Anambra: Action Alliance defence Etiaba, says he remains its candidate 

From Fred Itua, Abuja

The affirmation is coming few days after some persons protested at the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) against Etiaba.

National secretary of Action Alliance, Suleiman Abdulrasheed, told newsmen at a parley in Abuja that the protest led by the expelled national chairman of the party, Kenneth Udeze was in bad faith.

According to him, Udeze had earlier been suspended in 2019 for various infringements of the party constitution, adding that he was later expelled in 2020.

He said: “The candidate of AA is the candidate recognized by INEC. Somebody who claimed to be national chairman in person of Kenneth Udeze was said to have taken a protest to INEC.

“AA and INEC have guidelines on party nomination. A primary was conducted on July 7 where Ifeoma Maduka emerged and she was subsequently substituted with Ben Etiaba.

“Udeze is an impostor. He was once national chairman of the party but was suspended in 2019 and later expelled in 2020 by members of his own executive.

“He has been to two courts and he lost. He now went before Justice Binta Mohammed and he also lost. He has been blackmailing INEC through his counsel saying INEC must recognize him. He is an impostor and we call on the general public to disregard him.”

National chairman of the party, Adekunle Rufai Omoaje, had last week, dismissed Udeze’s claim to the national chairmanship of the Action Alliance, insisting that he had long been suspended.

Earlier, Etiaba lamented the situation in Anambra, saying the state is currently on a life support.

He said: “Anambra is on the precipice. It is presently on a life support machine and it needs to be resuscitated. Anambra needs a governor who understands that we are not where we are supposed to be. The state needs someone that can take us in a different trajectory of security, education, healthcare, agriculture and integrated infrastructure.

“All the candidates must be assessed based on their track records both in private and public service. I intend to offer a different deal to Anambra people and take us in a different direction. I will do things differently band we shall achieve different results.

“APGA, PDP and APC are in disarray. We are not here to disparage any party but AA is certainly in a better position to clinch the Governorship. We are running and we are certainly going to win because we are frustrated at the state of affairs in Anambra. We are frustrated that governance is now like rocket science in the state.”

Etiaba added that he would fix all existing roads within his first year in office before initiating new ones, while also set to establish a monorail that would turn Anambra into a one-town state.