16th July, 2021
By Kazeem Ugbodaga
Former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Prof. Charles Soludo has reacted to the list released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), excluding his name as a candidate for the November 6 Anambra governorship poll.
Soludo’s name was missing in INEC’s list on Friday.
Rather INEC listed the names of Chukwuma Michael Umeoji as the governorship candidate for the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) while Urogbu Obiageli Lilian was listed as the deputy governor.
INEC said it listed the name of Umeoji and Urogbu based on court order.
Soludo had emerged winner of the primary election conducted by the Governor Willie Obiano faction of APGA.
However, reacting to the development, Soludo said he was confident that he would still fly the banner of APGA in the November 6, governorship poll in Anambra State.
The statement was released by his media aide, Joe Anatune.
The statement said the Chukwuma Soludo Campaign has been briefed on a publication by the Independent National Electoral Commission where Umeorji had been published as the candidate of the APGA in the November 6, 2021, gubernatorial election in Anambra State.
It said the INEC publication was based on a judgment by a High Court in Jigawa State, and that the electoral body sensibly wrote that its inclusion of Umeorji as a candidate in the election was “By Judgment”.
“Our millions of supporters in Anambra State and elsewhere in the world are advised not to be dispirited by the publication seriously.
“Prof Chukwuma Charles Soludo will participate in the governorship election as the APGA candidate. His nomination was strictly in line with the Electoral Law and INEC guidelines,” the statement said.
It added that INEC observed the APGA Congress on Wednesday, June 23, 2021, where Soludo was nominated after winning 93.4 per cent of the valid votes cast in a free, fair and transparent manner which was broadcast live on national television networks as part of deepening the democratic process in Nigeria.
The statement said Soludo’s team of dedicated and competent legal experts had studied the judgment and is confident of overturning it effortlessly.
It said the party was at liberty to nominate the right candidate so long as due process was followed, saying that Soludo’s nomination followed due process religiously.
The statement added that supporters and in deed all Anambra people, who have been waiting patiently for Soludo’s leadership of the state, were advised not to be deterred by the Jigawa State Court order.
The statement said the supporters should rather remain supremely confident of not only Soludo’s participation in the November 6 election but also his triumph in the polls with a big margin which would lead to a new era in the state for the benefit of all.