Ifediche Media
In every political journey, history remembers those who have made sacrifices for the collective good. The strength of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Anambra State today is not the work of one man but the collective effort of dedicated party stakeholders who have stood by the party through its most difficult moments.
We acknowledge and commend Hon. Paul Chukwuma for his recent contribution to the party, particularly his donation of a state party office. Such efforts are commendable and add value to the party’s growth. However, it is also important to recognize and appreciate those who carried the burden of the party long before now—those who worked tirelessly to sustain APC in Anambra through thick and thin.
One of such pillars is Engr. JohnBosco Onunkwo, a steadfast APC stakeholder whose commitment to the party predates its transformation from Action Congress (AC) to Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and, eventually, to APC. Since 2008, he has remained unwavering in his dedication, standing by the party when many walked away.
When APC faced its most challenging period after the 2017 governorship election, many key stakeholders abandoned ship, and political analysts wrote off the party in Anambra. But Engr. JohnBosco Onunkwo refused to give up. He singlehandedly funded party activities, ensuring that APC remained functional and visible in the state.
• At that time, Onunkwo personally funded APC offices, ensuring the party had a strong presence in Anambra.
• In 2018 and 2019, he donated trailer-loads of rice to support party members across the state.
• He sponsored free medical outreaches in the 21 LGAs of the state, with many APC members and their families benefiting from free healthcare services.
• In 2019, he paid for ward and local government offices, ensuring grassroots mobilization and strengthening the party’s structure.
• He sponsored the APC and its youth wing in Abuja during National Conventions and major party events.
• He not only sponsored GoGAN (Good Governance Ambassadors of Nigeria) but also brought it down to Anambra, ensuring its presence from state, to zonal, to local government, to ward and polling booth levels. The structures are still there till today.
• He also sponsored Buhari Victory Party, playing a key role in the party’s national success.
• He sponsored the New Conversation I & II, in 2019 and 2020 empowering hundreds of youths in the party as entrepreneurs.Beyond politics, Onunkwo’s contributions to human capital development are remarkable.
• He acquired 1000 hectares of land in Awa and Umunze for agricultural projects, which many APC members still use today for farming and sustaining their families.
• Through his Back-to-School Project, many children of party members have benefited from his foundation’s scholarship schemes.
• He built the first and only APC aspirant-sponsored hospital in his local government, demonstrating his commitment to healthcare.
• He donated medical and laboratory equipment worth over ₦20 million to a health center in another community, Igboukwu, improving healthcare access for the people. Igboukwu people are there to testify to this.
• He donated vehicles to key members of the State Working Committee (SWC) and some local government chairmen of APC to enhance their mobility and efficiency.His humanitarian efforts extend beyond politics:
• When the Onitsha Market fire disaster occurred, he didn’t just issue sympathy messages — he took action, donating truckloads of fire extinguishers to Ochanja market and other major markets in Anambra State to prevent future occurrences; of which about 60% of the beneficiaries were party members.
• He single-handedly built and donated a gigantic, iconic edifice used as an academy, to the Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity, Onitsha Archdiocese. Today, many youths have graduated from the academy and are now independent.
• He provided an ultramodern, state-of-the-art bus stand with heavy sand filling for UNIZIK students which the university still boasts of till today.
• He built a premier lawn tennis court not, the first of its kind in Anambra state, and made it free of charge for APC members.
• He donated trailer loads of yam seedlings across the entire Anambra State, distributing them among party members in order to ensure food security.
• He also donated trailer loads of fertilizer to party members across the state. The fertilisers have helped to boost the crops that party members cultivated last year, ensuring a high yield.The list is endless. Also, there is hardly any religious organization in Anambra State where Engr. Johnbosco Onunkwo has not made a generous impact. These antecedents have endeared him to the Body of Christ (the Church), and should he emerge the flagbearer of our party, the church will stand solidly behind his candidature.
As at today, he has received over 500 awards for National and international impacts, and has a lot of certifications in the field of engineering as a chartered Engineer. It is time for an engineer with over 20 years experience in an international oil and gas establishment to assume governance in Anambra state, so as to guarantee standard operating procedures and global leadership anchored on preventive, predictive and corrective-programmed governance where service above self will be standardized.
The APC in Anambra did not start today, and its growth has been the result of years of sacrifice by those who truly believe in the party’s future. As we move towards the 2025 governorship election, it is important to remember and appreciate those who have consistently invested their time, resources, and energy in the party.
Anambra APC is on the path to greatness, and with dedicated leaders like Engr. JohnBosco Onunkwo, the Grand Commander of Anambra Youths and Grand Patron of Ohaneze Ndigbo Youth Wing (worldwide), an icon with over 25 chieftaincy titles, the future is bright.
APC members, let us remain united, focused, and committed to victory in 2025.
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