The dust raised by the suggestion recently made by Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, the National Chairman of the All Progressive Congress APC on the need for Anambra State to switch allegiance from the All Progressive Grand Alliance APGA to the APC is yet to settle.
Grassroots Parrot gathered that Ganduje, while speaking at a colloquium organized by the South East chapter of APC, recently encouraged Anambra and the entire South-East region to join the ruling party to end years of exclusion from national politics.
This statement provoked the ire of some APGA supporters, who began attacking the APC leader.
Reacting, Chief Oliver Okpala, the Senior Special Assistant on Public Enlightenment to the National Chairman of APC, urged Anambra state Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, to call to order individuals in the state who attacked Abdullahi Ganduje for advocating the South East’s embrace of the APC.
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Okpala, described those attacking Ganduje over the comment as uncouth and misguided political misfits who should be called to order.
According to him, those bitter over Ganduje’s call should rather appreciate the gesture of the APC leader to help Anambra and indeed the South East to be integrated into the mainstream of national politics.
He said: “There is a need for them to appreciate the gesture of Dr. Ganduje and not see his intervention as negative. His aim is for the economic development and political inclusion of Anambra state to move into the central national politics and nothing sinister as now being portrayed by the overzealous APGA attack dogs”.
He also pointed out that every right-thinking Igbo man should be concerned about the age-long political backwardness of the region and seek solutions.
He argued that Ganduje should not be vilified or insulted as they have now resorted to.
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According to him, “Instead he should be praised and commended for his suggestions on how the region can overcome its age-long political backwardness and economic inhibitions.
His message read in parts “For Ganduje, the target should be how Anambra state can experience exponential growth through being integrated into national politics given its enormous resources and not empty, bitter wrangling.
“These criticisms and attacks against him are uncalled for. The issues he has raised do not pitch him against Anambra state but the matter is about the policies of the state government vis a viz their inclusion at the centre to fastrack their progress – principally the economic benefit of the people.
“For those now attacking Dr. Ganduje as a person they should know that the APC national chairman did not attack any Anambrarian, but he only proffered possible solutions to the condition of the state, a move to better the situation of the common man in Anambra.”