Recently, chieftains and members of the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) took turns to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in support of the candidate of the party ahead of the November 6, 2021 governorship election in Anambra State. CAJETAN MMUTA reports on the unfolding developments.

A fortnight ago, six lawmakers in the Anambra State House of Assembly who were elected on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) dumped Governor Willie Obiano’s party for the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

The six lawmakers are Nonso Okafor, representing Nnewi North, Timothy Ifedioramma (Njikoka 1), Cater D. N Umeoduagu (Aguata 1), Lawrence Ezeudu (Dunukofia), Arthur Chiekwu (Idemili North), and Edward Ibuzo (Onitsha North 2) constituencies respectively.

The defection of the lawmakers came barely 24 hours after President Muhammadu Buhari received Senator Andy Uba at the State House Abuja, where he handed the APC flag to him as the party’s candidate, amid assurances of the Presidency’s support. Already, indications are rife that more lawmakers are set to dump APGA for the opposition party in the state.

Chairman, APC Caretaker and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, and Yobe State governor, Mai Mala Buni, had at the Imo Governor’s Lodge received the lawmakers and immediately presented them with the APC flag at the end of a strategic meeting held behind closed doors.

While receiving the new APC members at a brief ceremony in Abuja, Buni restated the party’s determination to win the Anambra governorship election, hence the zeal to engage critical stakeholders in Anambra State.

Buni said: “Mere looking at what is happening, especially now that prominent and serving state lawmakers have started joining, the grassroots is moving, and Anambra people are moving to the APC.”

Also, Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State said the South-East people have woken up, and the region is committed to national politics and be part and parcel of Nigeria. He also expressed confidence that his party would win the Anambra State governorship election.

The defectors described the APC as a preferred political party in Nigeria and promised to mobilise support towards victory in the November 6 governorship poll. At the well-attended event were by top members of the party, including the governors of Lagos, Osun, Kogi, and Imo states.

However, the movement of the legislators from their party to APC had sparked concerns in various quarters, particularly within the camps of critics, opinion leaders, the ruling party itself, and some of the opposition families. Similar scenarios had played out in the opposition parties such as the PDP and even the APC, among others.

To APGA chieftains, it was expected because one cannot eat his cake and still have it. With mouth agape, the ruling APGA is now reeling in deep bruises of the outcome of the power game that heralded the governorship primary months ago, and which saw the alienation of some aspirants considered as grassroots politicians by forces within the state government house and eggheads of the party who produced the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, as the flagbearer of the party.

Beyond pretence, there is no doubt that the ruling party may be going to the poll come November 6, 2021, as a divided household. The leadership of APGA had few weeks to the governorship disqualified Messrs. Carter Dike, Nonso Okafor, Akachukwu Nwankpo, Chuma Umeoji, and Okwudili Ezenwankwo from the race.

Four of the disqualified aspirants are lawmakers who had applied for the expression of interest and nomination forms for the governorship ticket on the platform of APGA. The duo of Chukwuma Umeoji and Okwudili Ezenwankwo are members of the House of Representatives, while two others, Cater Umeh and Nonso Smart, are lawmakers in the state Assembly.

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However, the disqualification of other aspirants was to ensure that Soludo does not face any brick wall of major opposition in the race. Already, the seeming strange drama of unfolding events stares the party in the face and raises serious questions and puzzles about what is to come.

However, aside from the defection of the APGA six lawmakers to the APC, former Minister of Aviation and senator representing Anambra North in the National Assembly on the platform of the PDP, Senator Stella Oduah and Senator Joy Emordi, a member of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the PDP, had at different ceremonies held in Abuja recently announced their resolve to leave the PDP for the APC.

Emordi said she was convinced that the future of a prosperous and united Nigeria lies in the APC. She described the APC leadership as sincerely and genuinely committed to a united Nigeria that has plans for the future generation.

The legislator assured the party of her loyalty and supporters. “l assure the party of my loyalty and support and to work for the success of the party. The APC-led federal government is working for the South-East, and this is attracting more PDP members into APC,” she said.

The Chairman of CECPC, Mai Mala Buni, expressed delight with the decision taken by the board member to contribute to the unity of the country. “There is a need for us to join hands for the political stability and national unity of our dear country,” he said.

Buni said the coming of Sen. Emordi and other prominent politicians from the South-East into the APC will promote national unity. In addition, at a well-attended event in the state last week, the APC candidate secured another loud support when key leaders and members of APGA and PDP joined the APC in Anambra State. During the event, a former speaker of the Anambra State House of Assembly, Rita Maduagwu, and ex-Minister of State for Transportation, Chief John Emeka on Sunday declared for the APC.

Maduagwu left the ruling APGA to join the APC, while Chief Emeka also dumped the PDP for the APC. Both politicians formally joined the APC during a reception organised by the APC leadership for Senator Joy Emodi at her Onitsha residence.

In addition, a chieftain of the PDP, Chris Chikwelu, joined the APC at the occasion with a former APGA governorship aspirant, Chuma Nzeribe including hundreds of PDP members from Onitsha North, Onitsha South, Ayamelum, and Anambra East local government areas of the state. Also, members of the Hausa and Yoruba communities in Onitsha, at the colourful ceremony, declared their support for the APC.

