By Okey Maduforo Awka.
The cold war between the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Anambra state and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the area is causing confusion over the support to the second term ambition of President Ahmed Bola Tinubu.
The APC in Anambra state has continued to insist that APGA’s mantra of the Progressives are working together is a smoke screen tailored towards hijacking the campaign structures for Tinubu’s reelection .
Deepening the already charged situation is the appointment of Governor Charles Soludo as a member of the Tinubu Presidential Campaign Council, development the APC in Anambra has openly criticized stating that appointment is a slight on the party stakeholders of the party.
At the of Anambra state Elders Council in Awka , the members disagreed with Governor Soludo over his directive that his party members should vote for Tinubu at the Presidential election and vote for APGA in the state and National Assembly elections.
According to Bunty Onuigbo , “
where is the sense in voting for Tinubu of APC and voting for APGA in the rest of the general elections?”
“If Tinubu becomes President without his party members having majority in the Federal House of Representatives and Senate it amounts to political suicide at this point and it is this slogan that the Progressives are working together that the APGA government is using to hijack the political structure for the re-election of President Ahmed Bola Tinubu “
“Last time the First Lady Sen Oluremi Tinubu was here and our party was not put on the picture and it was hijacked by the APGA people and they tell us that the Progressives are working together”
“An APGA member was appointed Minister as well as other positions while we have qualified members who came be Ministers and today the leader of another party have been appointed as member of the Presidential Campaign Council even though he is not a member of our party ” he lamented.
Similarly there are fears that the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the area seem to be at cross roads over the support for Tinubu and support for the party at the National Assembly elections a development that the state Chairman of the party, Bar Ifeatu Obi-Okoye dismissed as non existent.
“Let me state here categorically that there is no other political or electoral collaboration with the APC but the re-election of President Ahmed Bola Tinubu and that is it “
“For the Senatorial District elections they are on their own, for the Federal House of Representatives election, they are on their own and for the state House of Assembly elections they are on their own and there is no contractual or political alliance between our party APGA and the APC in the rest of the elections”
“Our party is fielding candidates for the three Senatorial Districts fielding candidates for the eleven seats at the Federal House of Representatives and the 30 seats for the state House of Assembly so the only alliance here is the Presidential election and that it is”
“There is no ambiguity about the process because Anambra electorates are not naive and they are adequately informed politically to make those choices as canvassed “
“Our people know what to do and you will see it all play out on the election day and there would not be any confusion of any form or manner “
“Besides the voter would be given three ballot papers for President, Senate and Federal House of Representatives on that day so the confusion can only arise had it been that it is a case of one ballot paper for three elections “he said.
Currently political party candidates in Anambra state especially APGA are faced with the challenges of campaigning for President Ahmed Bola Tinubu of APC and also campaigning for their party and their respective electoral positions .
