One of the disqualified governorship aspirants on the platform of All Progressives Grand Alliance, (APGA) Dr. Chike Obidigbo, has disclosed how Governor Peter Obi deceived the people of Anambra North Senatorial zone lamenting that the governor’s pledge of neutrality in the search for a credible candidate from the zone to succeed him has proved deceitful.
Reacting to the emergence of Willie Obiano at the party’s primary election, Obidigbo said his emergence proves that all along Obi had a preferred successor in mind but chose to drag leaders of Anambra North on a wild goose chase in search of a consensus candidate….
In a statement made available to reporters in Awka, yesterday, Obidigbo wondered how the new entrant, Obiano, could beat somebody like the member representing Anaocha/Njikoka/Dunukofia in the House of Representatives, Mrs. Uche Ekwunife, regretting that the double dealing and intrigues have opened APGA to ridicule. He questioned the sincerity of the governor in his avowals that the governorship should be zoned to Anambra North Senatorial district pointing out that the insult to the sensibilities of leaders of the zone and Anambra State in general vitiates the principled stand Governor Obi took on zoning.
He said: “Towards making sure we gave the opportunity our best shot and above all to put our best foot forward, all aspirants from the zone faced the internal screening by prominent organizations like Olu na Adagbe, Anambra North Youth Organization, All Presidents-General and Women PGs of Anambra North Communities and finally the Anambra North Council of Traditional Rulers. It is on record that I, Dr. Chike Obidgbo, emerged the prime choice of all these groups.
“Now, it is unbelievable that after sending us on a wild goose chase, Mr. Peter Obi would come out with his own preferred candidate. This comes after several promises of neutrality in the search for a credible candidate from the zone. The truth is that being the choice of Anambra North Senatorial Zone, I was removed so that his anointed protégé can have a smooth sail,” he said.
He stressed that his aspiration to be governor is not a do-or-die affair; Dr. Obidigbo said that short changing the people’s wish could open the party to unnecessary litigations maintaining that “they would have spared us the torture of campaigns and enormous financial burden if they had exposed their hosen aspirant earlier without the needless rigmarole”.
He commended the former Minister of Transport, Prince John Emeka for his principled withdrawal from the governorship primaries when he noticed the travesty being packaged as an election even as he prayed that political leaders should not truncate Nigeria’s democracy through overzealous insistence on subverting free choice.
