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By Madu Obi
The national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje has said that All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA,has dislocated Anambra State, advising that the 2025 governorship election in the state would be an opportunity for the state to redeem itself.
Speaking during a colloquium organized by APC in Nnewi with the theme, 'De-marginalization of South East and integration into national politics' and powered by the Senator representing Anambra South senatorial zone, Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, Ganduje described as unacceptable a situation where Anambra, with the quality of people it has produced, would be missing when national politics and other things that follow are being discussed.
According to him, marginalization being shouted in the South East was as a result of miscalculations by the people, adding however that Imo and Ebonyi states have seen the need to join the ruling party at the center.
He said it is the political miscalculation that has kept Anambra State in political dislocation, adding that it would continue to be so until the state dumps APGA, like the people of the South West did after realizing that Alliance for Democracy, AD, would not lead them to the center.
Ganduje said: "We are here for the South East colloquium, but I prefer to speak about Anambra where we are. Igbo are part of ingredients of national integration as they are the most travelled and most enterprising people in Nigeria. They are creative, innovation, competitive and this is the basis of Nigerian economy today.
"Anambra is not making the progress needed because it has remained in APGA which is the only state it controls. Anambra has had Peter Obi, Willie Obiano and now Soludo, all from APGA as its governors, and that is 18 years of political dislocation for this state."
" Anambra needs to join the ruling political party and the people will be happy and better for it. Why should Anambra continue to live in isolation? If there have been superlative performances on that isolated platform it would have been a different thing."
"This is a vivid case of selfish politics.Other states have joined APC, but Anambra's refusal to connect to the center has denied her people the infrastructure and other benefits."
"You have to be in the table to negotiate what comes to you and if you are not on the table, no one will speak for you. "Anambra is the only place where APGA is in government and the party has refused to grow."
Also speaking, Imo State governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma said the good thing about the colloquium is that the APC has also come to agree that the South East is marginalized.
"The good thing is that the National Chairman of our party is part of the team of doctors that diagnosed this. There is need for national integration, cohesion and unity, so that we can have a pan -Nigerian project."
"If we are craving for a Nigeria where equity and fair play will prevail, then we must be in the room where the affairs of the country will be discussed. We must rise from this room and resolve to be a part of the ruling party."
"We must go with capable men and women who will enjoy acceptance. We only need to understand the Nigerian political demography and create a corridor where we can use to exit from this political isolation."
"I'm a here to welcome Senator Ifeanyi Ubah into our party. He has proven to understand the dynamism required to navigate the political sphere."
"He came to the Senate through an unknown political party and if he could achieve that through an unknown party, he will achieve much more if he belongs to a known political party, he will do more."
"A time will come when those who helped Igbo to escape political marginalization will be counted. I want to be counted as one who participated in creating an escape corridor for Ndigbo to escape marginalization."
The Vice Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Professor Charles Esimone, who delivered the theme paper, observed that the 1999 Nigeria constitution as amended and lack of credible census are the major tools for the marginalization of people of the South East.
Esimone said it is obvious that the current political arrangement in Nigeria does not favour the South East and that it is true to say that the region is marginalized.
He said: " It does not also make sense that the South East has only five states, while others have six. The question is, who is marginalizing the South East? The first is the Nigerian constitution and the second is credible census. Without credible constitution there will never be equity."
"I accept that mediocrity can breed marginalization, but Ndigbo cannot be described as mediocres. We must realign and align properly, or the journey will take longer than expected."
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