The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the ruling party in Anambra State, is embroiled in a deepening factional crisis ahead of the September 28 local government elections.
The party’s woes have been exacerbated by the sealing of the office of the Edozie Njoku faction by the state government, sparking allegations of intimidation.
The Edozie Njoku faction, which claims to be the authentic faction of the party based on a Supreme Court ruling, has opened a separate state party secretariat in Anambra. However, the state government, loyal to Governor Chukwuma Soludo and Barr Sly Ezeokenwa, has sealed off the office, citing it as a residential building not meant for political activities.
Hon Tony Ezekwelu, a member of the Njoku faction, described the APGA-led government’s actions as an attempt to intimidate them. “We came here this morning and people were going about their normal duties…when at around 10 am, a team from Anambra Housing Development Corporation came and sealed off our office,” he said.
Governor Soludo has downplayed the crisis, describing it as a minor family misunderstanding that will be settled soon. “Anambra people seem to have come to the conclusion that APGA is the party for the state…Under our leadership, APGA has never been stronger than what it is today,” he said.
In a new twist, the Sly Ezeokenwa faction of the party has barred interested aspirants from buying forms for the election. Instead, the party has allocated forms to the 21 Local Government Area chairmen of transition committees, who will automatically transit to chairmanship and councillorship candidates.
Interested persons who seek to contest for local government chairmanship have lamented the decision, describing it as undemocratic. “The same day they announced the commencement of sale of form in the party was the same day it was allocated to all the transition committee chairmen, leaving everyone else who has interest to contest in the cold,” one of them said.
The APGA’s disarray has raised concerns about the party’s ability to conduct free and fair primaries. With the elections just weeks away, the party’s factions must resolve their differences to avoid a potentially disastrous outcome.
