By EYA WILLY, Lagos and FRED ITUA, Abuja

As the clock ticks toward the November 16 governorship race in Anambra State, the All Progressives Congress (APC) is mired in confusion over who picks its ticket.

The development came following the presentation of Senator Chris Ngige as the consensus candidate of the party in the forthcoming election by leaders of the party in Abuja, yesterday.

The adoption of Ngige came about as the South-East interim Deputy Chairman, Senator Annie Okonkwo, who was in the race for the governorship ticket, stepped down for Ngige.

Announcing the withdrawal of Senator Okonkwo, during a meeting of leaders of APC, Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State revealed that his decision to step down for Ngige was borne out of the spirit of brotherhood geared towards moving the party forward.

Okorocha also revealed that Senator Okonkwo would lead the campaign of Senator Ngige as they prepare to take over Anambra State.

Okorocha said: “We have the masses and I can assure you that victory is guaranteed for APC in Anambra State. Today, I want to present to you one of the people who is the initiators of this merger. His name is Annie Okonkwo. He will go down in history as that man who rose up from the East and ensured that the Igbo are part of this merger.

“We have resolved and agreed that there will be primaries in Anambra, in accordance with our party regulations and constitution. In his magnanimity, Senator Annie Okonkwo will lead the governorship campaign of Senator Chris Ngige. Our party is a party of unity. Our mission is one. Our mission is to save the lives of numerous Nigerians while saving the lives of the poor Nigerians.”

Okorocha warned that the party must put its house in order and use Anambra governorship poll as a litmus test towards future elections in the country.

“For the South-East and for Anambra elections, there is no cause for alarm. Anambra election will be the test case for APC. It will be the first stage for APC. Therefore, this party must do all it can to deliver Anambra for APC,” Okorocha warned.

The Imo governor further warned the party to de-emphasise religion and ethnicity that have been associated with APC to garner the support of Nigerians.

“Our victory in 2015 has been signed, sealed and delivered,” Okorocha said, adding: “To do so, we must unite. To unite, we must de-emphasise ethnicity and religion in APC.

“We must ensure that our presidential candidate, governors and local government chairmen are men of integrity and not based on where they are from. Let him who is competent rule this country irrespective of where the person comes from.

“Leaders must not be chosen on the basis of their religion, but on what they can do. For so many years, we have celebrated failure and ignorance in Nigeria. APC is a child of circumstance. Nigerians are waiting anxiously for this party. We must not fail them,” he added.

Meanwhile, Daily Sun can authoritatively reveal that Governor Okorocha was instrumental to the presentation of Ngige as the consensus candidate of APC in Anambra.

It was gathered that Okorocha, in what seemed a political masterstroke, had single-handedly taken it upon himself to ensure that there’s not only primaries to pick the governorship candidate for APC in Anambra but also to have Ngige as the sole aspirant.

Sources revealed that Okorocha had met with the aspirants in the party, who were campaigning to be the candidate on Tuesday night and persuaded them to step down for Ngige. It was learnt that the aspirants refused, insisting that there should be primaries to pick the candidate and that if Ngige won they would accept the result.

Daily Sun learnt that yesterday morning, before the commencement of APC meeting, Okorocha also tried to get the aspirants to accept his proposal for them to step down for Ngige. Again, the aspirants refused.

At the meeting, it was gathered, he seized the opportunity of addressing the gathering to announce that other candidates had stepped down. Reports stated that the governor spoke after Senator Okonkwo agreed to step down. The announcement had created confusion in the meeting, which was attended by only a few leaders of the party.

Reacting to the emergence of Senator Ngige as the consensus candidate, one of the aspirants on the platform of the APC, Godwin Ezeemo, described it as the wishful thinking of Okorocha.

He said the Imo governor would not be allowed to become an overlord in an election that concerns people of Anambra State.

His words: “Governor Rochas Okorocha is not from Anambra State and he would not be allowed to become an overlord in an exercise that is for the people of Anambra State.

“As far as I am concerned, the announcement of Senator Ngige as the consensus candidate of the APC in Anambra is complete falsehood. It is merely the wishful thinking of one man in the person of Rochas Okorocha,” he said.

Ezeemo said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) does not recognise consensus arrangements, insisting that there must be primaries for the aspirants running on the platform of the APC in Anambra State.

He said before now, leaders of the party had all agreed that there must be a level playing field for all the aspirants and maintained that nothing short of primaries would be accepted by his teeming supporters.

He stated: “When did Rochas Okorocha become a native of Anambra State and somebody that would now dictate what happens to people of the state. We are going to resist any imposition in the coming election because that is not what the constitution says.”

Efforts made to get Senator Okonkwo’s reaction proved abortive. Calls to his mobile phone were not picked. Also a text message sent to him was not replied.

When the interim spokesperson of APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed was contacted to clear the air over the emergence of Senator Ngige as the consensus candidate, he declined comments, saying Daily Sun reporter was at the Abuja meeting.

But in his text message to Daily Sun, Senator Ngige said: “I thank our party’s leadership and party men, my co-aspirants, especially Senator Annie Okonkwo for the honour, and for finding me a fit person to fly our new party’s flag for the upcoming Anambra governorship election, while Senator Annie Okonkwo will lead the campaign to victory.”

http://sunnewsonline.com/new/cover/anambra-crisis-as-ngige-emerges-apc-consensus-candidate/

Chris Ngige the next governor of Anambra State!!!!

