Professor Dora Akunyili has resigned her position as information minister with effect from yesterday to seek the Anambra Senatorial District ticket under the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). President Goodluck Jonathan has since accepted her resignation and appointed Minister of State for Information and Communications Labaran Maku to replace her as the substantive minister.
Akunyili, who turned-in her resignation letter yesterday at the weekly Federal Executive Council, told the council that she has decided to cross-over to the APGA, which is the ruling party in the state, to seek for APGA’s ticket.
She also told council that having reflected over the years about events in Nigeria and in particular her state, Anambra State, “I have, therefore, decided to join my Governor, Peter Obi, who is doing a great job in continuing to build Anambra State as an APGA senator. In this regard, I intend to pick the nomination form today to run for the office of Senator representing Anambra Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly.”
Shortly after briefing State House correspondents at the end of her last FEC meeting, Akunyili, drove in convoy of about 50 vehicles to the APGA national secretariat in Abuja where she paid N3.5 million for the nomination forms to run against Barrister Chike Maduekwe for the APGA senatorial ticket.
When asked by newsmen why she dumped President Jonathan at this critical time that he needed her most, the APGA national chairman, Chief Victor Umeh, intervened, telling journalists that they can always get across to her and that she should be allow to take care of the business of her joining the party and obtaining the senatorial nomination forms.
On whether she will return to PDP if she eventually gets the senate ticket on APGA platform, Akunyili said: “You know me as a principled woman but we will cross that bridge when we get there.”
Chief Umeh told the former minister to be prepared to compete with other aspirants on the party’s platform who have indicated their intention to contest the senatorial election in the Anambra Central Senatorial District.
Umeh said though Akunyili’s entry into APGA would attract attention and popularity to the party, the practice of internal democracy by the party would not guarantee her an automatic ticket.
Akunyili in her response also expressed her distaste for automatic ticket syndrome, saying, “I want to assure you today from the bottom of my heart, that if for any reason I failing to get the party’s ticket, I will support the candidate wholeheartedly.”
Akunyili’s senatorial ambition has been in the air for some time, but when our correspondent asked her over a month ago, she denied nursing such an ambition and described it as the handiwork of her political opponents.
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