Our great party rejects the views expressed by two different camps in
a group that styles itself ‘Independent Peoples of Biafra (IPOB)’ in
varying degrees and hold that APC is on its way to a free and fair
victory in the November 18, 2017 governorship elections in Anambra
State .
Loading ...Mr. Nnamdi Kanu, an Abia-born United Kingdom (UK) citizen and a
chieftain of IPOB had called for the boycott of the governorship
elections in Anambra State. It is a statement that lacks basis and for
us in APC, it is an easy decision to reject the thoughtless
pronouncement and urge Ndi Anambra to prepare to correct the grave
error of 2013-error called Chief Willie Obiano, an imposition made
against real numbers.
We reject the call from Nnamdi Kanu intoto and urge Ndi Anambra to
come out en masse and vote in an APC Government to bring development
to Anambra State with strong Central backing.
However, one Mr. Emeka Emekesiri who claimed to be speaking for the
Elders Council of IPOB, led by Justice Eze Ozobu,while rejecting the
Kanu’s stand, which went ahead to propound that a boycott will favour
our great party, All Progressives Congress (APC),provocatively
alleging collaboration between our party and Mr Kanu.
In line with the stand already taken, we agree with the condenmnation
by Emekesiri of Kanu’s outburst, but disagree with the former to
the extent of the perforated claim about an election boycott
benefiting APC and even the mere thought of collaborating with IPOB on
election boycott.
It is an impeachable lie, generated from Government House Awka.
Our party has an overwhelming support base, in Anambra State and it is
still growing. Hence in the event of an election boycott, our support
base will be eroded, and that remains unacceptable to us.
Additionally, Mr Emekesiri , an Imo State born, UK-based attorney,who
claimed that Kanu broke and unstated oath through his statement ,
erroneously held that in the event of a boycott, a state of Emergency
will be declared and the Federal Government will appoint a Sole
Administrator.
We would understand if this comes from a proposed Biafran
Constitution, ahead of a consensus on such a venture, but it is
certainly not derived from the Nigerian Constitution.
According to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
as amended. In the unlikely event of a 100 percent boycott of an
election in Anambra State, or anything that causes the election not to
hold, the Speaker of Anambra State House of Assembly, Mrs Rita
Maduagwu will be sworn in as Acting Governor on March 17, 2018 for 90
days within which another election will hold.
To us in APC, Having an incompetent Speaker who presides over a
sleeping house of Assembly that approves N1.2 bn per month for the
governor on security votes replace the one who has the conscience to
draw such money from a state that generates N1.3bn in internally
generated revenue is like jumping from frying pan to fire. But it is
not the same for APGA.
November 18, 2017 governorship elections must hold peacefully, freely
and fairly.
It stands to reason that APC could not have collaborated with Nnamdi
Kanu to occasion a boycott of elections as alleged by Emekesiri. Only
APGA can, by virtue of the benefit illustrated above, play such a
card, foreseeing the Obiano disaster.
While rejecting these suppositions, not built on any parameters, we
urge the IPOB family to align their views with that of Ohaaneze, maka
Odinma Ndigbo (In Igbo interest).
We restate for the avoidance of doubt that on the foregoing
subject,our views stand on all fours with that of Ohaneze Ndigbo who
have made a historical declaration for a united Nigeria, in which
Ndigbo get justice and equity , and equitable treatment as their
bargain.
We remind those who have read the APC manifesto and inform those yet
to, that restructuring of Nigeria from a quasi-unitary state into a
new state of fiscal and true federalism remains a cornerstone of the
APC manifesto, achievable in the medium term, as in the thinking of
APC, all of Nigeria’s problems cannot be solved in one day.
We therefore urge Ndi Anambra to take advantage of the on-goig INEC
voter registration to register en masse for those yet to do so and
prepare to connect to the centre of Nigeria through their votes, as
that is the only quarters from which the admittedly numerous issues
plaguing Ndigbo ,aptly described as The Igbo Question, will be
addressed with the understanding and cooperation of other Nigerians.
We seize the moment to restate our condemnation of the treasonable
pronouncements made by a collection of faceless youth that called
itself Arewa Youth asking a segment of the country to in their country
by fiat and any such statements before and after that as morbid jokes
carried too far and urge the security agencies in the nation to rise
to their responsibility of securing the nation,as we will not support
any Nigerian to move from his/her normal location except by choice.
Finally we assure all prospective voters in Anambra State that those
outside the state cannot successfully interfere with the elections in
our state, and as such they should gear up to vote, irrespective of
whatever empty threats are in the air.
For: ALL PROGRESSIVES CONGRESS (APC), ANAMBRA STATE CHAPTER
Okelo Madukaife
State Publicity Secretary
Ekwulobia. July 04, 2017
