free, fair and transparent. At the end of the journey, we can be rest assured that the aspirants will cooperate to deliver Anambra to APC.”
Nwobodo reiterated that defeating the incumbent governor would not be an easy task, but said with hard work and doing the right things, APC will emerge victorious.
Addressing newsmen, he said: “We are having an interactive meeting with aspirants for the position of the governorship of Anambra State and in doing that, the committee wants to introduce the aspirants to one another and, also, to the National Working Committee of the party. This is just to assure them that we are seriously working towards winning the election in Anambra State.
“We’ve spoken to them, all we are trying to assure them is that only one person will be the governor. We want all of them to cooperate with whoever wins the primaries. The party has assured us that the primaries will be free, fair and transparent. That assurance is very important and we are working towards that. We want to assure every person contesting that they will not be shortchanged and no person will be imposed on the people as governor of Anambra State by APC.”
Nwobodo, who disclosed that the party’s code of conduct used in Edo and Ondo states will be handed down to the aspirants, said it was high time the Igbo re-joined mainstream politics by delivering more states to the ruling party, beginning with Anambra.
“What members of the National Working Committee have said clearly to us is that they are not able to speak strongly as they should if they had South East states with them.”