A Rebuttal: Setting the Record Straight on Anambra APC and Josef Onoh’s Allegations
I read with nauseous odium a litany of cock and bulls, the illogical as well as incoherent tales spun by one Josef Onoh, a hapless and should i say ineffective presidential campaign spokesman in the South East, Dr. Josef Onoh, who just recently popped out of his usual hibernation as a Johnny Just Drop progressive and APC party member to write an infantile presser where he accused the Anambra State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress of every indignity as a party and as a people, such has prompted this response which seeks to put sychophants and meddling interlopers like Onoh in their proper place.
First of all, the Anambra APC Renewal Group, (AARG) readily faults the appointment of Ambassador Bianca Onoh, as a minister in the Bola Ahmed Tinubu government, while we agree that the president is at liberty to hire and fire as he pleases, we must point out to the president and his handlers that such an appointment has a tendency to spark disharmony within party ranks, such should not be seen coming from the leader of the party given his standing on politics and commensurate experience, this will be further elaborated on soon.
Now, in response to Onoh’s innings like diatribe, let us first begin with the question of anti party activities. It is suprising that someone who addresses himself as a Dr. can shamelessly commit the duo of fallacies of hasty generalization, something even a stark illiterate would not do. While it is true that a number of our leaders engaged in anti party activities in the last presidential elections, it is also true that a greater number of Anambra APC members did not and stood firm with party’s presidential candidate and his running mate. Again, to allege or make it seem that it is only Anambra that exhibited such trends is senile as even in states like Osun, Kastina, Yobe and even Onoh’ s home state of Enugu, there were rife allegations of certain leaders engaging in anti party activities, should we then urge President Tinubu to appoint PDP and other opposition party members as ministers in these states?
Now except Onoh is trying to be clever by half, he ought to have known that the likes of Chris Ngige, the former minister of Labour has long ceased being the party leader in Anambra APC, truth be told, there is only one APC in Anambra, led by Chief Basil Ejidike and it is the authentic arm of APC in the state, save for the fact that Onoh only sought to cook mischief in his tales by moonlight, even dim wits wouldn’t have used such an instance.
Again, Onoh has described the 2021 elections in Anambra as another instance and one wonders at what level of idiocy would this man not stoop too. What transpired in 2021 was similar to states like Osun, Onoh’s own state of Enugu where a number of persons not only protested the emergence of Uche Nnaji but also worked against his success in Enugu, pray can President Tinubu quickly appoint a PDP member as minister?
He even spews the drivel that we gave President Tinubu 5,111 votes, again let me state that while we managed a meager 5111 vote, we yet trumped what Enugu APC which had Onoh as a presidential spokesman gave the president which is 4772 votes, one must surely be feeling sorry for Enugu APC members as Onoh’s putrefying attempt at rubbishing Ndi Anambra APC and Ndi Anambra as a whole will only embarass them further. Still on this, isnt it suprising that Onoh who was a presidential spokesperson lost his polling booth, ward and LGA, one expected that someone with his atrociois hateur would have delivered at least his polling booth, this is a former Member of the Enugu House of Assembly and one time Special Adviser to a former governor of his state!”.
“Onoh has maliciously attacked the integrity of the Anambra APC by describing us as a cash out syndicate, not been able to win elections, how he expects the party to have done so, when Abuja foisted on us unpopular persons as ministers as President Tinubu seems to be doing now, persons who were never interested in the growth of the party nor the welfare of its members but rather ran a ‘Family and Friends ‘ approach to governance rather than implement a healthy reward system which would have made the party more cohesive, even at that is Onoh stating that the APC in Anambra is bereft of members with an impeccable form of integrity? Like God corrected Elijah in the bible when the latter complained that he was the only one who had not bowed to Baal, may i correct a freeloader in Onoh that unlike his cash and carry antecedents while he served as Chairman Finance Committee of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Anambra APC can boast of the likes Basil Ejidike, Uche Ekwunife, Azuka Okwuosa, Johnbosco Onunkwo, Margery Okadigbo, Nze Chidi Duru Amobi Nwokafor, Kodili Okelekwe, Elijah Onyeagba, Dozie Ikedife, Olisa Onyeka, Sam Oraegbunam, Chidi Orji, Ralph Okeke, CJ Chinwuba ,Izu Okeke and a number of others, the state has always had what it takes to win elections but sadly has been repeatedly sabotaged by persons at the upper echelon as witnessed in 2017 where a few persons from the state collaborated with forces at the federal level to deny the party’s victory.
I could go on and on responding to Onoh’s fables, however let me lastly comment on his histrionic mention of the Anambra APC as a party with primitive Igbo traditional ethics which encourages subjugation of women in the family and political circles and hate uplifting women. This is a party that handed its senatorial tickets to Sharon
Ikeazir in 2016 and in 2019 to two women, namely Senator Margery Okadigbo and Uche Ekwunife, repeating same in 2023. This is a party that has repeatedly celebrated our women in offices and has supported them through thick and thin. This is a party that has regularly given leadership positions to women and has sought to encourage them that even recently it’s women wing held a summit, how Onoh happily contrives or arrives at such an allegation because his sister has unmeritoriously emerged as minister is worrisome but then lends strong or iron clad credence to his been described as an ‘anywhere belle face’ politician, a real reason why his hapless tenure as SouthEast spokesperson never featured while titans like Ajuri Ngelale, Bayo Onanuga and Felix Nwoka, Hope Uzodinma, Dave Umahi, Benjamin Kalu and Ijeomah Arodiogbu etched their names in the memory of our party members and Nigerians as they repeatedly demolished the lies spun by those who never wished our party well, people like Onoh who are still PDP in flesh, blood and thinking. Let us kindly note that there are allegations of wife battering against Denge, the same person accusing us of primitivity but we will let it lie.
Finally, given the nation’s political culture one ought to know Onoh’s reason for attempting to insult his betters, persons who have eked out a name and a career from scratch, without the distinction of birth or fortune unlike Onoh who’s only appeal to popularity is the fact that he is the son of C. C Onoh and brother to a beauty queen, this has much defined such an outburst whereas he ought to have kept quiet which may have for once potrayed him as one with some level of wisdom.
Igboeli Arinze is the Zonal Publicity Secretary, Anambra APC Central and Coordinator Anambra APC Renewal Group.