The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Anambra State, Professor Chukwuma Soludo on Friday said the party will emerge victorious in the November 6 election. Addressing party supporters and faithful at the APGA 2021Governorship Campaign Council at the Alex Ekwueme Square in Akwa, Soludo said the ruling party is leading the state from level to level. “The difference is clear; APGA is that of the people. There are the ones who are coming with a conquering army. They want to conquer Anambra,” the governorship hopeful said. “We want to win Anambra. APGA will win Anambra, they say their own is to come and take Anambra, Ndi Anambra, are they going to come and take Anambra?” he questioned, with the people replying saying: “No.” Soludo, who is also an economist and a former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, scored APGA high for delivering the dividends of democracy to the people of the state. He also commended former Governor Peter Obi, whom he said created the blueprint that enabled Governor Willie Obiano to consolidate on. He recalled that in 2010, the poverty level in Anambra was over 50 per cent, noting now that the number is below 20 per cent. “Poverty level in Anambra in 2010 was 53 per cent, Nigeria should take note. Anambra State under APGA, the poverty rate has gone down to 14.78 per cent. Which other state has that kind of record? “That is going to be on the ballot, whether Anambra State will continue that type of progress or a conspiracy by some other to haul the development of Anambra State,” he stated further. The APGA candidate also thanked the people of the state for giving him the opportunity to fly the party’s flag in the polls. This is coming 24 hours after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) cleared Soludo to fly APGA’s flag in the governorship election in the state. INEC explained that the clearance followed the judgement of the Court of Appeal (Kano Division) which set aside the judgement of the High Court of Jigawa State on the leadership of APGA and the nomination of its candidates for the Anambra Governorship election.

Following President Muhammadu Buhari’s declaration Friday that he will not leave office a failure, the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) has told him that he and his ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) are already at that point as they could not fulfil their campaign promises to Nigerians. In a statement issued by Kola Ologbondiyan, its National Publicity Secretary on Saturday, the main opposition party said: “President Muhammadu Buhari that he is already a failure in governance and will leave a failure, adding that his attempt at political damage control cannot help his fizzling All Progressives Congress (APC).” The PDP described the statement by President Buhari that he will not leave office as a failure as “medicine after death,” noting that as long as he is a product of the corrupt, inept, directionless and anti-people APC, he will leave as a failed leader. ‌ The party asserted that President Buhari’s veiled admission of failure, “which smacks as a tactic to exonerate the APC, is an exercise in futility as the APC, which now only exists on paper, will soon fizzle from our political firmament, having shown itself as a perverted platform that cannot be entrusted with governance at any level in our country.” The PDP declared that President Buhari and his APC have failed in their three-pronged promises of security, anti-corruption and economic development. It added: “They have instead wrecked all sectors of our nation’s life with no hope in sight. “What explanation can the Buhari Presidency and the APC offer for failing to decisively tackle terrorists, insurgents and bandits, who are daily ravaging our communities, killing and maiming our compatriots in various states across the country, despite the huge resources at their disposal? “How do President Buhari and APC leaders sleep at night when they know that due to their incompetence and compromises, hundreds of Nigerians, including school children are languishing in kidnappers’ den at the mercies of their assailants and the elements? “President Buhari has so failed as a Commander-in-Chief that non-state actors have taken over, with regions now resorting to their own security outfits while state governors, including his home, Katsina state governor, Aminu Bello Masari, telling helpless victims of terror attacks to defend themselves. “On the economy front, President Buhari has only succeeded in ruining the once robust economy handed over to him by the PDP administration in 2015 and turned Nigeria into the poverty capital of the world, where over 82.9 million once-thriving Nigerians can no longer afford their daily meals and other necessities of life. “Moreover, the Buhari Presidency cannot point to any landmark project it conceptualized, started and completed in the last six years. “All it can boast of is the mortgaging of the future of our nation with accumulated N33.107 trillion debt with nothing to show and no clear repayment plan. “More atrocious is that Mr President is seeking to borrow additional N5.62 trillion when he knows that he has less than two years in office. “Rather than fighting corruption, the APC-led Buhari administration has become the citadel of corruption where over N15 trillion naira have reportedly been stolen by APC leaders from various agencies under the cover of government. “Nigerians can recall how the PDP recently held a strategic meeting where suggestions on how to entrench unity, reduce tension, fight insurgency, curb corruption and restore our nation to the path of economic progress, were placed at the behest of Mr President and how he failed to listen to the voice of reason. “What is expected of Mr President and the APC at this point is for them to end their media orchestrations, apologize for their failure and allow Nigerians to chart a fresh course as they rally with the PDP to salvage our dear nation.”