- He said that the South-East’s marginalisation is self-inflicted
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, has attributed the perceived marginalisation of the Igbo to the political fragmentation within the South-East, where the five states are governed by different political parties.
Speaking on Thursday while receiving the leadership of the Kano State Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, led by its Chairman, Aminu Garko, Ganduje argued that the political diversity within the region has weakened its bargaining power at the national level.
“The North and South-East political zones both claim marginalisation. But the truth is that the South-East’s marginalisation is self-inflicted. How can you have five states governed by four different political parties? What political leverage do you have in such a scenario?” Ganduje questioned.
He emphasized the APC’s determination to increase its influence in the South-East, starting with Anambra, a state currently governed by the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA).
Ganduje revealed that the APC is devising strategies to expand its control beyond Imo and Ebonyi states, with a focus on capturing more South-East states in future elections.
“Next year, we will focus on Anambra, which has been under APGA for many years. We have a new strategy, and we are committed to making inroads into that zone to capture most, if not all, of the states,” Ganduje stated.
He also expressed confidence in the APC’s chances in the upcoming Edo State governorship election on September 21, and the November 16 poll in Ondo State.
Ganduje noted, “We are confident about our campaign for Edo. It was originally an APC state, but due to internal issues, we lost it to the PDP. However, we are sure we will recover that state. For Ondo, it’s already an APC state, and after resolving some challenges, we successfully conducted primaries and secured the candidate that the people want. Winning Edo will give us 21 states out of 36.”