APC chieftains fault Ngige on Anambra LG polls

Deputy National Chairman of the All Progressive Congress, APC, South, Senator Annie Okonkwo, and Anambra State chairman of the party, Mr. Chuks Chinwuba, have picked holes in comments attributed to Senator Chris Ngige that the party would not take part in the January 11 local council election in Anambra.


Senator Ngige, who flew APC’s flag in the November, 2013, governorship election and currently represents Anambra Central, last Thursday said the party would not take part in the council polls and urged APC’s supporters, chairmanship and councillorship candidates to boycott the election.


His reason: The Acting Chairman of the Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission, ANSIEC, should not have requested political parties to submit their list of candidates and their forms to the commission “when issues leading to a free, fair and credible election in the state are yet to be addressed.”


Commenting on the issue, yesterday, Senator Okonkwo said after a stakeholders meeting in Awka, the Anambra State capital, APC will participate in the election.
Okonkwo said those who were saying the party would not participate in the council election did not mean well for the party and Anambra people.


Urging Anambra people to ignore such calls, he said: “We should concentrate in pushing our party forward. APC is not anybody’s personal property. A member of the party cannot say APC will not participate in the election. APC is a national party and not private property of any individual.” APC will participate fully in the election. So we must ignore those speculations and prepare for the election. Recently some PDP governors and lawmakers defected to APC because they have seen that the party wants change in the country.”


He charged the Chairmanship and Councillorship candidates to continue their campaign since they were duly elected during the congresses conducted by the party in the state Also, Mr. Chinwuba said: “Our party will participate in the election. I don’t know who said that but I am the chairman of the party. My Exco has not taken