President of Anambra State Chapter of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Prince Emeka Udodeme, on Wednesday, described the governorship candidate of the All Progressive Congress, APC for the forthcoming November 6 election, Senator Andy Uba, as the most experienced candidate for the governorship seat in the state.
Prince Udodeme spoke against the background of the fact that, of the candidates of the three leading political parties billed for the polls, only Senator Uba has tasted electoral victory.
Speaking in Awka, the Anambra State capital when Senator Uba presented his manifesto to the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Udodeme praised the pan-Igbo disposition of the APC candidate, which he said saw him attend to every request for intervention while he served in the Presidency.
The Ohanaeze Ndigbo chieftain told the gathering that Senator Uba, who was accompanied by the Anambra State Deputy Governor, Dr. Ikem Okeke, his deputy governorship candidate, Barrister Emeka Okafor and members of his campaign team, that the APC candidate is “one of the brightest candidates in the race,” stressing that Uba is academically and eminently qualified for governing Anambra State.
Although the Anambra state leader of the socio-cultural group clearly stated that the group was not in the business of endorsing any candidate, he would not shy away from disclosing that Senator Uba had assisted Ohanaeze Ndigbo whenever he was called upon to do so.
“Senator Uba has, besides coming to the aid of Ohanaeze Ndigbo whenever he is beckoned upon, also impacted positively in the lives of our people, especially businessmen who were caught in the web of favorable policies.
“He (Senator Uba) during the President Obasanjo era was a very effective go-between for our people, and I can vouch that given a similar opportunity he would exactly the same, if not more,” Udodeme said.
Also, National Vice President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Chief Damian Okeke-Ogene, observed that the zoning arrangement and understanding reached for the governorship seat by the people of Anambra State through the stakeholders remains sacrosanct and should be respected by all and sundry.
“When we were pushing the zoning arrangement many did not trust us, but I am happy that today, almost all the leading candidates hail from Anambra South Senatorial zone,” Okeke-Ogene said.
Earlier, while speaking about his manifesto, Uba reiterated that his government, if elected, will tackle insecurity, youth unemployment, and women empowerment with vigor.
He promised to look into the parlous state of the Onitsha-Enugu expressway so as to ameliorate the hardship which commuters currently face while plying the road.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo charged all the candidates to shun hate speech, violence, and any act that may jeopardize a smooth electoral process.
