By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

Ahead of the November 6 governorship poll in Anambra State, the State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Basil Ejidike, has said that the party is ready for a battle royal with the incumbent party in the state, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

Ejidike, who was responding to a statement credited to the state Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, C Don Adinuba, accusing APC of sponsoring the crisis rocking APGA since after its governorship primaries.

The Commissioner, who doubles as Director of Media for Prof. Chukwuma Soludo Governorship Campaign Council, made the accusation during a meeting with journalists in his office on Wednesday, also said that APC was rooting to manipulate the November 6 governorship election in the state the way it did in Imo during the last election.

His words: “Anambra is not Imo because we cannot afford our state to be like Imo where their governor’s country home could be attacked and insecurity and non-payment of workers’ salaries are big issues.

“Where do you compare our state with Imo? Is it in terms of agriculture, security, education, health, industrialization or attracting investments?” he queried.

Adinuba, who scored Anambra high in the control and management of COVID-19 pandemic, said that APGA had the secret of retaining its grip of the state.

But Ejidike, in his response, said that APC is rather having lots of bigwigs from other political parties gunning to be part of APC.

He added: "I am in Abuja discussing the modalities for more political heavyweights in the state to join our party. You cannot hear such story concerning APGA because a bulk of its members are those using the name of Dim Chukwuemeka Ojukwu to defraud people politically.

“It is ridiculous for Adinuba and APGA to compare Imo with Anambra when, according to him, their party had underdeveloped the state in the last 16 years.

“When APGA people said Anambra is not Imo, is it in terms of development or what? Can you compare Awka, the capital of Anambra, to Owerri?

“Owerri is a modern city with a lot of developmental projects which adds to her aesthetics, while Awka is a mere glorified village with most of the streets not tarred due to poor leadership of APGA.”

While absolving his party of any involvement in the current crisis rocking APGA since after its governorship primaries, Ejidike observed that APGA was not alone in political wrangling in the state.

“APGA is not alone in political wrangling faced by parties, but why they cannot solve their problem is because they are incapable of handling it due to its low political standing,” he added.