By Victoria Ikeano
Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State has revealed that two former presidents are among the numerous persons that had called to congratulate him on the emergence of former governor of Nigeria’s Central Bank, Professor Charles Soludo as the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate for the November governorship election in the state. The governor made the disclosure in an electronic mail he sent to some of his aides and which this correspondent scooped.
In the mail, Obiano said that he had been receiving a deluge of congratulatory and solidarity messages since Soludo’s win at the party’s primary election. He stated that the messages came from “development partners, the organized private sector, bishops, clerics, market union leaders, professional associations, the organized labour, traditional rulers, town unions, student bodies, two former presidents, numerous former state governors, academics, writers, ndi Anambra in the diaspora, National Assembly members, heads of national and international agencies, people with physical disabilities, petty traders and so on”.
According to the governor, “almost every person who matters in our dear state has called me to thank the people of Anambra state for choosing Soludo as the governor in waiting”. He predicted that Soludo would win some 90 per cent of valid votes that would be cast in the forthcoming election because of “the immense popularity of his nomination among all Nigerians who want the best for Nigeria, starting with Anambra State”.
Governor Obiano likened the applause that greeted choice of Soludo from all divides and sectors as APGA’s flag bearer for the gubernatorial election in few months time, to his 2017 reelection in which he won overwhelmingly in all 21 local government councils of the state, a record which experts assert is unequalled as yet.
Recall that Professor Soludo has picked Dr. Onyeka Ibezim, a medical doctor with specialty in public health as his running mate. His selection has equally received high praise. According to Ody Chukwube, “the whole of Anambra went agog”, when Ibezim was announced as the deputy governorship candidate.
