Widow of Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Mrs Bianca Ojukwu, has expressed worry over the dwindling political fortune of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
Ojukwu made the remarks in a statement she signed on Thursday to mark the posthumous birthday of the late Biafra warlord, on November 4.
She stated that it was of serious concern that members of APGA were defecting to other political parties in their numbers, especially the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Ojukwu blamed the current situation in APGA on what she called ’leadership failure’ by the party.
“Bad leadership has left a deeply wounded and visibly divided party, with members defecting from the party almost on a daily basis with the alacrity of rats deserting a sinking ship.
“Curiously, they are almost all defecting to APC. Our party has lost almost half of our state and national legislators, several principal members of our Board of Trustees including the Secretary of the Board.
“The serving deputy governor of the state, Dr Nkem Okeke, who joined the APC recently, Party local government leaders, countless party executive members including Governor Obiano’s own ward chairman all joining APC is very worrisome,” she said.
Mrs Ojukwu blamed APGA’s present leader and the state governor, Chief Willie Obiano, and his henchmen, for the downfall of the party.
“APGA is now like a secret cult and this has reduced our once vibrant party to a shadow of its former self,” she lamented.
According to her, the state is suffering the most extreme state of insecurity under his watch which has seen several citizens, including a traditional ruler in his community gunned down in broad daylight recently.
“To the governor’s credit, Anambra Airport is nearing completion but then, the intercity roads and roads leading to the communities are in a terrible state, and this has created a persistent gridlock within the state”, she said.
The former beauty queen, however, expressed optimism that in spite of the obvious cracks, she was confident that APGA would do well during Saturday’s election.
She said that APGA was not just a political party, but a state of mind.
“The party has a good candidate in this guber election in the person of Prof. Charles Soludo and he has all it takes to chart a new course both in the trajectory of the party and of the state,” she said.
