•Val Ozoigbo
The governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party in the 2021 Anambra State governorship election, Mr Valentine Ozigbo, has vowed to unseat the Anambra State governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, in the governorship election in the state in 2025.
Ozigbo, now a Labour Party aspirant for the Anambra governorship election in 2025, gave this indication when he and House of Representatives member, representing Ogbaru federal constituency in the national assembly, Afam Ogene and other party leaders received over 300 decampees from the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA and other parties into the Labour Party, LP.
The decampees, mainly APGA members in the Ogbaru Local Government Area, were led into Labour Party by the APGA candidate for the Ogbaru 1 state Constituency during the last Anambra State House of Assembly elections, Hon. Pius Ndubuisi Igwilo, reports Vanguard.
They were also received by the chairman of Labour Party in Ogbaru LGA, Prince Emeka Nwosu and several other stalwarts of the LP in the local government, including Bewin Ezenwammad,u, LP candidate for Ogbaru 1 state constituency during the last state assembly election and Director General of Senator Tony Nwoye campaign organization in Ogbaru LGA, Okey Ejidike.
Among the decampees, were former local government chairmen, ward chairmen, women leader and critical stakeholders in Ogbaru Local Government Area.
Ozigbo, while receiving the decampees at the Holiday Resort field, Onitsha, expressed optimism that the rate at which members of other political parties in the state were defecting to the LP would guarantee the party’s successes in the future elections at both local, state and national levels.
He charged the new entrants to become “fishers of men” by ensuring that they convinced members of other political parties in their various wards to join the Labour Party which he described as a “moving train”.
He said, “I am happy to witness what is going on here today. You have taken a fantastic decision that will help to ensure that LP produces the next Anambra governor. I have asked Ndi Anambra and the verdict is that the governor is not doing well. So, we are using this point to say that he must vacate the Government House in 2025,
“Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s time is up. He cannot come back for a second term because he has disappointed Ndi Anambra. It is now left for the Labour Party to take over.
“He has failed in his responsibilities to live up to the expectations and I think Anambra people will dispense with him and bring in Labour Party in 2025 with me as the Chief shepherd to harness the potential of the state”.
Also receiving the decampees, Ogene, who is also the Chairman, Committee on Renewable Energy in the House of Representatives, as well as chairman of Labour Party national assembly caucus, told them that they had no other option than to join the Labour Party since Governor Soludo’s APGA had disappointed Ndi Anambra with his leadership policies, including his failure to conduct local government election as he promised during his campaign period.
Ogene said, “It is not about constructing roads alone. Even an individual can construct roads but the nitty gritty of governance lies in the ability of a governor to settle disputes, maintain adequate security and manage the affairs of the state effectively.
“There is no disunity in LP whether you are from the North, West, East or South, the LP door is opened at all times. It is good to enter into a place that is good and you must enter on time. You have come to strengthen the party and together we will work together to take over Anambra in 2025.”
Also speaking the former APGA chieftain who led the defectors, Prince Igwilo stated that they decided to leave APGA to make sure that the state governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo was not re-elected for a second term in office.
Igwilo also stated that Soludo has performed poorly in the past two years of his administration and vowed that they would make sure that Soludo did not win second term in office.
Igwilo, said, “I was formerly in APGA, but currently in the Labour Party. I led the decampees into the LP. We decided to leave APGA to join the LP because as you can see the LP is the party for the people and most of the elected members are at the center too.
“Our principal, Mr Peter Obi, has shown good character and good example in the LP and we are here to support him in his pursuit for a country that is working for all of us. We left APGA because the slogan, ‘APGA bu nke ayi’ has become a mere statement and the promises they gave us in Anambra last time are not being fulfilled and that is why the people are disillusioned. The state governor is doing his best, but his best are not enough. He has failed in his promises, he did not even do one.
“What tangible project has he giving to us. He promised us he would conduct local government elections after two years as governor in office, but this is going to three years, he has failed to do that and he is looking for another tenure, it doesn’t make sense, any politician that made promises during election and failed should not be giving another opportunity.
“I think it’s high time for Ndi Anambra to try another party and see what they can do because nothing tangible is happening in Anambra. The roads he is building are things a local government chairman can do if election is conducted.
“It is not an achievement that a governor will come and do borehole and be announcing it all over the places, I, myself I can do borehole for the people. These are things individuals can do. Okay, look at the kind of road he gave us at Ochanja, the first rain washed a part of it off, who knows what will happen by the time rainy season fully sets in, but we pray the roads last.
“My expectations are high as we joined the Labour Party, the Labour Party elected officials are really doing well, those at the house of Assembly forfeited their six months salaries for the people, all across the country, LP officials are really doing very well.”
The leader of the decampees donated about 200 bags of 10kg of rice to the LP party members including a ward office at Okpoko.
