26th July, 2019
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has called on members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Anambra chapter, to be united and work for common purpose and progress of the party in the state, noting that their poor performance in the 2019 election must be corrected.
Osinbajo made the call during a roundtable with stakeholders of the state APC in Awka on Friday.
He said that poor performance of the party in Anambra in the recent general election was attributable to the lack of synergy between party leadership and the grassroots.
He also said that the victory of APC in the 2021 governorship election in Anambra could be realised if members worked in unity.
Osinbajo observed that the major problem in Anambra APC was because people refused to join the party because they thought it was a regional party.
He said that President Muhammadu Buhari respected the residents of Anambra, given his numerous development projects in the state.
He assured them they would always get what was due to them including appointments under his administration.
“We don’t need to deceive ourselves, we need to ask ourselves question, how come Anambra got the least votes in South East and second least in the federation.
“I have come to open a new chapter for APC in Anambra, we can win governorship here, we can be number one but we have to be united,” he said.
The vice president advised members of the party to mobilise their members strategically for them to benefit from the various Federal Government intervention programmes.
In his address, Chief Basil Ejidike, chairman of APC in Anambra, said that the party was strong in the state with no fewer than 250, 000 registered card-carrying members.
Ejidike said that APC suffered in the state because of lack of appointment of members by the Federal Government and absence of support from the centre.
He alleged that the Federal Government intervention programmes such as N-Power and Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme had been taken over by the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA)-led government in Anambra and APC members were not benefiting.
He further registered the protest of APC against the appointment of Chief Anayo Nebe, candidate of APGA for House of Representatives, in the last election as Special Adviser (Political) South-East by Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila.
Ejidike urged the vice president to help in galvanising the leadership of the party in the state to address the issue of disunity within the ranks of Anambra APC.
He said that if the grassroots level of the party was linked to the centre, the next governorship election would be a walkover for the APC.
Also, Dr Chris Ngige, leader of the party in Anambra, urged the stakeholders to keep faith with APC as their concerns would be addressed.
Ngige said that the 2021 governorship election was a task which must be accomplished as there was an immense benefit in having a party member as governor.