ANAMBRA 2021: Soludo won the arguments and  won the votes

Friends, do you hear that sound from the land of the rising sun? It’s the victory sound of the silent majority that has restored our dignity and stopped some dangerous elements from taking over the State.

Permit me to  pay my respect to President Buhari for being remarkably neutral in the just concluded Anambra gubernatorial election. He allowed the wish of the people to manifest. Being himself a beneficiary of free and fair election it is good that he is bequeathing Nigeria a legacy of free, fair and credible elections. This he has demonstrated with an improved INEC.

I salute His Excellency , Governor Willie Obiano for his astuteness, sagacity and courage of  heart to insist on the candidature of Prof Chukwuma Soludo. The victory we are celebrating today may not have been possible if APGA had made the mistake of fielding the wrong  candidate. It’s only a great leader that will pick a successor who will not only match his legacy but may out-perform him. I doff my heart.

My immense gratitude goes to Chief Sir Senator Victor Umeh who stood by the candidate all through the campaign without wavering.  About five weeks to the November 6 election, Chief Umeh tapped on me and brought me together with Soludo,  the APGA candidate and now governor elect.

That meeting eventually got me busy helping a good man as much as I could to win an election he deserved to win.

I am happy to be part of the historic campaign and grateful by the opportunity given to me to add some values that brought us up to this point. Chief Umeh, God bless you for believing in me.

During the period , I worked with some fine gentlemen like Hon Dozie Nwankwo, member representing Anaocha/Njikoka/ Dunukofia Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives. Great guy!

Since after the election, a lot of people have called me to seek my reaction on the landslide victory of APGA and Soludo. My response is that I feel normal by the outcome. The election went exactly the way I predicted it. I predicted that the election will be a three-horse race between APGA, PDP and APC. I projected that Soludo may win bigger than anticipated. I predicted that Soludo may likely win in at-least 19 Local Governments out of the 21 Local Government Areas of the State. I never for one second felt Soludo will lose the election.

For 16 years , Anambra politics has demonstrated a rare but unique pattern. The State had delivered APGA in all of her local elections. They had traditionally voted APGA consistently in the governorship and House of Assembly elections and voted PDP in presidential elections. For those familiar with Anambra politics, we have been through this over and again.  I didn’t see the pattern changing in 2021, not with the party fielding a quality candidate like Soludo.

I wasn’t perturbed by the disruptive politics of the All Progressive Congress (APC) dinosaurs which in the main was to poach high profile chieftains from various  political parties to give a false sense of acceptability. Those in the know saw through the scam except the desperate candidate who opened his vault for cash outs by political harlots.

The APC candidate failed abysmally, not just because he was an inferior candidate compared to Soludo but partly because he spent time and energy focusing on Abuja and how he will mainstream the state into centre politics. What he never understood was that the people were not interested in Abuja which they rightly or wrongly  perceive as oppressive. He  never took time to address the real-life issues and problems of the people.

Soludo on the other hand spent his time engaging with the people and addressing their real-life situations and problems. He dealt with issues such as dwindling economy and high cost of living and how he will build a strong and robust economy. He addressed the issues of both formal and informal education and how the education he will provide will enable the people will fit into the robust economy. He understood the problems of infrastructural deficit and how he intend to transform the state to stimulate economic growth. He addressed the problem of youth unemployment and need for prompt payment of workers’ salaries  including regular payment of pensions.

He showed clear understanding on why there is agitation in the region and the need to address the issues fuelling the agitation. He allayed the peoples’ fear of a bleak future. He gave them hope and assured them of the security of their lives and properties.

Another mistake made by the APC and PDP candidates and their followers was putting Obiano on the ballot. At every opportunity, it was Obiano this and Obiano that.

Rather than promote their own specific agenda, they expended energy demarketing Obiano and denying his achievements. They even went as far as politicising insecurity and  sabotaging the official inauguration and take-off of the new Anambra Cargo and Passenger Airport project, thereby infuriating the people.

Politicians who seek public office must learn to gauge the political temperature of the people. They must learn to engage the people and address their real-life issues and  problems. They must first win the arguments and then win the votes.

He whom the crown fits , let him wear it.  I wish to  commend Prof Chukwuma Soludo for his highly disciplined and tactical campaign. Not only did he win the arguments, he overwhelmingly won the votes and he did it dramatically.

Accept my congratulations for this hard-won victory. As I rejoice with you, I wish to place on record that this victory placed a huge burden and responsibility on you. You cannot afford to let the people down.

Knowing you and what you represent, I have no fear you will allow the grains of democratic dividend to flourish and trickle down to the people.

Your victory means so much to me. However, this is not just a personal victory. It is not a private victory  of APGA or a victory for  only the people of Anambra. Though we may be the primary beneficiaries, the joy and jubilation across the South East region signpost  this victory as a victory for the Igbo nation, most of whom hope the scenario that played out in Anambra will become a blue print of genuine democratic, political  resurgence and economic emancipation  of the land of the rising sun.

In victory, you must remain magnanimous , humbled and focused. Like many of your admirers and those who supported your candidature , I wish to see you enthrone structures and institutions that will serve as a bastion of hope, growth and development, as well as a bulwark against political inequality and social injustice in all ramifications.

I wish to see you provide succour to the suffering people who braved the odds to elect you as their governor. Some of these people despite their wants resisted financial inducements to vote for you. Their exemplary character must be rewarded with good governance.   I wish to see you assemble a team who are as passionate as you are in the causes you believe in, who will work hard to deliver on your manifesto.

I wish to see you build on the achievements of  your predecessors and outperform them. I wish to see you hit the ground running from day one. Like you will always say , I want to see you and your team work, work and work.

To the good people of Anambra State , I say thank you for giving me hope. I am heartened that you remain the light of the nation and the soul of the Igbo nation. I am delighted that you roundly rejected our political dinosaurs. And to GOD be the Glory

Email: totalpolitics@ymail.com

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