•Says joining APC only option for Obiano’s second term
From Geoffrey Anyanwu, Awka
Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, said he has no interest in the 2017 governorship race.
Senator Ngige cleared the air yesterday on rumours making the rounds that he would contest governorship election in Anambra State.
The former governor who said his work as a minister was challenging, stated that his absence in the forthcoming governorship contest notwithstanding, his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) would take over Anambra State.
Ngige who spoke to newsmen in Awka said: “I have a job I’m doing for the Federal Government. I’m in charge of labour and employment, I have too much on my hands to start talking about governorship in Anambra State. Right now, I have a powerful ministry that is challenging, my brain is working for now, the governorship does not concern me, but you will see me when APC picks its candidate for the 2017 election.
“The next election is about 11 months away which is a long period in politics and also short.
“APC will contest that election fully, effectively with all the resources at our disposal. And I can tell you without any fear of contradiction that Anambra will be an APC state.
“APC is working quietly. We first want to get our acts together. We will start registering new members next week by going to our wards. The good thing is that many people are showing enthusiasm to become members of APC.
“The door is also open for the incumbent governor. There are four factions in APGA now and out of these, he belongs to one faction and that faction cannot deliver the governorship for him.
“I have told him that and I did not mince words. Though he has not requested to join APC, we are telling him that he is welcome to our fold because that will be his only saviour.
“So, we are still rebuilding our structures that were damaged by 2015 rigging that allocated votes to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during the National Assembly and presidential elections. It is not by noisemaking. We are making our party more formidable.”
Ngige disclosed that about five credible persons have declared interest to run for the governorship seat under the umbrella of the APC.
“There are many aspirants that have declared interest and some of them are people who decamped from APGA. Chike Obidigbo came with his own faction into APC. Tony Nwoye has left PDP with sizeable number. We have George Muoghalu, Chief Nwibe and Obinna Uzor.”
Senator Ngige took a swipe at Governor Obiano’s projects especially the three flyovers in Awka.
“We still have time on our side, so, we know what we are doing. No matter who we present, that person will overrun Governor Obiano because his government has done nothing.
“That flyover he built in Awka is an obstruction on the federal highway and we will demolish it when we come because it was not built with good specifications. Modern flyovers have pillars going by engineering construction. What they have done was to cause obstruction at Aroma junction, Kwata junction and Amawbia by-pass. So, we know what to do, apart from the flyover, there’s no other projects he can point at, except singing and dancing at functions and display awards.”