Obi Advises Guber Aspirants To Avoid Politics Of Rancour

The Chief Press Secretary to Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State, Mr. Mike Udah, has called on candidates contesting the February 6, 2010 gubernatorial election in the state to emulate Obi, who according to him faces issues rather than engage in  politics of name-calling.

Udah was reacting to reports in national newspapers quoting Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, the PDP candidate as having asked the incumbent governor to ‘prepare his handover notes, as he had decided to redeem Anambra State from him.

Other remarks credited to the former governor of Central Bank of Nigeria includes rejecting four international job offers in a bid to rescue Anambra “just as Jesus Christ abandoned the comfort of heaven to receive insults from mortal men in order to save humanity.”

Soludo also blamed Anambra’s problems on ‘catastrophic failure of leadership’ and said he was sure of ‘landslide victory’ because Anambra is a PDP state.

In his reaction, Udah said: “One, it is not true that Anambra State of today needs any salvation. Salvation should go to the states which are comatose, not a state like Anambra with such international organisations as the UNDP, UNICEF, EU and DFID and the Bureau of Public Procurement of the Federal Government of Nigeria to mention just a few have certified as one of the fastest developing states.

“Before governor Obi assumed office, Anambra state did not participate in FADAMA projects (and so, it did not take part in FADAMA  I and FADAMA 2 programmes of the World Bank when Soludo was CBN governor and attended meetings of World Bank.” However, as soon as governor Obi emerged as Anambra State helmsman, the state not only joined FADAMA 3 but has emerged tops, warranting the World Bank’s representative to the state to shower encomiums on the energetic, well-meaning Obi.

“Similarly, UNICEF had abandoned coming to Anambra State prior to the assumption of office of Mr. Peter Obi, but a visionary Governor Peter Obi visited the organisation and convinced it to return to the state, to the happiness and comfort of Ndi Anambra. On its part, Okunte Ndi Igbo (Obi) has ensured constant and timely payment of Anambra State’s counterpart fund.

“While it is impossible to catalogue the numerous projects executed by Governor Obi in health, agriculture, education, human rights, integrity, institution of governance, business, and transparency in an exercise of this nature, it has become imperative to advise political gladiators not to open their mouths so wide in the name of politicking or else they will easily give themselves out as third rate aspirants.