From Ifeoma Ejiofor, Nnewi
The South-East All Progressives Congress (APC) group, the Young Progressives Forum, has asked the Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, to stop rebagging the Federal Government’s meant for palliatives for his re-election campaigns.
The group’s position was signed by Comrades CHibuzo Michael (State Coordinator) and Paschal Candle (National Convener).
The Forum also accused the governor of shortchanging the people by sharing midget bags of rice to them against what the federal government consigned to them.
According to the group, the bags of rice allocated to the state for palliative care were in 50kg sizes and nothing less.
They described Gov Soludo’s method of sharing the FG’s palliatives as fraudulent and asked
him stop shortchange Ndi Anambra in that respect.
The statement reads: “It is on record that shortly after the announcement of a set of federal interventions made available to the 36 states of the federation and the FCT to cushion the effects of the removal of fuel subsidy, South-East APC Young Progressives Forum raised the alarm alerting ndi Anambra of the said federal palliatives comprising five truckloads of 50kg rice and the sum of N5 billion to purchase additional 100,000 bags of rice and 40,000 bags of maize and fertiliser.
“The governor in the face of the scrutiny hurriedly announced on August 22nd 2023, a draft of measures as Anambra State’s proposed intervention to cushion the effects of the removal of fuel subsidy.
“In the broadcast by the Governor however, he failed to acknowledge receipt of the five trucks of federal rice palliatives nor the N5 billion given to states by the federal government. It was basically a broadcast lacking totally in transparency.
“The South-East APC Young Progressives Forum kept vigilance to monitor when the state governor would direct the distribution of the federal palliatives and the modalities for the distribution.
“It was therefore not surprising that three months after, Prof. Soludo’s government received the five truckloads of rice and N5 billion, they decided to use the said federal rice as campaign materials for Governor Soludo.
“Recently, pictures of 10kg bags of rice branded with pictures of Governor Soludo and his party, APGA, surfaced with the state government announcing that it is now ready to share the palliatives it announced back in August.
“To say that this is a most uncharitable act by Governor Soludo is understatement. This fraudulent and tantamount to stealing of federal palliatives for cheap Political Popularity”.
