By Toby Chucks
Ahead of 2025 governorship election in Anambra State the youth segment of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) have declared that the issue of zoning of the Anambra governorship seat is not negotiable insisting that the incumbent Governor of the State Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo will remain in office for second tenure to complete the eight year tenure for the Anambra South Senatorial zone.
The newly appointed APGA Youth leader for the Southeast geopolitical zone Hon Chinedu Romanus Eze alias Yagazie who spoke at a Summit organised in Onitsha cautioned that an attempt to truncate the zoning arrangement in Anambra State will be resisted by the youth because according to him zoning gives all the senatorial zones equal opportunity to occupy the governorship seat.
Hon Else, a former leader of Onitsha North Legislative Council explained that zoning should be upheld to enable all the zones the equal opportunity to produce the governor on a peaceful political atmosphere noting that Anambra North may have not produced the Governor of Anambra through Willie Obiano without zoning.
He explained “as the people of Anambra North in particular we have to ensure that zoning remains intact by reelecting Soludo for second tenure because we may find it difficult to produce another governor without the zoning formula, so let us reelect Soludo so that after Soludo the Central Senatorial zone will take it before it comes back to the North Senatorial zone again
He went further to express the hope that Soludo’s reelection is going to be an easy ride considering the fact that the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria is doing wonderfully well maintaining that there is no stopping APGA from retaining Anambra when the sitting governor is doing well enough in the areas of security, education, organized environmental sanitation, health care, road construction among other things as seen under Soludo administration
The APGA zonal youth leader also said that the southeast APGA Youth have set an agenda to wrestle the five States of the southeast for APGA in few years to come adding that the youth will henceforth embark on serious mobilization drive to drive other political parties out of the government houses in Abia, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo for APGA to take over.
Hon Else further explained that the Summit tagged “Between the Youth, Security & Community Development” is to bring all sections of people together to brain storm on how to mobilize the youth to contribute in addressing the challenges of insecurity, unemployment and ensure good leadership at the community levels as being championed by governor Soludo of Anambra State
Also speaking a chieftain of APGA and a youth leader in Onitsha North Mr Anthony Nwora said the youth should adapt a slogan titled “we will” not just “we can” make Anambra remain an APGA State because the party is doing marvelously well under Governor Soludo.
“Soludo is doing well in education, security, road construction, youth empowerment, name them the list of what Soludo is doing there for everybody to see so there is no stopping us from reelecting him for second tenure, so for me the slogan is that we will definitely reelect him not that we can do it” he added
Earlier in his opening remarks the Chairman of Onitsha North Local Government Hon Charles Ozoma described Soludo as a youth friendly governor who is doing everything possible to eradicate unemployment and poverty in Anambra with what is called one youth two skills initiative.
Hon Ozoma while commending the organizers of the Summit advised the Youth to queue into the initiative and take advantage of it to get something doing. He assured that Onitsha will always ensure the programs of the State government is narrowed down to the wards level for maximum benefit to the people.
Other resource persons who spoke at the Summit include a retired Commissioner of Police Chief Ikechukwu Aduba, a University Don Dr Mulumba Obiajulu and Rev Fr Val Obiagwu, Chieftains of APGA including ex members of State House of Assembly, ex commissioners and other dignitaries witnessed the Summit.
