Soludo would contest Anambra governorship poll, says aide

Disqualified candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Professor Charles Soludo, says he will still contest the Anambra Governorship election scheduled for November 6.

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had Friday released its list of candidates cleared to contest the poll, but excluded the former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor from the aspirants, while replacing him with Chukwuma Michael Umeoji, in a move which recognizes the factional leader of the party, Jude Okeke that produced the candidate.

Similarly, both the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Valentine Ozigbowere were also excluded from the November 6 poll by INEC.

Soludo had emerged as the candidate of the APGA in a primary election conducted by the mainstream members of the party on July 23 headed by Victor Oye.

Reacting to the INEC publication, Soludo in a statement by his media aide, Joe Anatune, insisted he would contest the November 6 election.

“The Chukwuma Soludo Campaign has been briefed on a publication by the Independent National Electoral Commission where Honourable Chukwuma Umeorji has been published as the candidate of the APGA in the November 6, 2021, gubernatorial election in Anambra State.

“The INEC publication is based on a judgment by a High Court in Jigawa State, and the electoral body sensibly wrote that its inclusion of Umeorji as a candidate in the election is ‘By Judgment’.”

INEC had removed Soludo from the final list on the grounds of a subsisting court order.

It would be recalled that a Federal High Court in Awka ruling had barred Valentine Ozigbo from parading himself as the PDP’s flagbearer.

The court gave the order pending the determination of a suit before it.

The order issued by Justice Obiora Nwabunike was in respect to the suit with the number, A/230/2021, filed by Senator Ugochukwu Uba.

The full list of candidates for the Anambra governorship election include:

Ekene Alex Nwankwo (Accord Party, A)

Doreen Ifeoma Madukaarisa (Action Alliance, AA)

Obi Sylvester Chukwudozie (African Action Congress, AAC)

Akachukwu Sullivan Nwankpo (African Democratic Congress, ADC)

Prince Ume-Ezeoke Afam Luke Douglas (Action Democratic Party, ADP)

Emmanuel Andy Nnamdi Uba (All Progressives Congress, APC)

Chukwuma Michael Umeoji (All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA)

Eze Robinson Chukwuma (Allied Peoples Movement, APM)

Azubuike Philip Echetebu (Action Peoples Party, APP)

Chika Jerry Okeke (Boot Party, BP)

Agbasimalo Obiora Emmanuel (Labour Party, LP)

Ohajimkpo Leonard Emeka (New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP)

Adaobi Uchenna Okpeke (National Rescue Movement, NRM)

Nnamdi Nwawuo (Peoples Redemption Party, PRP)

Ekelem Edward Arinze (Social Democratic Party, SDP)

Ifeanyi Patrick Ubah (Young Progressive Party, YPP)

Ugwoji Martin Uchenna (Zenith Labour Party, ZLP)