From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
Former governor of Anambra State and current Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, has said that the All Progressives Congress (APC) lost the November 6, Anambra governorship election after the June 26 deceitful party primary.
He also revealed that he took permission from President Muhammadu Buhari to excuse himself from the campaign and other activities in the build-up to the election because of the arrogant posture of the party candidate, Senator Andy Uba, and lamentably his plans to rig the election.
Ngige further explained that he was left with no option than to stay out when the party’s candidate rebuffed all entreaties to pacify the aggrieved aspirants and members, but instead boastfully showed anyone who cared the elections results in their custody, announcing that he refused to be part of the planned electoral malfeasance because of the vengeance of God.
In his introductory remarks during the Anambra State APC stakeholders meeting held in Abuja on Friday night, Ngige insisted that there was no way the APC would have won the Anambra governorship election as a divided house, recalling that brothers were seriously at war with each other during the election.
He, however, appealed to the aggrieved party members to sheathe their sword, reunite in the planned efforts to reposition the party in the state for the greater challenges and daunting task ahead of the 2023 general elections.
“We will start a reconciliation journey for the APC in Anambra State today. From today, nobody will stand in our way because we want to make this party a fighting force. We are going into the 2023 general elections after coming out from one at which brothers fought brothers and which many people were disenfranchised, humiliated as aspirants after paying close to N30 million each for 13 of them to secure forms.
“In anger, they refused to identify with the party because of the ‘flag bearer.’ We begged some of you, one or two resisted while many others returned after my intervention.
“Up till last week, the craze for this party to be reformed came from them and they are the people that visited here severally for this meeting to proffer solutions to reposition this party in the state. Some people have sacrificed their blood to make this party what it is today.
“The injustice done in this party didn’t start today, but God will assist us to ensure that party members are compensated. I was the first to admit that our compensation method in the APC is not wonderful, but we should know that God’s time is the best.
“We had a very ugly experience on June 26 during our party primary, we all came out, but the primary never held. I will continue to say that no APC primary election was held in Anambra and anybody who wants to report me to God can do so.
“People and party members were injured, including me who left Abuja to come and cast a vote, but could not. The aspirants were also hurt because they could not vote or be voted for after spending huge sums of money. Ward and Local Government chairmen were also affected.
“They stayed under the sun from morning till evening but could not vote for aspirants of their choice. Our problem started from that day and snowballed into the main election. Of course, the house divided among itself can never win a war.
“We pleaded with them to come and apologise to these people so that we can make peace, but they refused and claimed that the election has been won already. They even sarcastically told anybody who is not happy should jump into the lagoon because the election has been won. They will even show you election results if you care to see them,” he claimed.
Announcing that he excused himself from the campaign activities, he said: “My politics is not in that direction and I said no. I took permission from Mr President, my boss, to excuse me from this journey and campaign because I don’t want to be part of this electoral malfeasance because I am already going into the hall with a boarding pass.
“I said that I won’t involve myself in what God will ask me questions. They said that I am stubborn, yes but I know where I am stubborn especially on principle. We now went to the election and it happened the way it went. But the bygone should be put in the past.
“We have to be forward looking because God gave us eyes in the front. We have to brainstorm in the real sense of what we must do for the party to move forward,” he appealed.