Aloysius Attah, Onitsha
The Anambra State Association of Past Presidents-General (ASAP) has commended the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, for his wisdom and sense of equity in his choice of the former governor of Anambra State, Chief Peter Obi, as his running mate in the 2019 presidential election.
Reacting to Atiku’s choice, the Association, through its National President, Jude Ekwunife, described the choice of Peter Obi as a very expedient and excellent decision in terms of national geo-political and religious balance as well as in terms of competence and personal integrity of the former governor whom he described as an epitome of political ingenuity and administrative wizardry.
The association said Obi’s tenure as governor of Anambra State marked the high point of good governance, accountability, transparency and all-round grassroots development in the history of the State, a record that earned him Nigeria’s best governor of the year at the time.
They urged all Igbo at home and the Diaspora to support and rally round the duo of Atiku and Peter Obi and speak with one voice, adding that zoning the vice presidential slot of the PDP to the South-East was a great honour and in the best interest of Ndigbo in Nigerian geo-politics which every Igbo should cherish and support.
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The Association recalled that Peter Obi’s rural development approach marked the golden era of community development in Anambra State which translated to massive socio-economic empowerment of the communities that has greatly transformed the rural communities into semi-urban towns, adding that as former Presidents-General of various communities in Anambra State under Peter Obi’s administration, the Association is in position to affirm the choice of the former governor as a perfect and timely one.
The National President announced his Association’s plan, as a grassroots-based association, to commence a community-to-community mobilisation campaign in Anambra State very soon to drum up support for the Atiku-Obi ticket towards total victory in the coming election as well enlighten the people on the merits and benefits of the Atiku-Obi ticket to Nigeria as a nation, the Igbo nation and Anambra State in particular.