‘There is no crisis in APGA’

Comrade Obi Ochije, a chieftain of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) is the Coordinator of Transform Nigeria Movement (TNM) in Anambra State and currently, Special Assistant to Governor Willie Obiano on Community Affairs. In this Interview with Nwanosike Onu, he speaks on APGA’s plans to retain power in 2021 even as he praises President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government for remembering the people of Southeast. Excerpts

HOW prepared is All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) ahead of the 2021 governorship election in Anambra State?

The present government in Anambra State which happens to be APGA is well prepared for any election now. Therefore, if the election happens to be next day, I think, nothing will shake us. APGA is prepared and on ground. The APGA government led by Governor Willie Obiano is doing a lot in Anambra. Since the party came into power in the state, it has not failed to deliver in it’s promises. Everybody knows that APGA is government of continuity which has spanned for more than 12 years now in Anambra. Our party has done a lot for Ndi Anambra for anyone to jettison it for any other party. My party and its members are ready for any election in Anambra; APGA is a heavy weight in Anambra now; we are in the grass roots. No other party can challenge us in 2021, forget the noise from opposition in this state, they are not on ground.

So, you are saying APC and PDP in the state are not on ground?

We cannot talk about only two political parties in the state when we have more than 70 in this country.  A lot of other parties will field their candidates during the period and not only the two you mentioned. And you know election of this time; we are not talking about party, we are talking about individuals, the people at the grassroots know the person that will work to benefit the poor masses, somebody who is ready to serve. If APC fields somebody who is not well known at the grassroots, nobody will vote for the party; the same thing goes for PDP. APGA is ready and rearing to go. We are going to challenge them, and we are ready to continue in Anambra State after Obiano in 2021. Lots of changes have started already and before the election, Anambra will turn to a haven, courtesy of APGA government. It’s only because of the little challenges about rains that people are saying anything they like against the government, that’s not the way to play opposition. Criticisms must be constructive.

But people here are of the opinion that Obiano has failed?

Somebody who is saying such is not on ground, because if you are in this state, you will know that Obiano started his first tenure 2015 and he has won the hearts of Ndi Anambra with his people oriented programmes.  He has changed a lot of things in Anambra State. Who is that person that will say Obiano is not working?  Nobody can say Obiano is not working unless you are not on ground. That is why we are advising a lot of people, sometimes if you visit home you will see a lot of improvement, you can come contribute your own quota, the reason he introduced the “Aku rue Uno”. This government needs everybody to join hands and move the state forward. Everybody is moving about without any form of molestation; no kidnapping, no armed robbery, among others.

But virtually every road in this state is bad, so, who do the people blame?

When you talk about roads in Anambra State, we would have to blame the federal government because if the federal government has taken up the responsibility of their roads in the state, particularly Enugu-Onitsha road; if government had done that road for the past 15 years, it would have been a different thing all together. It was awarded during the regime of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo to the regime of Yar’Adua to Goodluck Jonathan, but we commend President Muhammadu Buhari for remembering Anambra and indeed Southeast. We believe that works stopped because of the rains; Southeast was not in the equation during the past administrations in terms of infrastructure. When you come to Anambra State now, you will find some people saying the government of APGA is not doing  genuine roads in Anambra State, some of them are insulting themselves. Obiano’s government has issued an order to the contractors now; they are patching everywhere and you can see them for yourself rain or no rain. Don’t listen to those former senators, ex-governors criticising Obiano; what did they do when they were there?

But how would you deal with the crisis rocking your party, since you just expressed hope of winning the state again?

We don’t have any crisis in APGA. If anybody tells you we are having crisis in APGA, that person is not sincere to APGA. What is happening in APGA could be likened to a family issue. APGA is no longer a political party, rather, a movement. In any family, you will see father and son, mother and son, father and mother, etc., disagree but at the end, they will resolve their differences and the family will move forward, that’s the same situation in our family called APGA

So there is no problem in Anambra APGA, the only thing is that enemies are everywhere igniting fire that is likely to burn them.  When there is any election in Anambra now, APGA will take it and that will confirm to you that there is no problem in APGA.