From Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha
The Director, Political Matters, South-East Presidential Support Committee, Chief Maxwell Samuel Okoye, has joined the November 6 Anambra governorship race in the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Okoye, who hails from Anambra Central, said that there is no zoning arrangement in the APC in forthcoming governorship election as being suggested in some quarters, saying that competence remains the benchmark for the ticket of the party.
He said that former Governor Mr Peter Obi introduced zoning arrangement in the state under All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) who brought the sitting governor Willie Obiano whom he allegedly described as a failure in the name of zoning.
Okoye, briefing newsmen in Anambra, said that he joined the race because he was competent enough to change the decay and rot in the state being orchestrated by APGA-led administration, stressing that the party failed to build permanent government house after being in power for 16 years.
‘My major reason and target to be governor is to reposition the state to the national level, unify the state and take to the federal level so that we can utilize the potentials at that level. We need a total overhauling of the system in the state,’ the aspirant stated.
‘As a director Southeast political matters in Abuja, I’m not aware of zoning in the state. And there is no way such decision or discussion will be made or held without my knowledge or my consent. The zoning is a mere opinion of some persons, people of the south are canvassing it as a mere opinion to favour them in the election.
‘There is no zoning in the constitution of the party but zoning arrangement could be important at the national level. What we should be talking about is competency, not zoning because zoning breeds a lot of incompetence.
‘If not zoning arrangement in APGA governor Obiano wouldn’t have been governor despite the fact there was no zoning in the state, former governor Peter Obi imposed on the state and APGA at a time which brought Obiano to power. Have you seen the consequence of zoning in the state? He is a failure and has brought infrastructural decay in the state because he lacks the tenets of good governance.
‘Look at where we are in the zoning APGA brought, so we are yet to recover from zoning arrangement because it has disorganized the system and good governance. As far I’m concerned zoning breed underdevelopment, look at our state, no road, no water, no industry, no other infrastructure, nothing to show after eight years.’
On his ability to win the primary election, Okoye said: ‘I will emerge as APC flag bearer because I have the grass root, I’m very young, very focused and intelligent. So under free and fair election, I will win. The only thing I’m pleading is a free and fair primary election and if I lose I will congratulate the winner and if I win I believe other contestants will support me.’