By Chinedum Treasure
Anambra State Chapter of Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide, says it is devising strategies that will ensure stability in the state ahead of the 2025 Governorship Election.
This the group said it wants to achieve by engaging the various candidates on the need to prosecute their campaigns in a manner that promotes peace, tolerance, and decorum.
The State President of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Mazi Chukwuma Okpalaezeukwu revealed this in an exclusive chat with our correspondent in Awka.
In the past, Anambra’s Governorship Election has been a very tough contest, with candidates of the various political parties always deploying all kinds of antics to outsmart their opponents, including calumnious online campaigns among others.
Also, statistics have shown that in the 2021 Governorship Election, only 249,631 voters out of the over 2.5 million registered voters in the state participated in the exercise.
Okpalaezeukwu, who emphasized the need for a stable environment for the success of the November Governorship Election, insisted that only the full participation of Anambra residents can lend credence to the outcome of the exercise.
This he noted, explains the decision of the organization to take action in the direction of mobilizing the people to effectively participate in the election, and nipping in the bud anything that will mar the people’s full participation in the exercise.
“The Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide, which is a grassroots organization, believes that the people at the grassroots and across the state must be able to participate in the election of their leaders.
“That is the reason we are initiating measures to ensure that our people across all Anambra communities are adequately mobilized to have a say in the election of the next governor of the state.
“We will work with the communities to maintain a peaceful environment that will encourage the people to come out and participate.
”We have identified the factors driving voter apathy in elections in the state, and we have commenced steps to address them.
“In the end, we want to see a politically-conscious Anambra citizenry that is sensitive to its role in electing quality leaders in the state,” he said.
The Anambra Ohaneze leader said they are also acting as a watchdog to screen the manifestos of the various candidates and ensure that only the best emerges for the benefit of the people.
Insisting that Ohaneze Ndigbo is not partisan, Okpalaezeukwu said their interest is to secure the best deal for the Igbo people.
“For the upcoming Anambra election, we will critically analyse the manifestos of the various candidates of the various political parties. We want to be sure that whoever emerges holds the best promise for the transformation of the state,” he added.
