Governorship Candidates Tackle Each Other In Debate #AnambraDebates channelstv.com/2017/11/12/ana…
The candidate of the United Peoples Party (UPP) in the November 18, 2017 Anambra State governorship election, Chief Osita Chidoka, on Sunday, said he would contest the position again.
Chidoka, a former Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Commission, said his ambition to govern the state had been strengthened and rekindled by the experience of the November 18 poll.
Speaking at an interactive session with members of his campaign organisation and the people of Obosi community in Idemili North local Government Area of the state in appreciation of their support, Chidoka said “the journey to the Anambra Government House has just begun.”
He added, “There will be no retreat, no surrender until the objective is achieved. God’s time is the best and what I am asking from God is to give me what is due to me. Whatever God has destined must come to pass. The journey we have started will continue and I want to assure the Anambra people that they will not be disappointed in our next outing.
“I am very optimistic that I will win the next governorship election to be conducted in Anambra State because that election will be determined by a lot of factors.
“After the 2019 general elections, we will begin to work for the 2022 election in earnest and the experience we garnered this year will be our guide. Though the UPP did not win the election, we will ensure that our supporters will get their share of amenities from the state government.”
While faulting some aspects of the electoral process, Chidoka said, “what we need to do, going forward, is to return the secrecy of balloting. That is to say that the voting point should be in a secluded area so that the voter could not be influenced.”
Chief Osita Chidoka, United Progressive Party (UPP) governorship candidate, has accepted defeat even before INEC’s final declaration of the winner. Chidoka, the former Minister of Aviation, accepted the defeat in a statement entitled “Politics Anambra election: Why I lost polls” in Awka on Sunday.
“I have accepted defeat in the Anambra governorship election even as result is still being announced by the INEC,” he said.
Chidoka said that he lost because he would not play the usual money politics.
“Our campaign attracted the finest and brightest of Anambra.
“The bold and the courageous were with us as we exerted our best in running the most robust issue-based and technology-driven campaign in the history of our dear state.
‘We attempted to change the course of events and chart a new beginning for our state.
“We believed and we dared; we engaged with all patriotic vigour as we held strongly that the long awaited time for our people to experience a new opportunity had come and we laboured for it.
“In all, our focus was the people; the forgotten, the poor and the disadvantaged.
“They were the prime impetus for our involvement. We beheld their agony and we strived to redirect and vent that energy through a genuine political process.”
He said the the UPP heard the complaints of the people and worked to redirect them from the streets to the ballot box.
Chidoka said the he rejected god-fatherism and money politics and made personal sacrifices with small donations and goodwill of a few good men and women.
He said his campaign remained issues-based, adding that he did not attack anybody before, during and after the campaigns.
“But from the ballots, we heard the voice of our people. We heard it loud and clear.
“On November 18 our people announced strongly their rejection of politicians.
“They traded their votes because they doubted we would truly represent their interest.
“While our message resonated with the people they doubted that the political class cared about them. They voted for the highest bidder.”
Chidoka said that as at Thursday, a large percentage of his supporters insisted that they would not vote unless he brought money.
According to him, “I insisted we will not pay for votes. The decision not to pay ended our good run.
“We accept the voters’ decision. We also heard our people by their turnout and transactional approach.
“In all, we hold our heads high; high because we did not lose the poll due to paucity of ideas or lack of “structure”.
“We lost to superior financial firepower. As Democrats, we concede to the voters’ choices.
“The true hallmark of democracy is the respect for the voice of the ballot as that of the majority,” Chidoka said.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday, said that 2,158, 171 voters are expected to participate in the November 18 governorship election in Anambra State.
The electoral body also assured that all political parties and their candidates would be given equal treatment.
According to the commission, Anambra State was in the verge of making history in Nigeria as the first state to field candidates in 37 political parties in a gubernatorial election.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting on the Anambra State governorship election, held at the Women Development Centre, Awka, the INEC chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu said it was the first time in the history of the state that 2,158, 171 people collected their PVCs and were ready to vote in an election.
According to the INEC boss, “even though the gubernatorial election holding on Saturday would be combined with a state assembly by-election, all political parties and their candidates would be given equal status.
“The decision on who becomes the next governor of Anambra State rest with the people of the state,” Yakubu said adding, “We shall uphold their choice without favour or ill will.”
“INEC is neither for nor against any political party or candidate. INEC have no candidate in this election.
“Let me further reiterates that this election in Anambra State is unique in many respect. With 37 political parties fielding candidates, this is the first governorship election with the largest number of political parties in the history of Nigeria.”
