IZUNNA OKAFOR
Dr. Alex Obiogbolu, the Special Adviser on Political Matters to Anambra State Governor has pitched the regional connotation of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) as one of the reasons the Anambra State House of Assembly and other House of Assemblies in the south-eastern Nigeria ought to be dominated by APGA legislators.
According to Obiogbolu who disclosed this while speaking with newsmen in Awka, Anambra State capital, APGA has a regional connotation and has its soul in the south-eastern Nigeria, just as other major political parties have their souls in other regions of the country.
He revealed that APGA is a political party that arose from the ideology of the people, which, he said, differentiates it from others in the country.
“APGA arose as a result of the fact that people of the southeast were feeling marginalized and alienated from the scheme of things. Some of our people were also aggrieved unjustly, while ndị Igbo were sidelined in those other national parties. And so, there was this need for us to have a party we call our own; hence that slogan ‘Nke a Bụ Nke Anyị’,” he said.
He added that they who were in other political parties before knew that APGA ‘had a show’ (stands out), which made them come back home by joining or returning to the party.
Dr. Obiogbolu, who is a former Director-General of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Campaign Council in Anambra State, went memory lane to recall how having House of Assembly dominated by legislators, who are members of other national parties other than the ruling party in the state, had sometime retarded progressive governance in the state and also led to chaos and bout between the Executive and the Legislative arms of government in the state.
While insisting that Anambra has grown beyond such level and should not think of going back to it again for any reason, the APGA chieftain further disclosed that such incident has not been witnessed in the state again since, because the State House of Assembly is being dominated by APGA-member legislators for years now and still counting, and who have the same party ideology with the Executive arm.
He said this same-party ideology shared by the Governor arm and, at least, the majority of the members of the State House of Assembly has enhanced the collaboration between the Executive and the Legislative arms, without undermining the constitutional roles of each arm, or turning the House members to ‘rubber stamp’ legislators in the hand of the Executive.
“This peaceful collaboration needs to be sustained and even extended to the other states in the south-eastern region and beyond; that can only be done through massively voting for all APGA candidates in the forthcoming election,” Obiogbolu said.
He also took time to call on and advise anyone people who feels aggrieved with the state government over one thing or the other not to misunderstand the government or the leadership of the state, as all their actions and decisions are usually informed by cogent reasons, which many who are not close to the government may tend to misunderstand.
While highlighting some of the achievements so far recorded in the state by Governor Chukwuma Soludo-led administration in less than its one year in office, Dr. Obiogbolu, who emphasized that the Governor and the APGA-led government do not despise, also harped on the need for APGA-dominated 10th Assembly in Anambra State, so as to complement the efforts of the state government in delivering the dividends of democracy to the people.
“This should also be extended to other states in the south-eastern region and beyond,” he concluded.