PHIL OKOSE, Onitsha
The immediate past President of the Igbo apex ruling body, Ohaneze Ndigbo, Anambra State, Chief Obi Chukwuemekalum Udodeme, has scored Governor Chukwuma Soludo 80 per cent performance and endorsed his second tenure bid.
He stressed the need for the electorate to vote for the rightful candidate come the November 8 gubernatorial election in the state to avoid past mistakes where they sold their conscience just for money that is worth nothing.
He reiterated that, “You cannot change a winning team, the present governor is not doing bad at all, he is performing. If I am asked to score him, I would score him 80 per cent or above because no man is perfect. He has done so well on roads, though if I want to be sincere to myself I would tell you he has developed all sectors of the economy simultaneously.”
Chief Udodeme made this disclosure during the meeting of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, executives and stakeholders of Fegge Ward 1 at Agulu town hall, Fegge Onitsha, while the registration of new APGA members was also going on.
He further stressed that the governor has done well in all the ministries, and sectors, saying that, “You don’t change such a man”, rather what we would do is to encourage him to do more and I sincerely believe if he comes back, he is going to do more, I’m sure of that”, he posited.
Chief Udodeme who is an APGA member from Fegge 1, told all aspirants, “Ambition is not a crime, you have the right to contest, you have right to your ambition, and as the former president of Ohaneze, I advise let them play according to the rules, no thuggery, no rigging.
“You don’t have the right to stop others from contesting, all I know is that this government has done excellently well, I would vote him again and again and again,” he vowed.
While applauding his ward executives and the local government political appointees in their ward, Udodeme declared that in all the 17 wards of Onitsha South Local Government,”This is the very first-time political appointees came together, mobilized funds and made the announcement in the whole of the ward, calling people to come and register for APGA and a lot of people came out.
“I thank Special Adviser, SA, to the council Mayor, Comrade Dunu Chiadikobi, they are working tirelessly to make sure APGA has a great registered number of members in ward 1. He provided something for people to eat and drink, that is politics for you, a game of numbers” he further stated.
He admonished that there should be sincerity of purpose especially from the leaders, stating that they should be honest, humble and ready to tell people the truth at all times and , charged the leaders to leave the wards executives to take certain decisions, and maintain those decisions.
In his words, the Mayor, Anambra State Association of Town Union, ASATU, Youth Wing, Onitsha South council, comrade Dunu Chiadikobi disclosed that “We mobilized the three council appointees in our ward, including our ward Councillor and we realized #200,000 to encourage and mobilize people to come out en masse and register for APGA.”
Dunu who was the host at the meeting said that the expectations of this meeting and the fund raised by them, the political appointees, “Is for the new registered members’ passport capturing and the likes, and for them also to come out en masse on the election day and cast their votes”.
He thanked Governor Charles Soludo for all the developmental strides in the area especially the general hospital, roads, pipe-borne water and others, and also applauded the Mayor of the area, Hon.Chief Emeka Orji, (a.k a Dikediebube,), for his tireless effort in restoring the lost glory of Onitsha South, stating that as the area has benefitted from the governor, so has Fegge Ward I benefitted from the government of Dikediebube.
He emphasized that the Onitsha South Local Government area has benefitted a lot from this government and disclosed that”Fegge Ward 1 has two supervisors, former chairman of Onitsha South, former president Ohaneze Ndigbo and others.
The Ward Chairman, Hon Chibueze Obinwune was tasked to ensure that the ward has the highest number of registered voters stating that his 23 executives have charged themselves to provide 20 persons each, adding that if they could mobilize 20 persons each, they would be 400 plus.
According to him, “Our challenges were passport but our ward political appointees have helped us, they paid for the passport capturing of these new registering members and I believe with this, we would achieve our aims.
The Ward Woman Leader, Mrs Amaka Duru Anyaoha disclosed that she is mobilizing women through door to door campaign, stating that she also does that in churches, markets and even advised them to come with their grown ups children to register for APGA.
The ward Youth Leader, Mr Ifeanyichukwu Okeke stated that he works round the clock to ensure that youths are not left out in this APGA ongoing registration because as youth, “We have to elect our leader if not, others would do”,
