2021: Diaspora Group Sets Benchmark for Next Anambra Gov

By Fred Ojeh

Ahead of the November 2021 Anambra State governorship election, Diaspora Igbo group, Anambra State Association World-Wide (ASA-World), has set the benchmark which any political aspirant must meet to be elected as the next governor of the state.

Insisting that Anambra State is no for sale to the highest political bidder, the Chairman of the association, Dr. Nwachukwu Anakwenze, in a virtual world press conference yesterday, noted that the next governor of the state must be elected by the people of the state through free, fair, transparent and accountable outing by the people.

He said all actions and attitudes associated with democratic governance and social participation in election must originate from the citizens of Anambra State either from home or abroad.

According to him, “We will not tolerate individual from other states or an invisible hand that may wish to impose a sycophant on Anambra people.

“The next governor of Anambra State must have a clarity of purpose; must be an immovable force to reckon with and must understand that as the governor of the gateway to Igboland, his position should add value to the South-south and South-east corridor’s dialogues on the direction of the current situation in Nigeria.

“In other words, the next governor must be conscripted to work in concert with the South-south, South-east governors and the federal government of the day in synergy, as a strategy in developing the South-south and South-east geo-political and socio-economic identity.”

Anakwenze added: “From our worldwide secretariats in Toronto and Ontario in Canada, we unequivocally warned that no one but the indigenes of Anambra State can act or speak on behalf of the people, and invariably, no one but Ndi-Anambra can elect the custodian of their heritage and engender their children’s future.”

Frowning on the politics of touting, he said he expected that all the governorship candidates must rise above the mere understanding that their actions today, may mortgage their children’s future.

“As such, we must avoid the allure and greed of self aggrandisement. We frown on politics of taunting, insults, and mud sling by political parties thrown at one another in order to throw the people and serious observers off the loop,” he stated.

As the ‘Ombudsmen’ for those living at the margins of the society, he explained that their goals are to impartially monitor, investigate, and question the actions reaction of those holding public trust, and to conduct an oversights-like audit on those holding public trusts, as well as to reflect on the impacts of their actions on the citizenry.