Chief Paul Chukwuma, a former national auditor of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Pro-Chancellor of Olivia University in Burundi, has stated that the so-called governorship zoning in Anambra State is an internal arrangement of the state’s ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
Speaking at an interaction with APC leadership at various levels in the state, Chukwuma argued that zoning was created by the APGA to maintain power in Anambra State.
The interaction took place at Umueri in Anambra East local government area of the state.
Describing the ongoing consultations as a move to bolster the APC in Anambra State and energize it for the work ahead of the governorship election in 2025, Chukwuma observed that since the creation of Anambra State in 1991, every governorship election in the state had been contested by qualified indigenes of the state, irrespective of the political zone.
He said: “Even in 2013 when they claimed zoning began, candidates from all the zones contested that election. In 2017, the same scenario was repeated and everyone contested. For anyone to argue that zoning exists in Anambra is simply aiming to pursue a narrow personal agenda.
“What I discovered after careful analysis is that zoning was created by APGA to destabilize other political parties, and this is why no one has ever defeated them.
“Zoning is a natural advantage to APGA, after all, it is more logical to allow a poorly performing governor to do his final term as a governor than allow a new person from the same zone who is promising to do just a year with no legal implications if they don’t.
“To buttress my point that zoning is an APGA strategy, you need to compare the results in all elections APGA participated in before their zoning strategy.
“In 2011, APGA needed to conjecture some magic to win. In 2013, they introduced zoning, and that competitiveness in Anambra began to disappear.
“In 2017, former Governor Willie Obiano won all the 21 LGAs in Anambra. In 2021, Soludo won all but one LGA in the state. There is no question about this. To win APGA, you need a candidate who falls outside of their zoning strategy.
“Governance is about ideas. Ideas are not exclusive to any zone at any point, hence in the search for functional leadership for our dear state, we have no business limiting these ideas, especially as we are in dire need of workable homegrown solutions that will quell insecurity and entrench prosperity in our state.”
He urged APC members in the state to take charge and reassert the superior argument of the party wherever they are in Anambra, urging them not to be scared of showcasing the party.
According to Chukwuma, APC remains a necessary vehicle for the development of the South East.