•Okonkwo risks expulsion from APC
•Omabala people reject Obi's choice
THE battle for who becomes the deputy to Senator Chris Ngige, the All Progressive Congress (APC) governorship candidate for the November 16, 2013 election has intensified between Anambra East and Anambra West Local government Areas.
When the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) released the names of parties' candidates and their deputies for the election, Ngige's name appeared with that of Dr. Mike Aghadinuno as his deputy.
Aghadinuno, who was a onetime deputy to Hon. Uche Ekwunife in the 2010 governorship election under the belt of Progressive People's Alliance (PPA), is a medical doctor and hails from Nando in Anambra East Council Area.
But the pressure from the party is so much on Ngige to pick Hon. Raph Okeke from Anambra West, who incidentally, was once chairman of the council area from 1999 to 2002 and also a two-time House of Representatives member.
The argument of the political egg heads from the area not only in APC but from other political parties in the state is that Anambra East already has two governorship candidates in two different parties and will not be wise for APC to choose a deputy from there.
Embattled Comrade Tony Nwoye of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Chief Willie Obiano who was picked by Governor Peter Obi as the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) against the wishes of the people, is from Anambra East also.
In a related development, APC has warned Sen. Annie Okonkwo to either join the fray or risk the wrath of the party, adding that the mega party would not tolerate any form of indiscipline from anybody.
Speaking with The Nation yesterday in Awka, Okonkwo's political mentor and APC strongman in the state, Chief Dennis Ngene, said that Okonkwo cannot be bigger than APC adding that his problem is that of naivety.
Also, former chairman of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the state, Chief Amechi Obidike told The Nation yesterday that APC had no room for anybody who wants to bring the party down.
Amechi who described APC as a moving train that does not know anybody who is "stupid" on its way, said that Ngige's campaign group is prepared to make any sacrifice in making sure that APC candidate is delivered to the people of Anambra State.