Chairman of the APC in the state, Chief Basil Ejidike, who received the defectors, commended their courage and decision, stressing that belonging to a party at the centre was the right way to go. He said, “We are not going to leave any stone unturned in our bid to win the Anambra governorship election because Anambra is the South-East’s political engine.”

Senator Emodi said Ndigbo must connect to the centre, pointing out that was why she came out from her political retirement to join APC some weeks back. According to her, “This is the time for the Igbo to join politics at the centre. We should join hands to make Nigeria great, and there is no other way to do it than to work with the party at the centre.

“I don’t have any fear that APC will win the November 6 governorship election; and by the grace of God, with the quality of politicians from different parties joining the fray, it will happen”.

Addressing the new entrants, the governorship candidate of the APC, Senator Andy Uba, said with the massive support of members of the party, it would be easy to win the election in a free, fair, and square contest.

He said, “We will work hard to win this election. We will run issue-based campaigns to win the election free, fair, and square”. Uba had later led a delegation of the party chieftains to the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Achebe, for a royal blessing from the monarch.

Igwe Achebe tasked all the participating political parties for the Anambra governorship election to shun all forms of violence and campaign of calumny to allow peace to reign in the state.

Speaking on the defections, a chieftain of the APC and member of the National Campaign Council for the Anambra State governorship election, Mr. John Mayaki, expressed confidence that the defection of Senator Oduah to the party from the PDP would help it win the election billed for November 6th.

He said this in reaction to the formal announcement of Oduah’s membership of the APC before the party leaders, including Interim Chairman, Governor Mai Mala Buni, Imo Governor and Chairman of the APC Anambra Campaign Council, Hope Uzodinma; Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege, and the party candidate, Senator Andy Uba.

Mayaki said: “Senator Stella Oduah is, without doubt, a notable political force in Anambra State. For many years, she has held together with a strong base of support that makes her endorsement crucial to anyone nurturing aspirations to govern the state.”

He noted that “With her defection to the APC, we are now one step closer to securing victory in Anambra State. “This is evidenced in the jubilation that has since broken out in the state and among members whose confidence has been strengthened. “I congratulate the leaders of our party for a job well done and Senator Andy Uba who will now be joining forces with a distinguished political figure in the important quest of aligning Anambra State with the centre and delivering progressive governance assured to better the lives of all.”

A chieftain of the APC Patriots, Mr. Chuks J. Chinwuba, a political movement with a strong support base for Andy Uba’s ambition, said the massive movement of people from other parties to the APC “portends good fortune; our stakes are towering higher. “This is because they have seen a good thing in him, that’s why people are coming in, and because he is a unifier. “People see hope, a future, and a lot of trust around him. The truth must be told, our candidate is the only candidate that is coming to that office with substantial experience.

“He is not going to learn on the job. Don’t forget he has been there once, and he had served eight clear years in the presidency. “He had served eight clear years in the senate. My dear, nobody has the volume of experience he has.”

On his part, Sir Humphrey Ezeike, chairman of the PDP in Aguata local government area, attributed reasons for the defections to money politics and the inability of the party leadership to put their house in order. He said, “The national leadership of the parties are in Abuja; they cause the problem. They don’t put their committees in order; that is why you see the PDP national chairman in trouble; they cause it. “You know in Anambra State, they have money, and so, some of them make money out of it (election) by obtaining money from some of these aspirants.”

The APC candidate, Senator Uba, had during a brief reception organised in his honour by the leadership of the party at the Ezeuzu junction of the Enugu-Onitsha expressway in Awka, the state capital, in solidarity with the recent presentation of the party’s flag to him at Abuja by President Mohammadu Buhari, said it was a clear indication that APC is the only party in the country that would take Anambra State to the national grid and power.

Uba described the APC as the only political party in Nigeria today that has all it takes to take Anambra State to centre stage in the country. According to him, the APC, as a national party, is a moving train. Uba described President Buhari as a man “who comes after God”.

He said the president had endorsed him, having presented the party’s flag to him as the APC’s candidate to liberate the state from the shackles of poverty and other vices bedevilling it. Also, the APC deputy governorship candidate, Barr. Emeka Okafor described Senator Uba as the only candidate in the state that has all it takes to launch Anambra State at the centre.

The Director-General (DG), Senator Andy Uba Campaign Organisation, Chief Paul Chukwuma, said the party’s candidate had garnered overwhelming presidential support to win the election to boost the needed changes in the socio-economic, political, and infrastructural landscape of the state for the next four years.

While giving reasons why they decamped from to the APC, the former APGA legislator noted that the eagle had landed to take over the state, describing Senator Uba as a sagacious and courageous leader with a rallying point and support of many, who do not even bother asking for gratifications.

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The lawmakers said it was because of the ‘glaring legacy projects’ embarked upon by the APC-led government across the country, including Anambra and the whole South-East states, that had endeared the party to the people of the zone.

With particular reference, he pointed at the ongoing construction work on the Second River Niger bridge and the Onitsha/Enugu Federal highway.

According to him, the projects had pointed out that the same APC-led government has recently pronounced Anambra State as one of the oil-producing states in the country.

However, the opposition PDP in the state has alleged plans by the APC, to rig the forthcoming November 6th governorship election.

Specifically, the party accused President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC National Working Committee (NWC), of allegedly ‘perfecting plans’ to rig the poll in favour of the APC.