By Bode Olagoke
Abuja
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has generated more than Sixty Million Naira from the sales of the Anambra State governorship nomination and expression of interest forms, even as the National Working Committee (NWC) has held a closed door meeting with the aspirants.
Twelve aspirants including a woman have shown interest in flying the flag of the APC during the forthcoming Anambra governorship election.
Blueprint gathered that eleven out of the twelve aspirants officially paid five million and five hundred thousand Naira for the forms while the only woman aspirant got the form free of charge according to the APC constitution.
Addressing the twelve aspirants Wednesday at the party’s National Secretariat before the closed door meeting, APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun assured that the party will conduct a free and fair primary election that will produce just one person who will eventually fly the party’s flag.
Oyegun said: “We have called for this meeting to have an interactive session with you (aspirants) because we do hear a lot of things and any doubt or anything that you think we haven’t done right, this is an opportunity to point them out and we will see what we can do.
“But I assure you that there will be truly fair, free and credible primaries. So, that is the whole purpose of this meeting.”
The twelve aspirants present at the meeting including the immediate past National Auditor of the party Chief Gorge Mohgalu, Senator Andy Uba, Sir Paul Chukwu, Barr Nonso Madu, Prince Don Okonkwo, Dr. Chike Obidigbo and Engr. Johnbosco. Others are Engr Barth Nwibe, Dr. Nwike, Adaobi Kalu Uchegbu and Dr. Tony Nwoye.
Meanwhile, the APC National Chairman Chief John Odigie-Oyegun has described perpetrators of hate-speeches, images and songs as worse than Boko Haram.
Oyegun, who was reacting to an audio recording that is currently being circulated especially in the northern part of the country, which he described as “dangerous and despicable,” called on security agencies to promptly apprehend those behind the recording and other similar acts, “no matter who they are.”
“Every ethnic based crises of whatever nature had started with hate speech. When people within the same country frame and define one another in the manner intended to set them up for violent attack, then they are setting themselves up for a major disaster,” he said.
“The “merchants of hate” don’t know or just don’t care about the consequences of the fire they are stoking in the country. But they have the experiences of other countries to learn from. Rwanda remains a classic example on our continent. However, even as terrible as Rwanda was, it would be nothing compared to what could happen if a huge country like Nigeria is allowed to fall into the disaster of hate-driven conflict. This is why we must all rise, regardless of our political differences and condemn these ugly and shameful acts with one voice.”
