The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has replied to the National Chairman of All Progressives Congress, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje, over his comments that Anambra State has remained politically dislocated from the centre by remaining in APGA.

The National Publicity Secretary of APGA, Ejimofor Opara, who reacted to the comment by Ganduje said Anambra, though a minority party, has remained better than most states which claim to have connected to the centre.

Ganduje, during the South-East APC colloquium held in Nnewi, Anambra State, on Friday, said Anambra is not making the expected progress because it has remained in APGA and has also refused to connect to the centre.

The APC chairman also noted that former governors who ruled Anambra State under APGA ended up leaving the APGA after ruling the state, which, according to him, further demonstrated that the party had no bearing in national importance.

Ganduje said, “We are most grateful to participate in this dialogue that affects the South-East region. The Ndigbo are an ingredient of national integration because they are mostly travelled across the country.

“Anambra is a strategic state in the South-East, but it is not making the progress that a state is expected to make because it is not connected to the central government and that is the missing link and it is not benefiting the state. From former Governors Peter Obi, Willie Obiano and now Prof. Chukwuma Soludo.

“Governors are now using their connection with the central to better their state. Why should Anambra continue to live in isolation, what is the benefit for this? Even those who governed Anambra State quickly abandoned the party after they have governed the state, this is the height of selfishness.

“Anambra’s refusal to connect with the centre has denied the people of benefit and great infrastructure. Anambra has failed to transit and it is trapped. If you are not at the table, nobody will speak for you and that is the situation with Anambra since 1999. Anambra is the only state being ruled by the All Progressives Grand Alliance and the party has refused to grow.

“The South-West states were initially ruled by Alliance for Democracy in 1999, but later, they became ACN and by political sagacity of our leader who is the president today, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the South-West states continue to grow in strength, that is political dynamism. But APGA has continued to remain in one point and it shouldn’t continue like this.

“It is time for political celebration and we are hopeful that APC will take over Anambra through Senator Ifeanyi Ubah. Anambra is the heartbeat of the South-East political zone and it is time for it to join the centre party for it to grow, we are to make sure that Anambra connects to the center. No more intimidation, Anambra is strategic to the Nigerian economy and it must connect to the centre.”

Also speaking, Uzodimma advised the South-East to key into the national integration of the APC.

Uzodimma explained that the colloquium is intended to stimulate the political party in the South-East and use it to better the region, adding that the time shall come when inventory will be taken.

“It is a thing of joy that the national leadership of the APC has acknowledged that the South-East is being marginalised. Having diagnosed this, the question is who is this doctor that will prescribe the medicine to adopt, I think the national leader of the party is here to do that.

“We must identify national integration, national cohesion, and national unity so that we can have a pan- Nigerian project. The South-East is yearning for a united Nigeria where equity and justice are the yardstick, and it means we must be in the room where decisions are taken.

“If we are committed to joining this programme and campaign for de-marginalisation, it means we must join the ruling political party. I think what we need is the process of precarious panacea to be part of the national consensus.

“Nigeria project today has no room for those who are in lamentation, it belongs to those who are pragmatic and they must adopt pragmatic approach, we must understand the political dynamism to navigate the terrain,” Uzodimma added.

The keynote speaker of the colloquium and the Vice-Chancellor, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Prof. Charles Esimone, who spoke on the theme, said lack of appreciation and outright denial of the rights of the south-east access into mainstream politics have continued because the region has failed to do the needful.

Esimone said, “Who is marginalising the South-East? The first culprit is the constitution. The second is a non credible census. Without a credible census, there won’t be room for equity. Equity has the potential to calm frayed nerves.

“The mismanagement of the three ‘Rs’ effectively laid the foundation for the marginalisation which the South-East faces today. Federal establishment is rare to find in the South-East while cities like Zaria and Lagos have more federal establishments than the whole South-East zone.

“One of the things that has caused self marginalisation is insecurity. It eases away investment into the region. Marginalisation can affect groups. It can affect sex. The current political calculation does not favour the South-East. It does not make sense that other geopolitical zones have six states while the South-East has five.”

The colloquium was organised by the Senator representing Anambra South Senatorial District, Senator Ifeanyi Ubah.

In a response on Saturday, Opara berated Ganduje, saying that his activities in Kano as governor were some of the reasons Kano chose a governor from the New Nigeria People’s Party.

Opara said, “First, I wonder the level of progress Kano State made under Ganduje’s APC that resulted in a revolutionary and historic rejection of the party by the people in 2023 as the people opted instead to vote for the NNPP and were ready to stake their lives to defend their votes.

“Ganduje should understand that the South-East and Ndi Anambra in particular are more interested in why Kano State, after him, decided en masse to disconnect from the APC-controlled centre.

“Well, the APC is non-existent in Anambra, I am sure Ganduje himself knows this for a fact. Again, the continued existence of APGA in Anambra is performance-based.

“Anambra, and indeed the South-East is APGA land. There is no doubt about this, and even where the region decides to negotiate a handshake with the Centre, the APC has proven not to be such a viable alternative. I sincerely hope that Ganduje will seek to see that which is not hidden than opting for deliberate ignorance.”

He added, “From Peter Obi to Willie Obiano and now Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, Anambra has remained on a trajectory of progressive growth, and it is for this reason even a political neophyte would state without double checking that Ganduje was either speaking to impress his host or he is sincerely ignorant of the facts.

“Anambra under APGA has remained a state of many firsts, and in recent times the state under the Soludo government has won many awards.

“Recall that Anambra has won the award as the state with best deployed ICT, and Anambra State ICT Agency under Mr Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata won that award. Anambra has also been named as the state with the least out-of-school children record.

“If all these awards are what it takes to be disconnected from the centre, then Anambra will gladly remain disconnected.”

Opara added that it is appalling that a political party that proposed a colloquium turned it into a political rally and ended up conducting a primary election, where the host senator, Ifeanyi Ubah was declared the candidate of the party in the next election.