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The Real Reason Senator Annie Okonkwo Dumped The Ngige Campaign

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Senator Chris Ngige
Senator Chris Ngige

The political mechanizations of the upcoming November 16, 2013 gubernatorial elections in Anambra State may have begun exhibition of expected volatility and unpredictability as the various major political teams align for the Election Day.

Information available to 247ureports.com obtained from a consortium of sources near the theater of action in Awka, the capital of Anambra State indicate that there are more underlying factors that resulted in the abrupt resignation of the former senator of the Anambra central district, Senator Annie Okonkwo from the Chairmanship position of the national campaign coordinator of the Ngige gubernatorial campaign.

According to a source close to the Ngige team, the former Senator of the Anambra central district, Annie Okonkwo had wanted to play the role of a godfather in the Ngige campaign team. Particularly, Senator Okonkwo was said to have commandeered the entire allotment within the party structure in the State. The source revealed that Senator Okonkwo – after having reached an agreement with Senator Chris Ngige to rest his [Okonkwo] gubernatorial ambitions under the All Progressive Congress [APC] for Ngige – decided to mount the seat of National Chairman of the Ngige Campaign. Through this action, Senator Okonkwo proceeded to present names of his political aides to fill the entire political positions within the APC from ward to state levels. Senator Okonkwo also presented his personal aide [PA], Barrister Chinwuba as the interim State Chairman of APC.  Barrister Chinwuba was Annie Okonkwo’s campaign director.

Available information indicates that the Ngige team rejected the names of the Annie Okonkwo’s political aides to occupy the entire positions within the APC. However the crack in relationship between Ngige and Okonkwo developed over filling the position of the deputy governorship candidate to deputize Senator Chris Ngige. Senator Annie Okonkwo was told to bring three [3] names as possible candidates to Ngige for possible vetting – in order to select one name for the position. Senator Annie Okonkwo rejected the offer to present three names for the position – instead he presented a thirty six [36] year old Barrister from Aguleri by the name – Emeka Jideani who graduated from Nnamdi Azikiwe University in 1996 who works for a clearing company in Abuja.

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Senator Okonkwo’s choice for deputy governor, according to the source, was unanimously rejected by the campaign team. Senator Okonkwo was reported to have mounted a passionate protest insisting that his choice candidate must be the candidate for the deputy position. To avert onset of quarrel between the Ngige campaign team and Senator Okonkwo group, a private closed door meeting between Senator Ngige and Senator Annie Okonkwo was arranged.

At the private closed door meeting, Senator Chris Ngige impressed on Okonkwo the need to present a candidate that may yield political value to the ticket – being that three other political parties were already presenting three candidates from the Aguleri axis who are considered more politically active and more popular than Barrister Emeka Jideani. With little hesitation, Senator Okonkwo accepted to present another candidate for the position. The matter appeared settled, or so they thought.

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Senator Annie Okonkwo rose from the private closed meeting – and drove to his All Progressive Grand Alliance [APGA] office located near Honorable Uche Ekwunife’s Awka home – to draft a resignation letter to Bisi Akande – the national Chairman of the APC to announce his official resignation unbeknownst to the campaign team in Anambra.

When contacted by 247ureports.com on the telephone, Senator Annie Okonkwo – in confirming his resignation referred to Ngige as “a foolish man”. He added that he had told Senator Ngige at M. I. Opara Square that “he cannot be lucky twice”.   He went on to say that Ngige was not willing to cooperate.

Senator Annie Okonkwo
Senator Annie Okonkwo

Reacting, an influential source within the campaign team retorted that both Ngige and Okonkwo hail from the same locality and thus are political rivals. The source continued that “Annie was never a plus to Ngige. He was never working for Ngige. He came with a PDP blood. He wants to turn himself to a godfather. Ngige will be sponsored by the people and not by a godfather”.   The source went on to add that Chris Uba was not as bad as Annie Okonkwo. “Eselu [Chris Uba] did not go to this extent. Eselu consults. He is far more intelligent than Annie Okonkwo”.

Efforts to reach Senator Chris Ngige for comment failed.

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