Bianca Ojukwu's Senatorial Ambition Unsettles APGA …Stakeholders lament rumoured endorsement plan by party leadership

The recent declaration by the wife of late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Bianca, for the Anambra South senatorial district election is currently unsettling stakeholders of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Anambra State, it has been gathered.

Mrs. Ojukwu had a week ago declared her intention to run for the senatorial position, even though there have been rumours that she had previously secured the backing of some leaders of the party to clinch the APGA ticket.

Bianca would be running for the ticket of the party against the trio of Mr. Ifeanyi Ubah of Capital Oil; Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu and Hon Ikenna Mbazulike Amaechi, all are grassroots politicians.

It was however gathered that pressure on the state Chairman of the party, Chief Nobert Obi, by some of its national leaders to endorse the wife of their demised leader was causing ripples in the party.

A stakeholder in the party and Coordinator of Anambra South Integrity Forum (ASIF), a pressure group in the party, Chief Olisaemeka Muoma, on Wednesday confirmed this during an interview, saying the development was worrisome.

He said: “It is sad and unfortunate that the internal democracy of our great party is being destroyed by the wife of our late leader, Dim Ojukwu.

“She has been going about threatening to deal with any person or group of persons that would want to oppose her ambition. Bianca has vowed to create crisis of confusion in our party and ensure that her opponents and fellow aspirants are expelled from the party if she is not given the senatorial ticket on a platter of gold.

“Her supporters have been boasting that not even the state Governor, Chief Willie Obiano, and his wife can stop her from flying the flag of the party in 2019 National Assembly election."

Muoma, speaking as chairman of Anambra South Integrity Forum made up of supporters of other senatorial aspirants, said the forum would not sit back and watch, but would ensure that the Anambra South senatorial primary election of the party is conducted in line with the constitution of APGA.

“Our party has a constitution which stipulates the guidelines for the conduct of primary election in APGA, and it must be followed to the letter. We urge the National Chairman of our great party, Ozo Victor Oye, not to allow himself to be used to destroy the party by handing over the Anambra South Senatorial ticket of our party to anyone on a platter of gold, rather than having a credible primary election,” he said.

In a previous interview, Oye had denied that the party had any preference for Mrs. Ojukwu or anyone of the aspirants from the zone.

He promised that the party would not destroy the internal democratic structures it had built over the years by favouring any aspirant above others.