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In preparation for the 2025 governorship election in Anambra, the All Progressives Congress (APC) Elders Forum emphasised the importance of maintaining the agreed-upon zoning arrangement among political parties.
After a meeting in Awka on Wednesday, June 19, chaired by Chief Innocent Obi, the forum warned that any attempt to disrupt the zoning agreement would be risky.
Representing elders from all 21 Local Government Areas, Chief Obi reassured that a robust and continuous grassroots mobilisation was in progress for the upcoming election, instilling confidence in the party’s preparation.
He mentioned that the forum actively addressed issues that might challenge the election process.
The elders firmly supported the idea that the zoning of the governorship to Anambra South should be upheld.
“For me, an agreement is an agreement, whether written or not. There’s a system already at work in Anambra state. Anybody who denies that is not saying the truth. As elders, we should say it the way it is.
“An arrangement is on the ground. During the 2022 election, the party that pretended that zoning is nonsense suffered for it. They suffered because someone who contested under their platform did not come from where that post should go.
“Whatever decision our party comes up with, the elders must go with them because we’re under them.
“There’s an arrangement on the ground, if the party touches it, there’s nothing the elders can do. But our prayer is that the party will not tamper with the arrangements on the grounds. We believe that anybody who has taken his turn should shift.
“The elders will be pleased if the candidate comes from the South. If you ask me, the South has done four years, and the South has four years extra,” he concluded.
How Peter Obi influenced zoning in Anambra
One of the elders, Mr Okey Chukwuogo, who also spoke, said the zoning started with the former Governor of the state, Mr Peter Obi.
He said Obi presented the zoning arrangement to all the stakeholders in the state, including the town unions and traditional rulers, who endorsed the system.
“Then, if all these bodies endorse it, can anybody say Anambra is not zoned? I’m saying that there’s zoning, but power is not given, it’s taken,” he added.