From Obinna Odogwu, Awka and Alloysius Atta
A pro-democracy group, Anambra Rescue Committee, yesterday, appealed to Dr Obiora Okonkwo, a political economist, to re-enter the race for the governorship seat of Anambra State.
Okonkwo, a business mogul, came 2nd in the governorship primary poll of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held at Prof. Dora Akunyili Women’s Development Centre, Awka; a poll he alleged some irregularities.
Chairman of the group, Azubike Anazor, a lawyer, at a press conference in Onitsha, said a survey carried out by the group in the 21 Local Government Areas of the state showed that Ndi Anambra were sad with the crises going on in the major parties.
He said that their findings also showed that the people feared that they might not get the desired person as governor considering the legal fireworks going on in the major political parties and therefore appealed to Okonkwo to re-enter the race as the people were ready to vote for him.
Anazor said: “Any discerning observer of the recent and ongoing political developments in Anambra State would have noticed that the State Governorship Election slated for the 6th of November 2021 will not, from all indications, produce a governor generally acceptable to our people.
“The recent gubernatorial primaries of the major political parties in the state – PDP, APGA and APC — have resulted in the imposition of candidates and manipulation of the electoral process by vested interests actuated, not by altruistic motives and intentions, but by the egregious desire to foist on our dear state a leadership that will serve interests not in tune with the wishes of our people for good governance.
“The result of these untoward practices and maneuvers at the parties primaries is what we are witnessing today.
“There is palpable confusion suffocating the political landscape. There are endless litigations and counter litigations, alliances and misalliances. These litigations and counter litigations promise to go on and on and even beyond the Novembers 6 election day.
“This state of affairs, if not arrested now, will compel our people to accept all manner of persons as governor and deputy governor without their requisite critical support, endorsement and imprimatur.
“It is against the foregoing backdrop that we, the members of the Anambra Rescue Committee (ARC) comprising 22 patriots from the 21 Local Government Areas of the state, and Barr. Azubike Anazor as the Chairman, decided to intervene with a view to salvaging our Anambra from an imminent but inexorable slide and a return to the pre-2003 years of bad governance, incompetence and lax administration.
“We in the ARC rationalised that if we do not decisively intervene now, if we do not move fast to squelch the present descent into anarchy, confusion and uncertainty, history will not exonerate us from a wilful sin of omission.
“We are intervening to rescue our dear state from an imminent shipwreck which will, if allowed to occur, throw our state back to the years of holocaust and result in the reversal of all the goods we have witnessed since 2003.
“Our state needs a credible, competent and urbane leader with the capacity, reach, viable programme of actions and policies, existing solid political/campaign structures, and who is generally acceptable to our people as the governor.
“We find these qualities in Dr. Obiora Okonkwo (Dikeora) and we hereby publicly urge him to re-enter the race for the governorship of Anambra State under the banner of any of the registered political parties.
“We call on Ndi Anambra, irrespective of their political persuasions or leanings and their membership of any of the existing political parties, to rally round Dr. Okonkwo if and when he accedes to our request to rejoin the race.
Let us all in unison resolve and work towards sending Dr. Obiora Okonkwo to the Government House Awka.”