The Anambra state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) said it has not adopted a zoning formula for the 2025 governorship election in the state.
Gatekeepers News reports that the publicity secretary, APC Anambra state chapter, Dr. Valentine Iyke-Oliobi said this in a statement at the weekend.
The party said its ticket was opened to any member of the party regardless of where he or she comes from.
Iyke-Oliobi was responding to a report attributed to a chieftain of the party in the state, Pope Amaefuna who warned the APC against fielding any candidate outside of the southern zone so as not to disrupt the existing zoning formula in the state.
However, the statement by Iyke-Oliobi said: “First and foremost, we are constrained to state for the umpteenth time that the APC in Anambra State has no zoning formula and has never been part of any zoning arrangement with any political party in the state. The Anambra APC has always given every member of the party contesting for any position the opportunity to vie for the party’s ticket regardless of where he/she comes from.
“Secondly, the said Mr. Pope Amaefuna, who was described in the publication as a chieftain of the APC in Anambra State is unknown to Anambra APC. He is neither a registered member of the party in any of our 326 ward chapters nor is he known at the state level not to talk of being a Chieftain of our great party in the state. To the best of our knowledge he may be a fifth columnist whose aim is to cause unnecessary tension and disunity in the party through unguarded utterances.
“The party also seriously frowns at the crazy allegation by the said Pope Amaefuna describing bonafide members of the party in Anambra State who are not favourably disposed to zoning as saboteurs who have positioned themselves on the negotiation table with the failed party called APGA in order to sabotage the APC. Such an allegation is simply a product of hallucination.
“The APC in Anambra State re-affirms its commitment to give every individual aspiring to fly the party’s flag in the 2025 Anambra governorship election equal opportunity and a level playing field to do so. It is instructive to note that the APC at the national level during the last presidential primary did not zone the presidential ticket but allowed every interested individual to vie for its presidential ticket. This is what the party has always done, Anambra APC will continue to toe that line.
“The 2025 governorship candidate of the APC will emerge by popular mandate given by the members of the party or elected delegates depending on the mode of primary to be adopted eventually after all stakeholders have arrived at a consensus. The APC is a progressive party and will not restrict the democratic field to any section of the state.
“We therefore call on fifth columnists to desist from causing confusion in the party. If anyone chooses to be a member of the APC in Anambra State, he or she should imbibe the ethos of the party.
“Candidates of the party at all levels are chosen by the people from across the state, therefore we call on those aspiring for any elective post to work hard towards gaining the acceptance of the party members when the time comes instead of focusing on the distracting argument of zoning, which is alien to the APC.”
