The leadership of United Progressive Party, UPP, has vowed that they would edge out all the political parties that might field candidates for the Anambra 2017 governorship election.
Speaking to newsmen in Enugu on the forthcoming national convention of the party taking place in Awka, the Anambra State capital, Thursday, national chairman of the party, Chief Chekwas Okorie said that UPP is the party to beat in the forthcoming gubernatorial election, come November, 2017.
“I can tell you without fear of equivocation that Anambra election is for UPP, we don’t have a major contender,” Okorie said.
Okorie who is cocksure that his party would sweep the polls, based his conviction on the crisis ravaging the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, at the national level as well as the crisis that has been seething in APGA, the ruling party in Anambra State, to the extent that the incumbent governor, Chief Obiano is not even sure of winning the party’s ticket to contest the forthcoming election.
The UPP boss wrote off APC outright in the contest saying that , “it will be a surprise if any rational Igboman will go to the polling booth and vote for APC.” He pointed out that APC government seems to have edged out the Igboman in the scheme of things and it would be very hard for anybody to make any headway with a party like in Igbo land.
Talking specifically about PDP, Okorie said that, “there is no likelihood that PDP will come out of crisis to face an election.” The election is a straight fight between APGA and UPP, he points out.
Okorie said that UPP had understudied other political parties and discovered that what sows discord in a political party is imposition of candidates during elections, saying that UPP would allow all the aspirants free contest during the primaries and that whoever that emerges would fly the party’s flag during the election.
He noted that the issue of delegates for the primaries had already be determined because the party hierarchies at the national, state, local government and community levels would be the delegates for the primaries.
“If you want trouble in a party, go ahead and impose a candidate on the party,” Okorie said pointing out that this was what has marred political parties in the past.
He disclosed that the party is poised to ensure victory during the November governorship election, adding that already seven aspirants have indicated their interest to fly UPP flag for the election.
The aspirants that would stand for the primary election include: Ifeanyichukwu Okonkwo; Barr. Dr. Obianaso Paul; Chief Chudi Ofodile; Chief Osita Chidoka; Prince Ifeanyi Ezechukwu, Comrade Obumneke Ejinkonye as well as Nze Ugo Akpe Onwukwu
