By Nnamdi Ojiego

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Anambra State, Chinedu Klinsmann, has dismissed the zoning arrangement being championed by the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Anambra State as a self-serving political manoeuvre designed to extend Governor Charles Soludo’s hold on power.

In a statement issued yesterday, Klinsmann described zoning as an internal arrangement of APGA, which was never democratically agreed upon by the people of Anambra or endorsed by other political parties. He asserted that the future of Anambra must be determined by competence, vision, and leadership excellence not by an artificial rotation of power among senatorial districts.

“Zoning is not an Anambra agenda; it is an APGA agenda. It was neither a collective decision of Anambra people nor a consensus among political parties. APC, PDP, and LP have all rejected zoning, insisting that the next governor should emerge based on merit, not regional bias,” Klinsmann stated.

APGA’s Zoning Agenda is a Strategy for Self-Preservation According to Klinsmann, APGA’s insistence on zoning is not about equity or fairness but a calculated move to narrow the political space and sustain its dominance in Anambra politics.

He added that Governor Soludo and his party know that in a free and open contest, the people of Anambra will reject them for their abysmal performance, that is why they are desperately pushing zoning as a strategy to eliminate competent candidates from other parties.

He further argued that despite APGA’s control of Anambra for nearly two decades, zoning has not translated into meaningful development.

“If zoning was truly a magic formula for good governance, Anambra would have been a model state by now. But under APGA’s zoning system, we are still battling insecurity, unem- ployment, bad roads, and economic stagnation.