By Tony Oraeki, Awka
The National Chairman of All Progressives Congress, APC, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje said that the Southeast region would have produced the president of Nigeria about 37 years ago if not for the military Coup in 1983.
Ganduje, former Governor of Kano state revealed this over the weekend at Ifeanyi Ubah International Stadium, Nnewi, Anambra state, during the mega empowerment programme organized by Senator Ifeanyi Ubah.
He described the empowerment and the crowd at the event as enough evidence that APC would win the governorship election in Anambra in 2025.
According to him, “never in the history of any political party in the country has an individual so mobilized people for such empowerment benefits.”
“The development is a clear indication that the Southeast is ready to join the mainstream politics of Nigeria.
“The Southeast would have produced the president of Nigeria about 37 years ago in Dr Alex Ekwueme, who served as vice president under Alhaji Shehu Shagari, if not for the military intervention in 1983”, he said.
Ganduje further expressed the need for Igbo to join the centre through the APC’s moving train and vote in governors from the party in all the five states in the Southeast.
The APC leader also stressed, “You know when your brother, Dr. Alex Ekwueme was the Vice President to our brother, Shehu Shagari, the body language was there, and if not that the military struck, your son, Alex Ekwueme would have become the President.
“The road to political freedom is to key into the ruling party, and once you do that, marginalization would be a thing of the past.
“We are astonished at the crowd that attended this rally. Our renewed hope agenda is to bring the Southeast into mainstream politics.
“This is not an ordinary rally, but one for empowerment, and we have been informed that everybody here today would go home with at least one item.
“I have seen thousands of motorcycles, tricycles, buses, generators, grinding machines, bags of rice and other food stuff that will be distributed, and we thank Senator Ifeanyi Ubah for this”, he added.
Also speaking at the event, the Imo state Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma said the party came to encourage Ubah to do more.
The Governor said the current hardship in the country is temporary, adding that President Bola Tinubu had confronted and conquered the monsters that successive governments feared to face for years.
He commended President Tinubu for the removal of fuel subsidy and unification of exchange rate.
“Every government tried and failed, but President Bola Tinubu came and decided to confront them, and the effect is the temporary hunger that you see.
“That is why he decided to empower National Assembly members with palliatives for them to go back and distribute to the people to confront hunger. That is what we are doing here today.”
However, these party brass hats, among other APC chieftains stormed Anambra state on Friday and gathered at Anaedo Hall, Nnewi, to witness the first Southeast Colloquium tagged, De-marginalisation of South East and Integration to national politics, organized by Senator Ifeanyi Ubah.
