Widow of Odumegwu Ojukwu, Bianca Ojukwu, a member of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), has labeled the party as a secret cult, expressing concern about the party’s declining political fortunes.
“APGA is now like a secret cult, and this has reduced our once vibrant party to a shadow of its former self,” she lamented.
Ms Ojukwu made the statement to commemorate the late Biafran warlord’s posthumous birthday on November 4.
She expressed grave concern that members of the APGA were defecting in large numbers to other political parties, particularly the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Ms. Ojukwu attributed the current state of the APGA on the party’s “leadership failure.”
“Bad leadership has left a deeply wounded and visibly divided party, with members decamping from the party almost on a daily basis with the alacrity of rats deserting a sinking ship,” said Mr Ojukwu’s widow. “Curiously, they are almost all defecting to APC. Our party has lost almost half of our state and national legislators, several principal members of our board of trustees, including the secretary of the board.”
She added, “The serving deputy governor of the state, Dr Nkem Okeke, who joined the APC recently, party local government leaders, countless party executive members, including Governor Obiano’s own ward chairman all joining APC is very worrisome.”
Ms Ojukwu blamed the demise of the APGA on its current leader, Governor Willie Obiano, and his minions.
According to her, the state is experiencing the highest level of insecurity under his leadership, with numerous citizens, including a traditional ruler in his town, being shot in broad daylight recently.
“To the governor’s credit, Anambra airport is nearing completion, but then, the intercity roads and roads leading to the communities are in a terrible state, and this has created a persistent gridlock within the state”, she said.
Despite the evident flaws, the former beauty queen expressed faith that APGA would do well in Saturday’s poll.
She stated that APGA was more than a political party; it was a mindset.
“The party has a good candidate in this guber election in the person of Prof. Charles Soludo, and he has all it takes to chart a new course both in the trajectory of the party and the state,” she said.