Blue Ocean Strategy or Basic Principles of Equity?

The upcoming 2025 election in Anambra State must be collectively pursued as an opportunity to make our vibrant youth population less redundant both in politics and in socio-economic development. 

While we deride APGA for their incapacity to advance the cause of the State and Ndi-Igbo at large, APC and stakeholders of the party in Anambra State must shun any verbal rhetorics like "Blue Ocean Strategy" and borrow  the positive basic principles of winning election and taking power in Anambra State from APGA which is anchored on equity or in a lay man's language" zoning"!

Let the members of our great party APC not be deceived that the winning strategy of a party like APGA which has ruled the state for 18years is a mere fluke. Peter Obi at the expiration of his tenure in 2017, though of APGA then, consciously understudied the Anambra people's pysche and terrain with realization in the famous" Olu na Adagbe" political  philosophy that equity was on the side of going North. He was spot on and APGA clearly won the election and has continued to win with the equity formula as tested and proven. Why would APC discard equity that currently favours Anambra South and which her main opposition in the coming election APGA will clutch  onto like the Holy Bible and go for a "Blue Ocean phantom power shift? Adi amu aka ekpe na Nka!

👉In 2017, when Obiano was going for the re-election, APC Anambra State showcased wisdom by going North too. The equity logic was loud and clear and the party performed credibly well because the tempo of the people's voice of equity was adhered to. That 2017 election and the choice of the candidate from the North in line with APGA move was nearly a checkmate. It was a close call-upon the entire gamut of Chief Willie Obiano's "do or die" second term ambition. What works is what works, constancy wears away the rock of ignorance and the premium song is for APC to be consistent on the side of equity.

👉In 2021, APC again made the right decision of going South as the tempo of the State dictated and barring internal rancours and bickering, the APC demonstrated she was not an outcast in Anambra State.  The miserly margin of 68,944 gap with APGA- the ruling party, from statistics and percentage does not support the narrative by the phantom " Progressive Media" that the APC party did woefully in the last gubernatorial election.

Let us make it unequivocal and clear; Gubernatorial Zoning in ANAMBRA STATE is not a political creation of APGA. To foster such argument is preposterous and inimical to the survival of the APC as a party in Anambra. The argument is both against God and humanity as its purveyors wants to achieve one purpose, which is to further alienate the masses from the APC and remove fairness from the game. Fairness and Equity support Zoning in ANAMBRA STATE and not APGA or any other Party. Even in the National level where APC is in charge, the unwritten and unspoken politics of North and South are clearly engraved in the hearts and minds of the people and the stakeholders.

Why will ANAMBRA STATE own be different come 2025? We must watch it and as they say in Latin " Cave ne Cadas" (He who is standing must be careful less he falls) APGA is certainly going South with Soludo as their jackpot, what is the rationale of going North or Central in a political equation where all indices and factors are the same? 

If His Excellency, Prof. Soludo must go as the  Phantom "Progressive Media" want us to believe, then we agree with them that what is required is "Level of Energy". In arguing for the level of energy required to remove APGA and Soludo, it is clear that Anambra South which is the homestead of Soludo must be wrestled and divided.  The APC party already has the candidate to do that job effectively and strategically as data and history supports from the last two National Assembly election and Gubernatorial election in the South. We shall get to that briefly.

Energy, Capacity or Committment: APC Anambra State Must Elect A Grassroots General to Oust Grassroots APGA

Here, again history comes to our rescue that APC Anambra State has always gone into election with the mindset of "a ga ede ya ede" (it will be written). In fact, research and history support our belief that the only time APC came second and rattled the system effectively was in 2017, when they went on the path of equity which favoured the North and choose a candidate with energy, capacity and commitment. It was a grassroots election and irrespective of the dollar inundated 21 over 21 of Willie Obiano, the party did well.

Fast forward to 2025, the only outstanding candidate to bring the level of energy, capacity and grassroots mobilization required to oust APGA is Sen. Ifeanyi Ubah from the Southern part of the State. Ipsa loquitur causa est, the facts eloquently speak for themselves when you comparatively place his energy level and mobilization capacity on the scale on his two term return to the Senate with APGA and Labour Party    (Main Opposition Parties). 

👉In 2019, in the Southern Senatorial District Election, Sen Ifeanyi Ubah polled 87, 081 as a YPP Candidate to secure the Senate Seat. 87, 081 only from the South, placed comparatively with Charles Soludo's 112, 229 votes across the entire state. As the current Vice President Kashim Shettima would always say, the figures are there!

👉In 2021, amidst the "Welcome to Hellfire" approach in place where only the APGA candidate campaigned; the energy and capacity were still  evident from the grassroots general from an unknown party YPP with 21,261 votes compared to 112, 229 of the APGA (a meagerly margin of 90,968) gap. 

👉 Again in 2023 National Assembly election, amidst the labour tsunami, only one political General stood still and in this same "ANAMBRA South" again with 73,115 votes comparatively placed with the Almighty APGA candidate who polled 45,369 and the conquering labor candidate that polled 28,102.( A margin of 45,103 for Labour and 27,746 for APGA). 

These are facts! These are historical evidence of the evaluation of evidence before the APC Anambra State come 2025. Any other concocted story or speeches as to grammatical qualifications are mere rhetorics and will fall flat in the face political logic! 

Terminus Ad Quem (Point of Arrival) 

The strategy of conquering the South is exactly what APC Anambra State must earnestly seek to be replicated in the Central and North. 

At this juncture, we must conclude by insisting on a quick review of the INEC data sighted by the " Phantom Progressive Media" and call the attention of APC Anambra State members on the analysis of such data's. The battle ground for 2025 election in Anambra state is in the Central and the North. Contrary to the lay man's understanding, the South is loud and clear on who has the edge. Irrespective of the circumstances, Sen. Ifeanyi Ubah of APC, if given the ticket, is guaranteed of taking Nnewi LGAs while Soludo of APGA we battle to pick his own Aguata. These are political facts!

The battle at the Central especially begins to make sense for APC if they go South otherwise the entire South will go against the APC for shifting from equity while the central waits for the argument of 4 is better than 8. Either way, the Central is the battle ground for votes and only an assured one term ambition as envisioned by the Sen Ifeanyi Ubah that will assuage the Central. The North has a placid role to play but the equity and capacity formula does not favour them at this time. They will look up to the possibility of a smooth equity formula consistency so as to return quickly into the equation. 

You cannot abandon a winning formula or a team in the middle of a game. The winning formula is to go from the known to the unknown. The known is Sen Ifeanyi Ubah of the South! 

APC Anambra State must come to equity with clean hands in Anambra election and to offer a candidate capable of turning the narrative from grabbing to winning at the ballot box fair and square. The only candidate heading into the election with a guarantee of winning one LGA is from the APC and he is from the South- Sen. Ifeanyi Ubah! Simpliciter! Any debate or sweet tongue of search for a non existent intellectual any where without pragmatic leadership skills and election winning strategy is a story for the gods- to be told to unbelievers and not to the political consciousness of a state and a party in need of power to change the dynamics of Development in the State.

We do not want to believe or assume or presume that "Progressive Media" is sponsored by APGA and perhaps Labour party to force the APC into a political suicide. We want to believe it's a mistake of logic or the pen by these media warlords.

It's Anambra South Lokan! It's APC Lokan! Let us march on and continue the vision of a smooth transition from regional to National Politics in Anambra State.

Justin Ogoo Nwankwo, PhD 

Writes From Oko in Orumba North LGA of Anambra State