APC ready to take over Anambra in 2018 - Ngige

    
All Progressives Congress (APC) has said it will win the 2018 governorship election in Anambra State.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige spoke yesterday about the party’s plans to take over the state in the next election.

The former Anambra State governor alluded to his 34 months in the saddle in the state, saying former Governor Peter Obi and his successor, Governor Willie Obiano, had not equalled his record.

Addressing reporters at his Alor country home in Idemili South Local Government Area, Ngige said APC was serious about the race to the Government House in Awka.

Though he refused to say if he would contest, there had been rumours that the minister was warming up for the 2018 race.

But he only said it was too early for anybody to start campaigning for the race.

At the weekend, Ngige held a meeting with APC officials in the 326 political wards in the state.

He reminded them that they were the engine room of the party and that there was need to ensure the growth of the party in their areas.

Ngige said: “APC will be in serious contention for the office of governor next year because we are determined to take over the Government House.

“However, it is too early to begin to talk about whether one will contest or not, since, by the Constitution of Nigeria and the Electoral Act, the governorship election will take place, perhaps in December next year.

“Before then, the marshal plan APC has for Nigeria would have been on ground properly as we believe that will help us during the campaigns. For now, anybody saying he is campaigning for the governorship race is only wasting his time. There is still enough time for that.

“Even when they tried to do multiplicity of roads, their roads have collapsed, while the ones I did are still in perfect conditions.

“Even the handover of schools they are priding themselves about was started by me as I had already signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the religious leaders and handed over 37 schools on paper before we left office.

“If they had followed my agricultural road for money map, Anambra State would have been feeding the whole nation with rice by now. If I were to be governor today, I won’t be going to Abuja for money because our state would have been self-sufficient.”