APC Says It Has Not Congratulated Soludo; Sacks Publicity Secretary

By Charles Igbo

The Anambra State Chapter of the All Progressives Cogress, APC, says it has not congratulated anybody as the winner of the November 6, 2021, Governorship election held in the State.

The party has, therefore, sacked its Publicity Secretary,  Okelo Madukaife for congratulating the Governor-elect, Professor Charles Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance,  APGA.

Soludo was declared winner of the election by the National Independent Electoral Commission, INEC, after he won in 19 out of the State’s 21 Local Government Areas, beating the APC candidate, Senator Andy Uba, and 16 others, by a wide margin. Uba came a distant third.

A number of Soludo’s co-contestants have congratulated Soludo, and so have a number of APC high profile members.

The now sacked Publicity Secretary congratulated Soludo on National Television. That angered the Anambra APC which sacked him from his position, and expelled him from the party.

Addressing a Press conference in Awka on Sunday, the State Chairman of the APC, Chief Basil Ejidike, said Madukaife had nobody’s authority to congratulate Soludo. He revealed that Madukaife has been, since June, suspended as the Publicity Secretary of the Party and, therefore, not in a position to speak for the party.

“Ejidike: “Okelo was suspended in June this year. We were surprised that he has continued to parade himself as the Publicity Secretary of the party.

“On behalf of APC Anambra State, we wish to clearly State that Okelo Madukaife is no longer a member of our party, and so can’t be, or function as the Publicity Secretary of our party in the State.

“Anybody dealing with him as a member of APC, or Publicity Secretary of the party, is doing so at their own risk.

“We wish to State categorically that as far as Anambra Governorship poll is concerned, we have not congratulated anybody.”

Not a few people wonder why the party took an exception to Madukaife’s action when a number of Anambra APC high profile members, including the Minister for Labour and Productivity, Dr Chris Ngjge, Senator Stella Oduah, and Chief George Moghalu have congratulated Soludo on his victory.

However, the APC candidate, Andy Uba, faulted the election, and says he is challenging the outcome in Court.