New Telegraph-Admin 
Chief Modestus Umenzekwe is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC). In this interview, he speaks on the just concluded APC governorship primary of the party in Anambra State, the move by some leaders of the opposition parties to form a coalition ahead of the 2027 general election, and other issues
Your party, the APC held its primary election for the November 8 governorship poll in Anambra State and the exercise saw the emergence of Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu as the gubernatorial candidate. What’s the next move after the primary?
First of all, let me thank God for a successful primary election which we had. Let me also thank the president, Bola Tinubu for giving the National Working Committee (NWC), led by Dr Umar Granduje unfettered hands to conduct a successful primary.
Even though there were small complaints here and there which is the normal thing in any group or association, but the process was very seamless.
The State Working Committee (SWC) should not be left out in this commendation despite the fact some people raised issues that their names were omitted in the delegate’s list which for me, everybody must not be. I was not a delegate, but I was there as a stakeholder and I coordinated my people.
Then, the four contestants, my very good friends, Engr. Johnbosco Onunkwo, Valentine Ozigbo, Edozie Madu and Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu, I congratulate them for following the exercise to a logical conclusion in which Prince Ukachukwu finally emerged as the flagbearer of the party.
That shows there is unity of purpose in the APC family in Anambra State. Now that the primary has come and gone, the flag bearer, Prince Ukachukwu is set to go into the battle field with the whole party members, both high and low.
If you listened to his victory speech, he made it clear that he was not talking as somebody who has won the battle, but like somebody who is about to enter the battle field and that is why he said he needs the corporation and assistance of everyone.
And recall that Prince Ukachukwu, ab’nitio, was very instrumental to helping people step into the government house of Anambra State as governors and he equally made it clear in his speech and now he wants to handle that governance by himself to solidify in concrete terms whatever achievements any past governor or the incumbent had made as well as bringing innovations in governance in order to link Anambra State proper to the centre.
So, right now, we are mending fences making formidable allowances and re alliances for the party members in order to go to that battle because whether anybody likes it or not, to dislodge the incumbent is a herculean task.
Therefore, APC must not lose sleep in trying to achieve this, it must be through a fair, free and credible atmosphere come November, 2025.
Does Ukachukwu have the capacity to match Governor Chukwuma Soludo in the contest?
You would have asked me whether former President Muhammadu Buhari had the capacity to match Goodluck Jonathan then as incumbent.
But Buhari defeated Jonathan even though it was a very big task. Prince Ukachukwu, the much I know him, has been a goal-getter, he has been there as a Federal House Of Representatives member, where he represented Abuja Municipal.
He has been a philanthropist of note that cut across ethnic divide and he is deep rooted in grassroots mobilization. Finally, he is capable even though friends and well wishers may equally give him enough support. He is a young man full of energy and vibrancy and above all, he relates very well with people high and low.
His political tentacles are spread within the six geopolitical zones of this country and every nook and cranny of Anambra State. With all these and others unmentioned, the capacity to run the election is all over him.
But APC seems not to be popular in Anambra and the entire SouthEast, and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) being a movement in the state, what magic will be deployed to win?
What do you mean by APGA being a movement? Before now, particularly Ebonyi, Anambra, Imo and Abia, were majorly APGA due to the believe we had in the late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu as an enigma.
As a matter of fact, no Igbo person jokes with the name Ikemba Ojukwu till today. His name is like an oracle in Igbo land.
But then, this is politics and the most important thing is to leverage on what is available now to attract the national cake to the entire South-East and Anambra State is not an exemption. There is a saying that Rome was not built in a day. So, when you say APGA is a movement, there are so many movements in this country.
Making sure that South-East gets its own share in government is equally, a movement and that movement has yielded fruits in Imo State, it has yielded fruits in Ebonyi State and after November 8, 2025, it will yield fruits in Anambra State.
