From Phil Atansi
Contrary to news reports in many National Dailies, the All Progressive Congress (APC) candidate in the November 16, 2013 Anambra State gubernatorial polls got secured the approval and consent of both the Palace Secretary in the Palace of the Obi of Onitsha ,and later the traditional ruler Traditional as well as that of the Obi Onitsha himself.
Hon Uche Okonkwo –Okom, former member, Anambra State House of Assembly and Director in the Chris N. Ngige Campaign Organization who gave this indication while speaking to a handful of reporters who sort his reaction to yesterday’s story said he made the arrangements for the rally which was first scheduled for three previous dates before it finally held on October 7, 2012 and got approval from both high officers of the Palace.
‘I communicated the Igwe in my capacity as Director of Operations and got a text approval for our event.’ Okonkwo informed, adding that ‘those who are using the name of our revered traditional ruler who extended all courtesies to me and my principal are out to make mischief, and to take away the attention of an upbeat Anambra State from the gains pf a successful rally, attended by close to 120,000 dedicated supporters who willingly gave out their funds for Ngige to be the next governor’.
Continuing Okonkwo said, I contacted the Igwe on October 5, 2013 to intimate him with our program and to request a visit to his palace by Ngige and governors attending the rally and he gladly approved’
To buttress his point Okonkwo-Okom showed a text message response from Igwe Alfred Achebe, (going by the name saved on his handset)
It read in part: ‘Sorry I was not in a position to talk last night .Indeed his Excellency Dr Ngige and the governors are very welcome. To ensure proper protocol, please advise the number coming and the names if possible.’
Okonkwo also noted: ‘Again when the timing agreed for the courtesy call was not congruent to either side, I was also a joint decision by both parties to defer the participation in the Ofala to another day outside the rally day, Senator Dr Chris Ngige will still lead us to l pay His Majesty a homage as earlier scheduled and deferred and that would be the time to truly find out if some political beneficiaries of confusion have not gone to work’
Okonkwo Okom, therefore called on Anambra people to take advantage of the experience so far garnered by Dr Ngige, and his track record and return Anambra State to the path of true development in the coming elections, because only God knows why the date coincides with the date a great Onitsha man who Ngige believes in, being a Zikist, was born and buried.
