Ahead of the 2025 governorship election in Anambra State, Chief C. J. Chinwuba, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Anambra State, has warned against using blackmail to disqualify political opponents.
Chinwuba, a lawyer, accused the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the state and some disgruntled members of his party of sponsoring smear campaigns against the former APC national auditor, Chief Paul Chukwuma.
He told LEADERSHIP in Awka yesterday that Paul Chukwuma’s detractors aimed to tarnish his image ahead of the forthcoming 2025 state governorship election because they see the ex-APC national auditor as the man to beat in the governorship poll.
Chinwuba spoke against the backdrop of the recent rumour in the media that Paul Chukwuma was arrested by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), over N3.3 billion Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) project fraud. He stated that an invitation to any person who has anything to do with government by any government agency is normal and that such action does not mean an arrest of such person by the agency.
Stating that Chukwuma’s purported arrest and detention by the ICPC and the hype in the media were the handiwork of political opponents, Chinwuba said, “Since Paul Chukwuma declared interest for Governorship (in the coming 2025 Anambra State governorship election), some opposition elements even within APC see him as a threat.
“The way Paul Chukwuma has galvanised APC in Anambra State since December to be a force to reckon with many would-be aspirants in APC and APGA are jittery.
“Paul has set the ball rolling in APC, so it is expected that only a player has the ball that opponents tackle.
“Their (those behind the rumour of his purported arrest and detention by the ICPC) aim is to stop Paul Chukwuma from contesting, believing that with Paul as a party man in APC, they will not get the ticket,” Chinwuba stated.
