Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) has carpeted the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, for allegedly insulting the residents of the state whose only academic qualifications were First School Leaving Certificate (FSLC) and the West African Secondary School Certificate.
Soludo, a professor of economics, at the inauguration of APGA National Campaign Council at Dr Alex Ekwueme Square in Awka, the state capital, dismissed other candidates for the election who have just primary and secondary school certificates as their highest qualifications.
“APGA has a star-studded team for this election and it is the party with the best brains. Look at other political parties and their candidates and you find out that they have just the FSLC and WASSC as their highest qualifications”, Soludo was quoted as saying.
But the spokesman of ZLP Campaign Council, Afam Dozie Ofomata, in a statement, said it was most unfortunate that the former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor could descend so low to denigrate people who did not attain his height of academic exploits.
This is even as the party also lampooned the erudite professor for “making himself a political puppet to Governor Willie Obiano who has performed very poorly” in his more than seven years in office.
“It is indeed pathetic that Prof. Soludo is coming out to seek the governorship seat after his infamous claim that “it is not broken.” As a man, long used to theories, Soludo has failed to hear the verdict of Ndi Anambra that Anambra is broken and therefore needs serious and urgent mending.
“It is therefore clear that Soludo does not fit into the mould of the leader Ndi Anambra yearn for in this election. If Soludo does not see the sorry state that Anambra has degenerated, then he has no business aspiring to be governor. This is because, a genuine ambition to serve the people should be predicated on itemising the problems and recommending workable solutions.
“In fact, the sorry state of affairs in Anambra State and the derogatory names that Ndi Anambra call the outgoing governor have been traced to the poor counsel Soludo has been offering the failed APGA-led administration.
“The governorship election in the state is now time for reckoning; to know, not only those who stand for the people, but also those who speak the truth for public good rather than twist facts for personal ambitions.
“Moreover, Ndi Anambra across board are resolute in their resolve to take back their state on the platform of the coalition ZLP with Dr. Obiora Okonkwo as their standard bearer and no form of manipulation can alter that resolve”, Ofomata said.