Ayodele Olalere
Barely few days after he left the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, and moved to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), where he clinched the ADC gubernatorial ticket for November 6 election in Anambra state, a former Presidential-aide to Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Chief Akachukwu Nwankpo, has opened up on the reasons behind his move to his new party.
Nwankpo was disqualified by the leadership of APGA a few days to its primary. The State governor, Dr. Willie Obiano, had been accused of being behind his disqualification.
However, while absolving the governor of having a hand in his disqualification, Nwankpo said he had to join the ADC to enable him actualise his gubernatorial dreams.
Nwankpo, accused APGA Chairman, Victor Oye of being responsible for his disqualification, and absolved Governor Willie Obiano of his travails, describing him as a simple man who disliked dirty politics.
“Obiano doesn’t run APGA. He’s the Board of Trustees , BOT, chairman. The man that runs APGA is called Victor Oye. He’s the party chairman. Obiano is just the governor and if you go close to him, you’ll discover that this kind of politics of twist and thorns turns him off. It’s not his style.
“Obiano is 100 percent innocent. The person responsible for my disqualification is called Victor Oye. He’s a man of a different character. He has a conviction and followed it irrespective of the party rules,” he said.
He added: “I didn’t leave APGA, APGA left me. When a qualified man is disqualified, how else can you interpret it? I never left APGA. While in APGA, I respected their rules, I never abused any candidate, I was honorable in all my dealings with them.
“I even waited for them till 23rd evening, hoping to be called back, but they departed with one man and he’s my friend. Since they left me, what do you want me to do? Abandon myself?
“When a party is bad, you can’t expect good governance. When party leaders lack civil behaviors, the disorder in them will manifest in the party.
“Look at the disgrace the state is going through, that individuals can’t run a political party and organise a decent primary. See what they’ve made of us.”
The guber candidate however was optimistic that ADC would provide an opportunity for him to serve the people of the state the way his heart was burdened to do.
“After reflection, I decided to respond to the opportunity staring me on the face, which is ADC. There are no conflicts between my dream to serve the state and where I was denied the opportunity to do so.
“People should understand that this is a political dialogue, and you must locate yourself where you can be divinely used to serve,” he added.
