Suddenly the All Progressive Congress (APC) has become the beautiful bride of Anambra politics with almost all the gladiators in the state gunning for the party’s ticket, ahead of the November governorship election. One of the aspirants Bath Nwibe, an engineer, spoke with Correspondent, OKEY MADUFORO, on the prospects and challenges of the party in the state.
New twist in Anambra party politics
I do not understand what you mean by a new twist but all I know is that my party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), has been vindicated. From those days of former Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) people did not give us a chance. We were branded all manner of names. The government of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), practically wanted to run us out of Anambra State but we remained firm and strong. We did all that we could to bring people into the party but most of them were skeptical about the prospects of our party.
Then, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was at the center and it was all about Goodluck Jonathan who was President. Nobody gave us a chance to make it at the top. Here in Anambra state, the ruling party (APGA) was supporting PDP and the rest of us were seen as outcast. When Muhammadu Buhari won the general election, it came as a shocker and today the APC is in control. What you call the new twist is that a lot of people are now in APC and everybody wants to be part of the ruling party and the government at the top. But we are not worried about it. Everybody is welcome to the party and they must conform to the constitution of APC. This development in APC goes to show the prospects of the party in Anambra state and the level of acceptability of party by Anambra people.
Hardship in the country and fate of APC in Anambra
When people complain about what our country is passing through, I understand their feelings, but we need to appreciate that Nigerians now know the truth about the state of affairs of our country. The PDP government created an impression that all was well with our country when we were about to experience a nose drive. The APC government came in and discovered that we were living on borrowed time. So we have to face the reality and that is the only way Nigeria can survive. We have to look inward and fashion out a way forward and while we are doing that it cannot be easy. I am also feeling this thing you call hardship.
Even, President Buhari is aware of this. This is the sacrifice we have to make for Nigeria to be better. Those days of impunity are over and things must be done the proper way. The era of financial recklessness has passed. People have become prudent and disciplined in their day to day life style.
Before now, the agricultural sector had suffered neglect, but today everybody has embraced it. No land is fallow anymore because the cost of food stuff is high. Why would you spend money unnecessarily when you have land to cultivate? The basic foundation of our economy is faulty and we have to address that before we begin to celebrate plenty.
Coming to the effect of the hardship on the fortunes of APC in Anambra, I do not think it is a problem at all. Elections have been conducted in Edo and Ondo states and APC came out victorious. These are states in Nigeria under the regime of president Buhari and those that voted in the two elections are Nigerians facing the same hardship with Anambra people. So it goes to no issue when one says that it would affect the voting pattern of Anambra people.
We have an APGA government in Anambra and Anambra is not better than other states where APC is in control. If the regime of Willie Obiano has turned things round and the recession is no longer affecting Anambra people, then you can comfortably say that APC cannot win Anambra state
Looming implosion in Anambra APC
There is nothing like that. Is it because a lot of people from the PDP have joined the APC? APC is not just another political party. This is a party that is focused and we know where we are going. When you talk about governorship ticket of Anambra APC, you do not need to worry about that. Our party has internal democracy and we have no room for this idea of imposing candidates on the party. Everyone that has an ambition to be governor under the platform of our party must subject himself or herself to the primaries of the party. If he wins, the party hands over the ticket to him. I am also aware that some of them are not in APC to contest and become governor.
Again it is not all about nursing an ambition in APC. When the time comes we shall check our credentials and every aspirant must present his own credential so that we can under study them and find out who has all that it takes to govern Anambra state.
Religion and politics in Anambra
Governor Willie Obiano is of the Roman Catholic. But he is the governor of Anambra citizens, including Anglicans, Pentecostal Church and African Traditional Religion adherents. The next governor of Anambra State would also be the governor of everybody and not the governor of his or her own Christian denomination. Some people are now claiming that they are more catholic than the Pope or more Anglican than the Arch Bishop in England and they think that it would help the situation.
Some are even enumerating the number of churches they have built in Anambra and as such they should be given ticket and ultimately become the governor of Anambra State.
I am of the Roman Catholic and I have made modest contributions to the church, both Catholic and Anglican including the Pentecostal churches. But I do not need to make noise about it. It is only God Almighty that knows the heart of men and only Him can say who has the best of intention not human beings. If a man has, questionable character and goes to build a church, does that remove the criminality in him? That he built a church does not mean that he is holy or clean in the presence of God.
Let’s look at this situation; Assuming PDP and APC present Catholics as their candidates and the incumbent is also a Roman Catholic what happens? Will the Catholic Church support which of the three candidates? Assuming the three candidates are Anglican’s what becomes of the fate of the Anglican Church?
So we are talking about the person that will give Anambra State good governance and that is what Anambra State wants.
I have this agenda of producing a master plan for sustainable development of Anambra State. Anambra has oil and gas deposit and I have spent all my life in the oil sector. Name any oil company in Nigeria and when you go there you will see my input as a professional.
Through oil and gas, we can generate power supply for the state and this will help our manufacturers and also create more jobs for our people. With the oil and gas in the state we can have a fertilizer company here in Anambra.
I am very certain about this because that is my area. I have spent all my life drilling holes for companies and I know the benefits of oil and gas.
The funds we make from the oil and gas sector would improve on our agricultural sector as well as other allied companies. This is what we expected the APGA-led government to do, so that we do not remain with our monolithic economy.
Who says that our health care delivery system cannot be improved upon? Most of the general hospitals in Anambra State cannot pass for health centres. There are health schemes being put in place by the Buhari-led administration of APC and when we cue into this programme it would go a long way in improving our health sector rapidly.
The Nnewi motor spare parts market needs attention and it takes a success-driven governor that is desirous of development to bring it out of the woods. What stops people in China, Korea or Japan from coming to Anambra State to establish their factories here?
So the governance of Anambra State is challenging and it is not something you would look at from a Christian denominational point of vie