By Clifford Ndujihe
AS campaigns for Saturday’s governorship election in Anambra State end today, the leading candidates are talking tough and fancying their chances of winning the poll.
While incumbent Governor Chukwuma Soludo of the All progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, boasted that the people had taken over his campaign, which he said has divine backing, Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu of the All Progressives Congress, APC, said the era of rhetorics was over.
Soludo, who has campaigned in all the local councils of the state said that Anambra people had taken over his campaign, and were driving his re-election bid.
Addressing members of various ethnic groups from the 35 states of the federation residing in Anambra State, who endorsed him for a second tenure in office, at the event organized by the Patriots at the International Convention Centre, Awka, the governor said, “I’m deeply humbled by the outpouring of sentiments expressed by various tribes. I appreciate your support for us to go for second tenure. I do not take this for granted. I’ve been in public service at the national level and I am now in Anambra State and we live out the same principles. I don’t care where you come from. Some of my best friends are Moslems from the North. The best two drivers I ever had were from the North. Two of them are from Kogi and it didn’t matter to me where they came from.
“Some of the finest friends I’ve had were not of the same religion with me. They are not Igbo, not Christians. That is why in Anambra, we have one state, one agenda. We don’t have boundaries. Religion, location, local government is not our concern. Once you live in Anambra, you are of Anambra.
“God didn’t make a mistake in putting us together as people of the same country with potentials to be the leader of the black race. So, wherever we find ourselves, we should accept each other and work the talk. We should live it out everyday of our lives. What should concern us is what each of us can offer, not the language you speak or where you come from.”
He continued: “When it was time to pay for nomination form, several groups paid for it such that at a stage I wondered if it was not just one nomination form.
“When the campaigns began, the three senatorial zones held endorsement rallies and even added chieftaincy titles. The North senatorial zone gave N70m, the South senatorial zone gave N100 million while Central also gave N70 million. By the time I finished spelling my name, communities started giving cheques.
“Obosi- N50m, Igboukwu – N50m, Oraifite -N100m, Ojoto – N 50m, Abatete- N20m, Ekwulobia – N80m and many more.
“I will never take this your support for granted and for me, it’s a call for even greater dedication to service. We are on the march and all I can say is that we are only at the introductory stage of our development.”
My plans in second term
“Once you renew my contract on November 8, then be rest assured that after the next four years, anybody who comes to Anambra would be able to recognise that something marvelous has happened.
“I am joining hands with you in building a state where I want to personally live. I want to retire and live here, take a walk on the streets. It is personal to me that we must build a place we call home.
“It is the same for all of you who are residents here. Anambra will be a destination, It will no longer be a departure lounge. The solution is here. We must make everywhere liveable in Anambra,” he stated
I’ll unleash massive development agenda – Ukachukwu
Speaking on his plans for the state, Ukachukwu said under his administration, there would be no longer rhetorics on development and insecurity.
The APC standard bearer took this message to most of the areas he campaigned
This was the main message Prince Ukachukwu delivered to the zone at Anaku, and Omo communities respectively at the massively attended campaign rally late afternoon Friday.
Speaking, at Omo and Anaku communities, both in Ayamelum LGAs, recently, he assured the people of his commitment to provide security, agricultural development through the Agric chain revolution, reliable power supply and the tapping of the Omasi Power Plant, which would provide 24-hour electricity.
He also promised to set up a university and to grant scholarships to students from the area.
Lamenting the dilapidated condition of their roads, Ukachukwu promised to construct good motorable network of roads, and to create employment opportunities for the teeming youths in the area, protection of their farm from herdsmen, creating an industrial park to generate employment opportunities.
He promised to create a livable environment conducive for Ndi Anambra.
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