The Anambra government on Tuesday urged the electorate and other political parties in the state to facilitate the emergence of a governor from the Anambra North Senatorial District. Mr Fidel Okafor, Special Adviser to Gov. Peter Obi on Political Matters, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Onitsha. Okafor said that the demand for power to shift to Anambra North Senatorial District was based on equity and fairness to people of that district. NAN reports that for the past 22 years, the people of the Anambra North senatorial district in the old Anambra, have not produced a governor. Okafor said that the district had been politically marginalised for a long time now, adding: ``This current marginalisation is not healthy for democracy and oneness of the people of the state.`` He admonished political parties in the state to pick their candidates and flag-bearers from the northern district to establish a balance in the governance and politics of the state. ``At least the people of Anambra have been sensitised enough to know that the people of Anambra North Senatorial District are laying very serious claims to this round of governance of the state. ``The sensitisation had gone wide enough that there is nobody in Anambra that will deny knowledge of the fact that we are saying that the next governor should come from Anambra North. ``And we on our own, we have sensitised our people enough to the extent that a lot of people from Anambra North are in the field already trying to ask for people’s support to be governors. ``So, I can say that the society is already sensitised and the people we say should be allowed to be governor are in the field already and nobody will say we don’t have people; we have a good number of them who are going round consulting, campaigning and all that. ``So, the people of Anambra should completely accept the truth of the matter; that, at this time, the people of Anambra North should be allowed to produce the governor of this state. ``Since 22 years of the existence of this new Anambra, we haven’t tasted it (power). We are poised for it (power).`` Okafor said that the zone was working on other potential it had to achieve its quest for power shift in the state. ``The political marginalisation of the zone was against the back-drop that it has the commercial hub and two-third of the population of the entire state within the Onitsha axis, and it also has the state’s agricultural potentials via communities along the River Niger.’’ The governor’s aide advised that no person from the zone should play second fiddle in any political party in the state; adding that ``chances of the zone producing the governor is brighter now than ever before’’. NAN recalls that traditional rulers in the zone had unanimously agreed not to entertain or receive any political party that failed to field a governorship candidate from the zone for the up-coming governorship election. The traditional body had also started lobbying and sensitising their fellow monarchs from other zones to the matter in order to engender peace and oneness among Anambra people. However, more than 30 governorship aspirants from the district in more than six political parties have emerged with their posters dotting all nook and crannies of the state. The Anambra governorship election, which time- table is yet to be released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), is expected to hold in December, while the handing over is also expected be on March 17, 2014. The Anambra North Senatorial District comprises seven council areas, namely: Anambra East, Anambra West, Ayemalum, Ogbaru, Onitsha North, Onitsha South and Oyi.
Posted on: Wed, 12 Jun 2013 04:24:30 +0000
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