26th September, 2021
Professor Chukwuma Soludo has boasted that even as a member of opposition All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, he has been going in and out of Aso rock presidential villa, occupied by a president elected on the platform of All Progressives Congress, APC.
Soludo, the governorship candidate of APGA for the Anambra 2021 governorship election stated this on Saturday during the kickoff of his campaign for the poll scheduled for November.
The former governor of Central Bank was obviously dismissing the claim of Andy Uba, one of his major opponents and candidate of APC in the governorship election who had anchored his campaign on the need to align Anambra to the ‘centre’ or the Federal Government.
But Soludo, who is a member of President Muhammadu Buhari’s economic management team told members of his party at Dr Alex Ekwueme Square in Awka, the state capital, on Saturday said he is already serving in the federal government of Nigeria and has access to the centre or the presidency.
He therefore dismissed argument that APGA should be voted out of Anambra for APC as a means of linking the party to the centre.
“Anambra is APGA, and APGA is Anambra. Anambra is not Imo. They say they want to connect us to the centre, and it is idiocy for them to talk about going to the centre because I’m already in the centre.
I serve in this government (federal), so when they talk about going to centre, they are talking about coming to meet us. I’m already at the centre and I go in and out of Aso Rock, so when they talk about going to the centre, they are coming to meet me, because I’m there already,” Soludo said.
He also spoke on his manifesto which he unveiled during the kickoff of the campaign.
“I told Anambra people that on the day of the flagoff, we will unveil and launch the Anambra manifesto. This manifesto is one that envisions Anambra as a five star destination to live, work and relaxes in. We want Anambra to be livable. My manifesto with ndi Anambra is my contract with them.
The former governor of CBN added that no candidate in the race was his match and his ambition was a response to clamour of the people of the state for a credible replacement for Governor Willy Obiano.
Soludo said, “I thank APGA for the ticket it gave me on June 23, and the over 50 support groups who for years continued to clamour for me to aspire for the governorship position.
“They have been demanding for me to come and run, some of them are people across party lines, and some who are not even politicians have been calling me and saying that after the tenure of Governor Willie Obiano, the best thing that can happen to Anambra is for me to come and continue. Anambra people want APGA to continue.
“We will compete and contest for every vote and we will not take your votes for granted. Our target is to reach the one million-vote mark. There are people who know that even if they carry a gun, Anambra people will not vote for them. They are carrying money around and buying expired politicians.
He promised to hit the ground running if he is elected.
“After this speech, my manifesto will be shared and uploaded online, and this is my contract with you. I have looked at the people contesting, and with every sense of humility, I don’t think they can match me.
“They can be governor because they are qualified and the constitution says if you have a school certificate, you can be governor, but for those who forged their certificates, I do not think they can be governor.
“We are not making empty promises, the things we have here (manifesto) have been thought over by me and they are achievable, not the people who contracted people to concoct something that looks like manifesto for them,” Soludo said.
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Also speaking, the state governor, Willie Obiano said Anambra people had two choices to make in the upcoming election: “To continue in the progress we are making or to go back to Egypt”.
“We have fake certificate holders, we have debtors, who are running for governor, but they can’t govern. You all must vote for qualified fellows like Soludo. He has the reach, contact and cerebral to lead Anambra. He knows where to find the money, much more than I do.
“I have no doubt that we will win with a landslide. We have no competition. We have done well; we have been able to deliver for Anambra. We have built 153 roads and 34 are ongoing. I know Soludo will do well, if he will not, I would not have brought him out. The former administration did well, I did better and the Soludo administration will be the best.”