A governorship aspirant under the Labour Party (LP) platform in the coming 2025 Anambra state governorship election, Chief John Nwosu, has described last Saturday’s Anambra state local government elections as a “shame.”
He stated that the council polls’ rigging proved that the state governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, is not a Democrat.
In a statement made available to newsmen in Awka, the capital of Anambra state, on Nigeria’s 64th Independence anniversary, Nwosu lamented the manipulation of the council polls.
“The so-called Anambra State Local Government Elections held on 28th September 2024 deserve scrutiny for what it represents for Anambra State.
“It calls into question if the incumbent governor, Prof. Charles Soludo, is a true Democrat and how he keeps his promises to our people.
“So far, his political and campaign and leadership promises and commitments have fallen short of expectation.
“The LGA Elections was a sham, statutorily manipulated and failed every test of credibility, transparency and inclusivity”, Obaze stated further in his statement to newsmen.
He supported others who had earlier condemned the manner in which the council polls were allegedly manipulated by the state independent electoral commission (ANSIEC) officials, saying, for instance, that the Labour Party and other parties’ boycott of the council elections was justified.
Nwosu said that Soludo had proven to the people of the state since he became governor that he lied to them when, during the campaigns for that 2017 governorship election in the state, he stated in his support for the then-governor, Chief Willie Obiano’s re-election ambition, that the state was not “broken,” therefore it did not need “fixing.”
The fact that Soludo lied to the people of the state became evident when, after he became governor, he declared that his administration was bequeathed “billions of Naira in pension debts.”
Nwosu said, “Gov Soludo, we need to recall.” He said Anambra was not broken and did not need fixing. He then promised in 2021 that on his watch, Anambra would become Dubai and that he would hold credible LGA elections once he assumed office; he has failed on all counts.
“Recently, he claimed that he bequeathed billions of Naira in pension debts. Did it take him four years to find that out, or is he now confirming that the Anambra he inherited from Gov Willie Obiano was badly broken?” he asked.
Nwosu continued, “Governor Soludo has had four years to acquit himself as a transformative leader; he has failed woefully. It behoves the Anambra people to deny him a Second Term.
“Simply, he has not done well for our people regarding our security, economy, infrastructure, inclusivity, social well-being, and quality of life. He needs to improve his responsibility to protect Anambra citizens.
“We cannot give Soludo another four years to turn Anambra fully into a Gehenna. It is time to change the holder of the leadership baton in Anambra”, Nwosu insisted.
