| Uba’s campaign
against Soludo’ll fail – Obieke Ex-Speaker
By NKIRU EVONGWA
Thursday, November
12, 2009
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•Soludo
Photo: Sun News Publishing
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Dom Obieke, erstwhile speaker of the Anambra State House
of Assembly believes the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate
in the February 6 2010 gubernatorial election, Professor Chukwuma
Soludo, has what it takes to govern the state. He spoke to
newsmen in Lagos on this and other issues.
Excepts:
Soludo’s candidacy
Two factors account for the excitement which no gubernatorial
candidate in Nigeria ’s history has generated. The first
is the caliber of the PDP candidate, Professor Chukwuma Soludo,
who towers well above his rivals; Soludo is a well respected
figure across the globe. The second factor, which is more
important, is that he is a game changer.
Game changer
There were elements within the PDP who thought they would
win the party’s ticket easily, but once he joined the
race everything changed, the gubernatorial race changed. And
there were candidates in rival parties, who thought they were
headed home for victory until Soludo emerged the PDP standard
bearer; these candidates were praying fervently for anyone
other than Soludo to become the PDP candidate. Soludo is by
far superior to them academically and intellectually.
I make bold to say that never in our national history has
an individual running for the office of governor prepared
a manifesto as comprehensive and sweeping as what Soludo has
done. It is a manifesto driven by the strategic vision to
transform Anambra State into Africa’s Dubai —
Taiwan , otherwise known as ADT. Anambra has the potentials
to join the emerging economies of the world, and Soludo has
drawn up a blueprint on how to achieve this strategic objective
within the shortest possible time.
Instead of joining Soludo in providing development-centred
politics to the people of Anambra State who have been short
changed by the political class, the self-acclaimed godfather
of Anambra politics and his cohorts have teamed up with the
opposition to ridicule the PDP.
Anti-PDP activities
Haven’t you noticed that the unusual coverage the Anambra
State government-owned radio and television stations, for
instance, have been giving to the ranting of those who call
themselves ex gubernatorial aspirants? These people are actually
fronting for the self-proclaimed godfather of Anambra, who
is hell bent on his brother in-law from Uga becoming the next
governor, and his brother-in-law from Awka becoming the deputy
governor? As you can testify yourselves, a substantial percentage
of the anti-Soludo media campaign is funded by Government
House, Awka. Governor Peter Obi’s desire to remain in
office knows no limits.
I am personally surprised at the governor’s conduct;
he uses all manner of writers from outside Anambra State to
denigrate Soludo whom he considers the biggest obstacle to
his returning to Government House. Professor Soludo has refused
to utter any negative word about him in public or in private
or even against any rival. He regards Gov Obi and Dr Chris
Ngige as his good friends, and wants them to play according
to the rules of the game because Anambra has had more than
its fair share of political crises.
Ngige’s involvement
In fairness to Dr Ngige, he has conducted himself in a way
befitting his status. He does not look desperate. Yet, he
has reason to feel uneasy at the turn of events. Many of his
supporters have since declared support for Soludo. Even the
former director general of his campaign, Hon Agunwa Anakwe
who is a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, is
now the DG of the Soludo campaign organization. The list is
endless. Whereas Dr Ngige has conducted himself as a gentleman,
the same thing may not be said about the national headquarters
of his party, Action Congress. AC has mobilised all its propaganda
arsenal— both the electronic and print media—to
tarnish Soludo’s image in the name of politicking. I
will advise that legal actions, of course, be taken where
necessary.
Relationships
The issue here is not personal relationships, but overriding
public interest. In fairness to both Dr Ngige and Gov Obi,
they mean well for Anambra State . But they have a limited
vision. They are keen on paying the salaries of public servants
and providing infrastructure like roads. These are routine
and rudimentary responsibilities. With all sense of responsibility,
I am convinced they have no idea what it will take to make
Anambra the Dubai or Taiwan of Africa, a state with a high
industrial economy and sophisticated modern facilities, attracting
huge investments from far and near. Soludo recognizes that
this is the only way to go, in conformity with the vision
which people like Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe and Dr Michael as well
as Dr Pius Okigbo had for our people. This is the major difference
between Dr Ngige and Gov Obi, on the one hand, and Prof Soludo,
on the other. Soludo has a sophisticated worldview.
Membership of PDP as CBN governor
Anyone who raises this question is clearly out of tune with
the times. The Supreme Court ruled about four years ago that
civil servants can join political parties. Besides, it is
assumed worldwide that every central bank governor shares
the philosophy and ideology of the administration which appointed
him or her to the office. Who does not know that Allan Greenspan,
the immediate past chairman of Federal Reserve bank in the
United States , is Republican. The current chairman, Ben Bernaike,
is also Republican, though they were at various times retained
by Democratic administrations because of their competence.
Soludo’s emergence as standard bearer
He was nominated in the most democratic manner which was perfectly
in line with the party’s constitution. The ward and
state congresses were deadlocked. The attempt to use statutory
delegates also failed. With a few hours to the deadline given
by the electoral commission for the submission of candidates’
names, the PDP national leadership chose a person who could
win the election for the party. The name happened to be Chukwuma
Soludo. I would like to respectfully ask: why are people keeping
silent when the AC, APGA, ANPP candidates were handpicked?
In APGA, the attempt by Emeka Etiaba to challenge Gov Obi
resulted in his being forced out of the party.
Alleged strain for immunity
I am surprised that a section of the media which knows Uba’s
reputation should even listen to him for a second. Uba has
been linked with three abductions. The first was in 2002 when
he abducted the elected chairman of Aguata Local Government,
Engr Goddy Osele. The second was the following year when Gov
Ngige was abducted. The third is the kidnapping of Pa Simeon
Soludo, and the police promptly declared him the prime suspect.
The Anambra State government said he masterminded the November
2005 carnage in the state, and was the brain behind taking
Dr Ngige to the notorious Okija shrine where he was compelled
to swear an oath of allegiance in the dead of the night.
The government has also accused him of being behind the spate
of spurious judicial orders against Dr Ngige, which eventually
gave rise to the disgraceful exit from the Bench of Wilson
Egbo-Egbo and Stanley Nnaji. Uba has been declared the person
responsible for the disgraceful exit of AIG Raphael Ige from
the police force, after using him to commit sacrilege on July
10, 2003. Two weeks after Dr Chinwoke Mbadinuju assumed office
as governor in 1999, Uba was reportedly asking the legislators
to initiate the process of impeaching him for daring to set
a panel to look into the embarrassing contracts awarded to
him by the military.
For this purpose, he quartered them for months at Brifina
Hotel, off Abakakiliki Road, in GRA, Enugu. How can a person
with this record be given costly media space? I am afraid
that by allowing themselves to be used to scandalize a decent
gentleman, the media will be joined in several libel cases
against Uba. But let me ask you: if any wrong doing has been
established against Soludo, why should the government wait
till next March when he becomes a state governor to come after
him? The Uba blackmail is unintelligent and cheap. He will
pay dearly for it. Lest I forget, no Nigerian public servant,
living or dead, has received the kind of commendation letter
which President Yar’Adua wrote to Prof Soludo when his
tenure as CBN Governor finished on May 29.
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