APC draws up ambitious plans to win Anambra State in the 2021 gubernatorial elections

NIGERIA'S ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has begun drawing up ambitious plans to take control of Anambra State in 2021 when the gubernatorial elections are due to hold there as part of a grand plan to expand its presence in the southeast geo-political zone.

At the moment, the APC does not control any state in the southeast, having lost Imo State to the main opposition the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the last elections. Of the five states in the southeast, four will have PDP governors as from May 29, with Anambra being the only one controlled by the All Progressives Grand Alliance (Apga).

Come 2012, Anambra State will be holding governorship elections and incumbent Governor Willie Obiano will not be eligible to stand for office, having served for two terms. Having performed badly in the southeast in the last elections, the APC is keen to use Anambra as a platform to boost its fortunes in the geo-political zone with Basil Ejidike, the acting chairman of the Anambra State chapter of the APC saying that the party only has one senatorial seat across the southeast zone, through former Abia State governor Orji Uzor Kalu.

Mr Ejidike said: “After appraising the party’s performance in the last general elections, it became clear that the APC had a lot to do in the state to win the 2021 governorship elections in the state. The idea is to see how we can redefine and reposition the party in the state and we must take over power."

He added that for effective management of the party in the state, the APC had decided to bring in old members like Senator Ikechukwu Obiora, former governor, Dr Chinwoke Mbadinuju and ex-governorship aspirant Chief Obinna Uzor. Mr Ejidike added that while the report of a fact-finding committee inaugurated to investigate the reason for the party’s poor performance in the last election is still being awaited, the party will start a tour of the state with the 21 local government areas.

“We shall also embark on tours of federal government projects in the state such as the second Niger Bridge, the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway and Amichi. This has become necessary because we have observed that most federal government projects in the state were underreported and unknown to our people,” Mr Ejidike added.