By Charles Igbo
These are not good times for the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, in Anambra State.
When the Anambra State House of Assembly resumes sitting on September 21, APGA will lose its majority in the Assembly, a position it has enjoyed for over 12 years.
This is a consequence of a successful coup in the Assembly, carried out outside the State, which sole beneficiary is the All Progressives Cogress, APC.
According to reports from ElombahNews, on Tuesday, August 31, 2021, six members of the Anambra House of Assembly, all APGA, defected to the APC. Another six, the report says, are also defecting to the APC.
If that happens, as is likely to happen, APGA would have lost 12 members to the APC. Meaning it loses the majority, and thus, the positions of the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, and Majority Leader, among all other juicy positions in the Assembly. The opposition PDP, has six members.
The six APGA members who defected to the APC are: Honourables Cater Dike Umeh, Smart Nonso Okafor, Lawrence Ezeudu, Tim Ifediora, Arthur Chiekwu and Edward Ibuzo.
These defections, coming close to the November 2021 Governorship election in the State spells bad news for APGA which is looking forward to its candidate, Professor Charles Soludo, replacing Governor Obiano as the next Governor of the State. On a number of occasions, Obiano had sworn that Soludo would be his successor. But aside from Court actions against the candidacy of Soludo, the high profile defections to the APC seem to be brightening APC’s chances.
Penultimate week, Senator Stella Oduah, Anambra North, defected to the APC, from the PDP, along with her supporters. With, at least, a Court case against the emergence of the PDP candidate, the viable and solid Valentine Ozigbo, APC seems to be waxing stronger than in 2015 and 2019. Yet, there is a big question mark on its candidate, the dogged Senator Andy Uba.
A pending case is asking for his disqualification, citing the process that produced him, especially the leadership of the party at the National level, headed by Yobe State Governor Mai Buni. That aside, a number of high profile APC members, including the Hon. Minister for Labour, Dr Chris Ngige, and a Governorship aspirant, George Moghalu, insist that the process which produced Dr Uba is corrupt, and his choice, canceled.
In another development, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has shifted the inauguration of the Anambra state Governorship Election National Campaign Council.
According to a statement by Col Austin Akobundu, rtd, National Organizing Secretary, the event has been shifted from “the earlier slated date of Thursday, September 2, 2021 to Friday, September 3, 2021.
“The inauguration is now slated to hold at 3pm on Friday at the PDP National Secretariat, Abuja.
“The leadership of our great party regrets any inconveniences the change in date may have caused our leaders, critical stakeholders, party members and our teeming supporters.”
The PDP has been enmeshed in crisis leadership at its National level which resulted in the suspension of its Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, from office by two High Courts – Rivers ( his State), and Cross Rivers State.
