‘Implications of Uba’s endorsement by Buhari for Anambra, Southeast politics’

Member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Governorship Campaign Council, Mr. Osita Okechukwu, has said the recent endorsement of Senator Andy Uba’s governorship ambition by President Muhammadu Buhari holds monumental implications for Anambra State and Ndigbo in general.

It would be recalled that Buhari, while receiving the APC governorship candidate at the Presidential Villa, endorsed him for the November 6 poll, informing him (Uba) that he was looking forward to a successful outcome.

Reacting to the development, Okechukwu, who is also the Director General of Voice of Nigeria (VON), told journalists in Abuja, yesterday, that the endorsement, which shows acceptance and support by the President “signals beneficial political possibilities for Anambra State, the Southeast geopolitical zone, and Ndigbo in general.”

Okechukwu noted that with the endorsement, it is now left for Anambra voters to endorse Uba and facilitate Ndigbo’s quest to produce a President of Igbo extraction in 2023.

He said: “My humble appeal to my in-laws, Ndi Anambra, especially the electorate, is to kindly consider the strategic underpinnings of electing Senator Andy Uba, now that President Buhari has graciously endorsed him.

“Moreover, we should not forget also the defection of state lawmakers from the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), and two amazons – Senators Stella Oduah and Joy Emordi, from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). These are mere icings on the cake.

“All these are positive signs that Senator Andy Uba’s victory in the November 6, 2021 gubernatorial election will strengthen our collective bargain for Nigeria’s President of Igbo extraction in 2023. And coming barely three days after I urged APGA leaders to see the bigger picture, I am convinced that our people are prepared to vote correctly.”

On concerns raised by observers that APC was focusing on the 2023 Presidential slot more than on personal qualities of the Anambra governorship candidate, Okechukwu recalled that pundits and prominent APC leaders have been expressing worries on low electoral returns from the Southeast.

“Therefore, if this low voter endorsement has been militating against the zoning of the Presidential slot to Southeast, with Uba’s election as governor in November, nobody can validly obstruct the ceding of the Presidential ticket to the Southeast geopolitical zone.

“Andy Uba’s election will leave APC with three out of the five states making up the zone. This is my perspective. Zoning the Presidency to the Southeast will also quell separatist agitations in the zone and put an end to the musings of characters like Nnamdi Kanu and claims of marginalisation.”