Ahead of the Anambra State governorship election billed for November, the spokesman for the Lagos State chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Mr. Joe Igbokwe, has tipped Senator Chris Ngige, as the best man to take over from the incumbent Governor, Mr. Peter Obi. Igbokwe hinged his recommendation of Ngige on the need to sustain the tempo and raise the stake of good governance in the state. The ACN spokesman, who recalled how his preference for the incumbent over Ngige in 2010, pitted him against party members, explained that his position was informed by the trauma Obi went through to reclaim the mandate freely given to him by the Anambra people. In a statement signed by Igbokwe, Sunday the ACN spokesman listed such hurdles as the denial of his well-deserved mandate, the controversial impeachment by the state Assembly and the tribunal/judicial battles he fought before he was restored as the governor. “I wanted Obi to get a second term because of all the troubles he went through to reclaim his mandate and all the troubles he suffered going through criminal impeachment and through courts and tribunals to reclaim his mandate,” Igbokwe explained. Though Igbokwe said the supporters of the senator reported him to the then Governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu, alleging that he was engaging in anti-party activities, he said Obi had justified his mandate with the landmark achievements of his administration. He noted that those who took his case to Tinubu levelled the allegation against him in the presence of the party’s National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande and Osun State Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, who was then the Lagos State Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure. According to him, the time had come for Ngige to take the mantle of leadership and add value to the politics of the state. He said: “The rest is now history but it was an excruciating and daunting experience for me. I have never regretted it. I will appeal that we put this matter behind us and move on. We have a target and that is to make 2014 a memorable year. We will join the teeming and enthusiastic Anambra State voters to elect Ngige as the governor of Anambra State. So, let us all move forward with that spirit until victory is achieved.” He expressed confidence that the All Progressives Congress (APC), which would field a progressive candidate for the November 16 election would succeed Obi, whose two-term tenure would expire next year. Igbokwe said: “All the energies at our disposal will be deployed to make this a reality. We will put our hands, our feet, our eyes, our brains, our strengths, our human and material resources to make the dream come true. “This support would not be based on flimsy grounds but the best interest of Anambra at heart. We will work hard to elect for ourselves a man best suited to continue the progressive march.” He noted that Ngige, during his first stint as governor, was the architect of the historic liberation of the state’s politics from the shackles of godfathers and minions, adding that the liberty paved the way for Obi’s success. “For the avoidance of doubts, the template of Anambra renaissance we all are benefiting from today was set up by Ngige when he damned the hawkish demands of the godfathers to free Anambra and its resources for the people of Anambra,” Igbokwe said.
Posted on: Sat, 20 Jul 2013 09:49:26 +0000
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