Ganduje Is Living Behind Time! 

MAZI EJIMOFOR OPARA 

There is a fundamental reason to believe that the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje, is a man living behind time and disconnected from the political reality of the era. I really do not intend to keep this too long, as the response to Ganduje’s claims that “Anambra is not making expected progress under APGA” is one that is self evident and does not require further ado to dispel. First, I wonder the level of progress Kano State made under Ganduje’s APC that resulted in a revolutionary and historic rejection of the Party by the people in 2023 as the people opted instead to vote for the NNPP and were ready to stake their lives to defend their votes.

This shows one thing, if Ganduje really understands the meaning of progress, he would know that the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has remained in winning ways in spite of deliberate systemic efforts to diminish the totality of Southeast progress from quarters very much familiar to Ganduje. At best, Ganduje’s remarks about “connecting Anambra to the Centre” are open mockery to the sensibility of the Southeast people.

Yesterday’s APC colloquium was held in Nnewi, one of the seven local governments in the Anambra South senatorial district under an APC Senator. Ganduje should commission an independent survey to ask the people of Anambra South how well they have faired under a Senator who has “connected to the center”? The Southeast, nay Anambra, are like old dogs that cannot be caught with new tricks. There is a lot to be said about the message of the APC national Chairman, but given the character and antecedence of the messenger, I and other truly Progressives are not surprised — who would so easily forget a “Gandollar” and his infamous gimmicks as the Governor of Kano State? Most remnants of the insignificant APC in the State still wonder how a colloquium turned to a political primary election where the National Chairman of a Party has already declared a candidate for an election whose primary election date is yet to be fixed at a time no one is even contemplating such untimely act. Well, that’s their burden to bear.

Ganduje’s reference to the growth of APGA which he defined as “not growing” is a sour reminder about how he and other known Actors cajoled Senator Rochas Okorocha, who became Imo State Governor in 2011 on the platform of APGA, to taking a walk of Shame. Today, they have ingloriously ended his political journey leaving him orphaned on all sides. Remember, Rochas “connected to the Centre”. What a way to disconnect one from winning ways.

Ganduje, should understand that the Southeast and Ndi Anambra in particular are more interested in why Kano State, after him, decided enmass to DISconnect from the APC controlled Centre. In pidgin English ndi Anambra are asking Ganduje, “if this banana wey you carry na correct one, why you no give am the monkey wey dey by your side?” Did he as much ask his host why he lost all five (5) Polling units in Nnewi in the February re-run election to APGA for the first time since he began his political hallotry?

Well, the APC is nonexistent in Anambra, I am sure Ganduje himself knows this for a fact. Again, the continued existence of APGA in Anambra is performance based. From Peter Obi, to Willie Obiano and now Professor Soludo, Anambra has remained on a trajectory of progressive growth. For context, it was in far away Ganduje’s Kano State that Anambra State won Overall Best State in Digital Technology Development. Same Anambra is the State in Nigeria with the least out-of-school children in the entire country. Anambra is among the top 5 most fiscally viable State in Nigeria. These statistics are from credible sources that have derived data from empirical evidence. If all of this are achieved without “connecting to the Centre”, ndi Anambra would rather remain disconnected from Ganduje’s center.

It is for this reason even a political neophyte would state without double checking that Ganduje was either speaking to impress his host or he is sincerely ignorant of the facts.

Anambra, and indeed the Southeast is APGA land. There is no doubt about this, and even where the region decides to negotiate a handshake to the Centre, the APC has proven not to be such a viable alternative. I sincerely hope that Mr. Ganduje will seek to really see that which is not hidden than opting for deliberate ignorance.

– Mazi Ejimofor Opara is the National Publicity Secretary of APGA and he writes from FCT, Abuja.