By Chuks Eke
Ahead of the fast approaching September 28 local government chairmanship and councillorship elections in Anambra state, embattled National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Barr. Sylvester Ezeokenwa has charged all the chairmanship and councillorship candidates of the party in the 21 local government areas and 326 wards in the state to work assiduously towards clinching all the seats in the state.
He said time has passed when the candidates were relying on election rigging to emerge victorious in the polls, adding that APGA, as a party would never rig election for any candidate, neither would it allow other parties to rig for their own candidates in the forthcoming make or mar elections as according to him, election rigging had been outdated, outfashioned and outlawed.
Addressing party faithfuls at Onitsha South Local Government Secretariat, Fegge, during the flag off campaign for chairmanship candidate of the party, Chief Emeka Orji, his running mate, Hon Onyebuchi Obi and councillorship candidates of the 17 wards in the council area, Ezeokenwa insisted that rigging apart, APGA has no excuse to lose the chairmanship of Onitsha South which he described as APGA dominated council area not to talk of losing any of the 17 wards, despite inter and intra party oppositions.
Handing over the party flag to Emeka Orji to keep it flying, Ezeokenwa declared: “we know the deep commitments and sacrifices we have made to APGA and we will uphold it to the end as we start our journey with 17 over 17 in Onitsha South which is APGA controlled council area and I must reemphasize once again that APGA will not rig election for anyone”.
Also speaking, some APGA stalwarts, Anthonia Tabansi-Okoye and Beverly Ikpeazu-Nkemdiche who represented Onitsha South Constituency in Anambra State House of Assembly at various times, pledged to contribute their own quota towards ensuring total victory for the party at the polls.
In their various solidarity speeches, Sir Peter Okala, State Director of Campaign, Anambra State Markets Amalgamated Traders Association, ASMATA APGA Support Group, AASG, expressed optimism that Emeka Orji would win the chairmanship election because of his quality leadership so sar as the incumbent chairman of Onitsha South Local Government Transition Committee.
Others who spoke in favour of APGA as a party and Orji as a person included Chinedu Ezekwike, Chairman of Bridge-head market traders caretaker committee; Chief Emmanuel Idoko, Chairman, Haruna Street Traders Association; Chief Bonaventure Muo, Chairman of Ochanja Central Market.
Others were Chief Mike Okigbo (Onwa Ojoto), a businessman; Chief Daniel Okafor, President, Onitsha Sportsmen Club, Chief Okwudili Obinwanne, Caretaker Committee Catholic Landlords Association, Onitsha South council area and Hon. Afam Udeogalanya, Presdent-,General, PG, Housing Estate Landlords Association, Fegge, Onitsha.
