The Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo has through his aide reacted to calls by the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi, telling the House of Assembly candidates of his party and the people of the state to work with the governor after they had been elected.
The governor reacted through his Press Secretary, Christian Aburime, saying that the call by Obi was rather deceptive, and was meant to lay “landmines” for Soludo.
Aburime made the call in reaction to Obi’s comment that the LP assembly candidates should support Soludo’s government after attaining victory at the elections.
Since the February 25 presidential and National Assembly poll where the Labour Party swept over 95 per cent of the votes in Anambra, including the governor and APGA’s strongholds, there have been a lot of efforts for the battle of the state assembly polls rescheduled for May 18.
While Obi is hoping to use his influence and that of his party to win a higher number of lawmakers in the assembly, APGA, the ruling party, is also fighting for the dominance of the state assembly.
Obi had on Friday met with the National and state Assembly candidates of the Labour Party in Anambra, while urging them to work with Soludo after they had been elected.
Obi told his party members that Soludo remained his brother, and that he should not fear being sacked by a Labour Party dominated assembly, as all that was paramount was to bring developments to the state.
But reacting on Saturday, Aburime insisted that Obi’s call was rather deceptive, and was meant to deceive the people of Anambra against Soludo.
He said, “That call was meant to deceive Anambra people. Obi can not be talking about development in Anambra and also asking Anambra people to elect lawmakers from opposition party to work with Soludo.
“He worked with a legislature that was dominated by lawmakers from the Peoples Democratic Party when he first came in as governor, and he knows that it was not easy for him.
“He even suffered impeachment because of that, and we hope it is not the same thing he wants to set Soludo up for.
“Anambra people should go all out next Saturday and vote for APGA, if they want the developmental strides of the governor to continue.”
He said Obi could not be talking of development and at the same time talking of electing opposition politicians into the House of Assembly, “it is not done. It is deceit.”
“Anambra people supported Obi during the presidential election, and besides, Soludo refused to interfere as the people trooped out to vote for Labour Party, and that was even before Soludo made the environment conducive for people to come out and vote.
“We have voted Labour Party in the presidential election, but for the House of Assembly election, we are voting for APGA, and we want Anambra people to know so,” he added.
Anambra is one of the states where the governorship election will not be holding, but both APGA and the LP are fighting to have control of the majority of the members of the 30-man assembly.
