Anambra guber: APC must take over to avenge Soludo’s refusal to join party — Ganduje

From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja

The National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has announced that the party is desperate to take over Anambra State in the 2025 governorship election to avenge the refusal of Governor Charles Soludo to join the APC.

Ganduje revealed that several attempts from the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari to the efforts under his current national leadership to facilitate APC taking over the state could not materialise due to the blunt refusal of both the immediate past governor, Willie Obiano and the incumbent, Soludo.

He spoke at an Anambra State APC stakeholders meeting held in Abuja on Wednesday, assuring the party chieftains and members that the highest leadership of APC is interested in APC taking over the state.

Challenging the prospective aspirants and stakeholders to ensure that Anambra get it right in politics as they did in business, Ganduje particularly appealed for unity and togetherness among them to actualise the dream.

“Let me reveal to you that during the last dispensation, I was part of the team that made an overture to the past governor of Anambra State to lure him to join the APC. Former president Buhari was involved in the move. I was still the governor of Kano state then. He accepted but later reneged on his promise.

“By our calculations, we had reasoned that convincing the governors to join us would have been the simplest way to take over Anambra. I can also tell you that we have equally made similar overtures to the sitting governor. We convinced him but the truth is that the arrangement did not work out.

“Our surest route to take over Anambra is now through fielding a strong candidate among the heavyweight party members here,” he noted.

Speaking further, Ganduje said: “I also believe that the strategic nature of Anambra in the South East, and by extension Nigeria, makes it expedient for the state to join the centre.

“Therefore, I am convinced that these men and women attending this meeting have the capacity and ability to deliver APC in the incoming election.

“Let me also emphasise the importance of unity as the most potent tool for the sustenance of such stakeholders. You can only succeed if critical stakeholders like you and others are bonded together in unity.

“Just like the Party’s logo, the broom, a united body can never be defeated. Your strength and success are inherent in your unity. Therefore, I encourage you to be united to achieve the set goal.

“I extend the party hands of fellowship and support to all stakeholders in Anambra. I assure you of the national headquarters’ support towards the party in Anambra in the 2025 gubernatorial election.

“That election is crucial to the Party and the government at the centre because Anambra deserves to be at the mainstream of Nigeria’s politics. We cannot continue to allow Anambra to remain on the sidelines of Nigerian politics, hence the need for all to work in unison for the actualization of this mission,” Ganduje charged the stakeholders.

The climax of the meeting was the donations by the stakeholders to support the party’s programme to take over the state, with former National Auditor, Paul Chukwuma and Senator Ifeanyi Ubah donating the sums of N100 million and N50 million respectively.

Others who made donations include Chukwudozie Nwankwo N20 million, Emeka Etiaba and Sylvester Okonkwo, the Chief of State, N5 million each.

Earlier, the state chapter chairman of the party, Basil Ejidike, harped on unity, stressing: “It is pertinent to reiterate that the party has a target; which is to take over the Agu Awka Government House this time around.

“In other words, all hands must be on deck, especially in this Council, which is a boardroom of sorts, for incubation of ideas for the good and benefit of the party.

“This Council will in the course of discharging its duties and responsibilities, meet every other month (bimonthly), at a designated neutral venue as arranged by any member, who wishes to host the Council.

“The host-member should also provide entertainment for members. Meetings should not hold at private apartments of the host or any member of the Council. This is to show the neutrality and impartial disposition of this Council of Elders,” he said.