By Chesa Chesa
Governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Obiora Okonkwo, says the party will be all out to win Anambra State gubernatorial election in November, without any attempt to trade off its chances for incumbent Governor Charles Soludo.
Okonkwo spoke on Tuesday at the APC secretariat in Abuja when he submitted his expression of interest form, and alleged that Soludo was seeking the help of APC leadership to win the governorship poll.
Addressing the press afterwards, Okonkwo recalled that prior to the 2023 elections, Soludo promised to deliver a ‘meagre’ 25 per cent of votes to APC in the presidential election, but failed to deliver even one per cent.
According to Okonkwo: “He promised give the APC president 25 per cent of the vote. That was what he promised. And at the count of the votes, we did not even get one per cent.
“And this same person, again, who is not counting on winning the second term based on his achievements and the deliveries of democracy in Anambra state, is again knocking on the door of our great party in Abuja saying, come support me, I will help you win.
“He has proven in the past that he has no capacity to help the party. Right now, the party is ready to go and win with me.”
Okonkwo, who is also the founder of United Airlines, insistedthat there would be nothing like payback time for Soludo, as Anambra voters are prepared to rather vote him out for bad governance.
“I can tell you that for him as a governor, it’s better for him to be counting on winning by his performance rather than cooperation it will get from Abuja
“We have an Igbo adage that says nobody sees with someone else’s eyes. Allowing him to win with support of the APC from Abuja, it’s like giving your eyes to him to see.
“Why should we go for 25 per cent when we can have a sitting governor in Anambra State of APC in 2027. We can have a sitting governor in Anambra state of APC in 2027 with robust and vibrant candidate”, he stated.
He continued: “Our President, the leader of the party Our president is a seasoned and strategic politician, who is a true party man and knows that he will rather not sabotage his party or his candidate. So we’ve had that story, but our message to Soludo is that we are not buying that Abuja game. Anambra people today have had enough.”