Opposition coalition is the greatest joke of the year. The PDP was in government for 16 years… APC must do 16 years for us to draw comparable analysis
And mark you, when Ojukwu returned from exile in 1982; his action was against sectional parties being the reason why he joined National Party of Nigeria (NPN), leaving Nigeria Peoples Party (NPP), which was like APGA then for south easterners. He believed that getting the national cake was our right, knowing that we could not get it from outside but from within. So, gradually we are getting there.
Your party lost some of its members over the primary election. Don’t you think it will affect APC during the election.
Well, I have not discussed with any of them to know why they did so. I will answer this question well after hearing from them. However, it’s their decision.
Two of them are my friends and we respect each other. I will talk about them after hearing from them. However, no one knows what it will result to, but we are still watching the situation.
However, know that the flagbearer and the party faithful will not fold their arms. If indeed, they left in anger, he will know how to heal the wound. They promised to work to achieve the Renewed Hope agenda of Mr. President, so they did not leave in anger.
What is that thing that President Tinubu is not doing well that offends the people of the South-East?
I do not believe or agree that Ndigbo hate Mr. President, but the devastating effect of the civil war, was and is still too much on the people. They lost a lot both in human and infrastructural development.
The only thing they are doing from my own understanding, is calling for the full implementation of the three (Rs) enacted by General Yakubu Gowon in his post war speech of ‘no victor, no vanquished’, which are, Reconciliation, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction and so, Ndigbo are saying let there be more equitable distribution of the national assets to heal the wound totally. So, they are doing like Oliver Twist.
They don’t hate Mr. President, after all, why have they migrated to everywhere, assisting to raise more structures in those areas than their places of birth?
Those of us who are unrepentant supporters of the federal government and were part of the number of votes Mr President got during the last election, does it mean that we hate him? In all my political publications over the years, I have been very consistent, eulogizing and defending the policies of APC-led administration at my own cost.
Are my not a core Igbo man? So, the perception that Ndigbo hate the President is misconception and misrepresentation of facts. And this our cry for equitable sharing of the country’s resources is yielding good result being the reason we got the Second Niger Bridge, built by the Muhammadu Buhar- led administration, using the hero of his government, Babatunde Fashola, the then Minister of Works and Housing.
Today, President Tinubu has appointed our brother, Senator Dave Umahi as Minister of Works and said go and make your people happy. There are other appointments two numerous to mention like that of Bianca Ojukwu, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.
The South East Development Commission (SEDC) was also created by President Tinubu and I believe, that in no distant time, one more state will be created from the South-East to bring us at per with other regions in the country. So, it will be unfair for anybody to think that the Igbo hate Mr President or that Mr. President hates the Igbo.
It is not so. As I commend Mr. President for the giant strides he is making despite the hardship in the system which was not created by him, I urge him to kindly accommodate more Igbo indigenes in federal government appointments which will add more value in healing any wound that may have existed.
Two years to the 2027 elections, opposition parties are rallying against APC; do you think Mr President stands any chance of getting re-elected?
Opposition coalition is the greatest joke of the year. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was in government for 16 years, and I have said it time without number that APC must do 16 years for us to draw comparable analysis. But anytime I say it, some people will start attacking me. APC will do 16 years before any other gang-up.
Now, coming to Mr. President, this is a man, who knows the political terrain. This is a man who brought certain members of opposition to political limelight.
So, the political gang-up to oust President Tinubu will not work unless he decides not to re-contest. For me, the opposition is building a mansion on a sandy soil that will collapse.
Are you sure Tinubu will visit Anambra State to campaign for APC when it is being alleged that he’s working closely with Soludo?
There is a great difference between governance and being a party man. President Tinubu is always a party man and that is why you see him succeeding and that is why he contested once and won the election because he took care and related with his party members in all the zones and it worked for him.
So, having the governor of Anambra State in his economic team, has nothing to do with campaigning for his party’s candidate.
He made it clear that he is going to run a unity government and not winner takes it all, and he is reflecting it in his appointments.
But it is totally different from making sure his party APC wins governorship election in any part of the country, Anambra not an exception.
