The All Progressive Congress chapter in Anambra State officially disowned Senator Chris Ngige on Sunday for not publicly endorsing the party’s presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, when he made an appearance on a live television program.
The development comes a week after Ngige became the most recent APC member to publicly decline the chance to rally support for the party’s nominee.
The minister paused when asked who he would support in the upcoming elections—Tinubu or his fellow kinsman, Peter Obi of the Labour Party—during a late-night appearance on the famous Channels Television program Politics Today.
With the response that he was no longer involved in politics and would make his choice on election day, Ngige had sidestepped the topic.
However, when comparing Tinubu with Obi, the minister acknowledged that the former Lagos governor had done a commendable job of bringing sanity and order back to the former Nigerian capital.
Social media users and members of Ngige’s party who disapproved of his utterance reacted negatively to his statement.
However, after leaving a meeting on Sunday, the Anambra APC leadership revealed that Ngige’s opinion did not represent that of his people.
The party also criticized Okelo Madukaife, the former state publicity secretary, in a statement issued and personally signed by Chief Basil Ejidike, the chairman of Anambra State.
The statement read, “Ngige never said he represented the party during the interview and whatever he said was personal and does not reflect the position of the party in Anambra state.”
Therefore, he urged the public to dismiss any misunderstanding that the minister’s reaction during the live television interview may have produced, adding that Anambra will honor Tinubu and the party with significant support in the upcoming general elections.
He claims that the Anambra APC has begun a massive mobilization effort to ensure Tinubu’s and every other candidate running on the platform wins at the local level.
He expressed confidence that their efforts will eventually yield Tinubu an unexpected outcome at the election, despite all odds.
Additionally, he issued a warning to Madukaife, who had been replaced by Valentine Oliobi, to cease acting in an APC image-creating capacity.
“He has been parading himself as the party’s spokesman when he is not a member.
“If the former national chairman of the party, Adams Oshomole, could step aside I don’t know why Okelo Madukaife is still parading himself as the publicity secretary of the state APC.
“He was suspended in July 2021 for anti-party activities. As a chairman of the party, I am not aware that Madukaife has been re-admitted to the party. He is not a member of Anambra State APC,” he added.