So what is the difference between PDP and APC in terms of Imposition of candidates..
The same imposition Bola Tinubu has being doing in the South-west.
Old wine in another bottle.

[size=18pt]Chris Ngige is the Next Governor of Lagos State[/size]

APC as a party can never rule Anambra state no matter their candidate. As for Rochas Okorocha, he should face IMO state and leave Anambra state alone. It is even too bad that they want to start their rubbish experiment with Anambra state because they must fail

All progressive crooks

Were one from matters, as far as Nigeria politics is concern. @Rochas okorochaWere one from matters, as far as Nigeria politics is concern. @Rochas okorochaWere one from matters, as far as Nigeria politics is concern. @Rochas okorocha

August 26, 2013
Prof. Attahiru Jega
Chairman,
Independent National Electoral
Commission (lNEC)
Through Resident Electoral
Commissioner, Anambra State
House of Assembly Road,
Awka
Dear Sir,
PETITION TO EXCLUDE SENATOR CHRIS NGIGE AS ALL PROGRESSIVES CONGRESS (APC) FACTIONAL CANDIDATE FOR ANAMBRA STATE GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION ON NOVEMBER 16, 2013 FOR NON•COMPLIANCE WITH SECTION 87 OF THE ELECTORAL ACT, 2010 (AS AMENDED).
1. I write to you Sir, on the above subject matter, for myself as a Registered Voter and on behalf of the teeming members of Conference of Nigeria Registered Voters (CNRV) in Anambra State who have sufficient legal interest in seeing that the next governor of Anambra State emerges through due compliance with the Electoral Act devoid of rigging and imposition. See photocopy of my Voter's Card.
2. I hereby formally petition to your commission against the illegal adoption and imposition of Senator Chris Ngige as the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate for Anambra State in November 16, 2013 election by a faction of the South-East caucus of the party led by Governor of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, last Friday, August 23, 2013 at Emmaus House,Awka.
3. It may interest your commission to know that at the time of this illegal imposition, there was neither any existing interim State Executive or State Chairman of the party recognized by your commission, nor any congress or primary election or any issuance of party nomination forms to the three contestants or aspirants namely, Mr. Godwin Ezeemo, Senator Chris Ngige and Engr. Hygers Igwebuike, which are the condition precedents for a valid nomination of a governorship candidate of a party under the Electoral Act.
4. The said faction of APC, through Gov. Okorocha, was quoted as pronouncing that the September 2, 2013 fanthom date for the conduct of the party's primaries to impose Senator Ngige "would be a mere formality because we already have a candidate". See photocopy of Press Reports.

5. The same Senator Ngige was imposed on the Anambra State Voters as governor through fraudulent election rigging process in 2003 governorship election as confirmed by the Enugu Appeal Court judgment in Peter Obi V INEC.
6. For the 3 years of his illegal tenure, Anambra State Voters and indeed the good people of Anambra State suffered lawlessness. Relationship with the then President Olusegun Obasanjo was officially severed by then Gov. Ngige leading to the running of a parallel government in the state. Anambra voters cannot afford to go through this same harrowing experience again.


7. The above adoption and imposition of Senator Ngige by a faction of APC was done in clear violation or non - compliance with the extant provision of Section 87 subsections (1) (2) (3) (4) (b) (i) (ii) and (9) of the Electoral Act, 2010 (As Amended), which provided for nomination of governorship candidates of political parties where there are two or more aspirants. In the case of APC, Mr. Ezeemo, Senator Ngige and Engr. Igwebuike are lawful aspirants entitled to contestAPC primaries.
8. Section 87 subsection (9) specifically provides: "where a political party fails to comply with the provisions of this Act in the conduct of its primaries, its candidate for the election shall not be included in the election for the particular position" .
9. I therefore petition to you Sir, to use your good office to exclude Senator Ngige as APC factional candidate for Anambra State governorship Election on November 16, 2013 as a consequence of this flagrant violation or non-compliance with the above - cited provisions of the Electoral Act.
10. I must warn, and very seriously too, that if. this petition is treated with levity, I shall have no other option than to lodge this petition in the Federal High Court of Justice under the Originating Summons to seek the interpretations of the above - cited provision of the Electoral Act and for Consequential Declarations and Orders to nullify the said APC imposed candidacy.
ALUTA CONTINUA!
I have the honour to be
Sir.

BARRISTER JEZIE EKEJIUBA
PRESIDENT, CNRV / ONITSHA BASE
HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYER

There was a governor in the person of ngige and since he left, it has been one bad show of governance or the other for anambararians.
I'm happy for ngige cos one good turn deserves another.

Again, where is the so called 'unity' within ndigbo, when it has become a 'major sin' for somebody frm imo state to speak in an issue concerning the people of amambra , or any other ibo state, or in converse? And it was a 'scriptural intervention' for victor umeh and peter obi to speak/ take part/support Rochas in an election that purely concerned the people of imo in the last gubernatorial election of the state. Now i know why biafra(imaginary republic) is in 'humiliating shamble'.

CHRIS NGIGE IS THE NEXT GOVERNOR OF LAGOS STATE UNDER ABOKI PROGRESSIVE CONGRESS(APC).He shot himself at the leg by associating with Igbo Haters to deport the poeple he wanted to rule. Willy Obiano all the way. IGBO HATERS WILL SELL US TO YARIBAS