Anambra Guber: Soludo Media Office reacts to omission of APGA flagbearer by INEC

The Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo Media Office has reacted to the Thursday declaration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of a sitting member of the House of Representatives Hon. Chukwuma Michael Umeoji as flagbearer of the All Progressives Grand Allaince (APGA) in the Anambra State governorship election slated for November 6, urging members and supporters to be calm.

Soludo’s nomination ,which was submitted by APGA as the authentic  candidate of the party for the November 6 governorship election in Anambra State was not included on the list released on Thursday by the INEC. Umeoji’s nomination was the one accepted by the nation’s electoral umpire to the chagrin of the party.

Soludo Media  Office said APGA has no faction except the fictional one allegedly created by a Jigawa State High Court which  directed INEC to accept the nomination of a former aspirant who was disqualified from participating at the APGA primaries.

The statement which was signed by  Joe C. Anatune,  for Soludo Media Office , said that “APGA screened and found this aspirant unfit to be governor, and he travels 949 kilometres from Anambra to Jigawa to shop for a state court to foist him upon the party as its candidate, with the court also creating his own national chairman for him. This will be the 11th wonder of the world.”

According to Anatune, there is no faction in APGA as the party  remains one united huge family as Nigeria’s third largest political party under Victor Ike Oye as the national Chairman and Governor Willie Obiano as the national leader/Board of Trustee (BOT) Chairman. 

 The statement reads : “Our attention has been drawn to the INEC publication of tentative list of candidates for the November 2021 governorship election in Anambra.

“Conspicuously, the Anambra consensus candidate for the election, Prof Charles Chukwuma Soludo, is missing from the list.

“We understand that the reason is that a Jigawa State High Court created a fictional faction of APGA and directed INEC to accept its nomination of a former aspirant who was disqualified from participating at the APGA primaries.

“APGA screened and found this aspirant unfit to be governor, and he travels 949 kilometres from Anambra to Jigawa to shop for a state court to foist him upon the party as its candidate, with the court also creating his own national chairman for him. This will be the 11th wonder of the world.

“By His grace, this rascality and impunity will not stand. Millions of Soludo’s supporters in Nigeria and around the world are advised to remain calm.

“As a law abiding organization, APGA will as usual appeal this judgment. It has become the routine every election season: every four years during elections, we go through countless court orders and counter orders.

“This one too shall pass! It is important to clarify that there is no faction in APGA. APGA remains one united huge family as Nigeria’s third largest political party under Ozonkpu (Dr) Victor Ike Oye as the national Chairman and Governor Willie Obiano as the national leader/BOT Chairman. 

“It is the party loved by Ndi Anambra and Nigerians. Thousands are joining the party by the day in the run up to the election, and several opposition elements are getting desperate.

Soludo remains the only legally and legitimately nominated candidate of APGA for the 2021 governorship election in Anambra. The primary at which Soludo polled 94% was watched on live televisions by millions of Nigerians.

APGA gave him a unanimous mandate to fly their flag and millions of Ndi Anambra are celebrating the prospects of a Soludo as their governor.

We advise Soludo’s supporters and support groups to keep our eyes on the ball. The ball is the ballot and our overwhelming victory on November 6, 2021.

As we match forward, there will be several schemes to draw us back but we must never relent. Our train has left the station and won’t stop until victory is assured in November.

The lives of millions of Ndi Anambra are too important to surrender to desperate selfish politicians  aWhat is written is written, and who can battle with the Lord?