“Secondly, with 2,158, 171 voters, it is the election with the largest number of voters (and number of PVCs collected) in the history of Anambra State,” Yakubu added.
The governorship candidate of the United Progressive Party (UPP), in the forthcoming governorship election in Anambra State, Chief Osita Chidoka has sent a strong a message to the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, and the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB.
Chidoka said they were not criminals, unemployed youths nor were they terrorists as some people have labeled them.
Chidoka made the statement at the grand finale of the governorship election campaign, today, Wednesday, at Onitsha, Anambra State.
According to him, “We ask that in the election of 18th November, the will of ndi Anambra be respected. And for that purpose, I have a message to our brothers and sisters; those who belong to the IPOB and MASSOB; you are not criminals, you are not unemployed youth and you are not terrorists. But we bring a message that the best way to agitate in a democracy is through a political process and a political party.
“At the flag-off of our campaign on September 31, 2017 at the historic city of Amorka, home of the famous Uli Airport; that historic Biafra airport that embodies the Igbo ingenuity and survival; we brought a message of hope, liberation and peace.
“We recalled that when our leader, Dim Odimegwu Ojukwu was leaving, he promised to bring back peace to our land. Today, we bring the message of peace to the southeast, but the only way this peace will endure is if the will of the people of ndi Anambra is respected on the November 18 governorship election.
“Through the campaign, we have been encouraged by our people. The generality of ndi Anambra spoke with one voice in support of the UPP and we do not take that for granted.
“To their credit, we have run a robust campaign. We have the highest demography of supporters and volunteers across the nooks and crannies of Anambra state.
“As we speak, we have over 45,000 foot soldiers on the streets of Anambra engaging voters directly and converting them, and their number keeps growing by the day. We have over 400 experts in our situation room and call center constantly engaging voters all over Anambra state. We have people engaging on our mobile app; we have the highest social media network and the highest following in this election.
“Our message has reverberated, not only all over Anambra, but also all over the country and beyond. We have the highest number of people contributing financially to a campaign; we have the highest number of people listening to our message through multiple channels; we have the highest number of youth supporting a campaign. We have shown that we can do it. We have shown that we are the people to make Anambra state a great state.”
Obaze won, Chidoka won! Yet nobody has convinced anybody how they won. Can someone please tell me what they said quite different from Obiano? Can you tell me one definitive idea that separates them from Obiano?
They merely laid in wait to ambush, counter and retort.
In the closet, Obaze for example is convinced Anambra needs an airport, more so when the state is not spending a dime. Just because Obiano is the one building it, petulance and crabbing took over him. Oh, Anambra doesn't need it! What does Anambra need if I may ask?
I waited for Obaze to tell us he would build light rail, he didn't. He was Secretary to a government that said it left 75 billion Naira while the state has no airport, no stadium, no light rail, no power plants. That government simply had no ideas. It was a time of abundance and Anambra lost the opportunity of huge transformation in signature projects.
It was even Tony Nwoye no matter what you say about his English that said something different. Nwoye wants to build industrial clusters in Onitsha, Nnewi and Awka and energize them with mini power grid. Nwoye wants to achieve stable power supply as a gritty base for industrialization.
Chidioka on his own was busy reciting utopianism he crammed for weeks. The concept of ako, uche and egwu Chukwu are realistic surrealism in the extant socio-political milieu. He couldnt break them down to realistic imperatives that transform lives and society.
Chidioka couldn't tell us how he would create jobs, how he would grow the state economy, how to exploit the engenuity of Ndi Anambra industry and create the Japan we have always talked about.
This is the same Chidoka I have severally promoted as the best on the turf.
Even his response to the necessity of an Anambra airport made me fall off my seat. Who patronizes the airports in Enugu, Owerri and Asaba? 50 percent are Ndi Anambra. So we can't we have one or can't revenue be generated there from?
Growing as a child, I started hearing of Oba-Onitsha Airport. The first traditional ruler of my town Alor, Igwe S.N Okonkwo even made donations to its fund.
I can only score higher point if I contradict Obiano and that's what I saw. As Minister of Aviation, what spectacular thing did he do for Ndigbo apart from forming a big boy quartet with Olisa Metuh, Ike Ekweremadu and Emeka Ihedioha? After the reign of these young Turks, how much did Ndigbo benefit?
It is not all about finesse in grammar, after Christian Chinwoke Mbadinuju Ph.D is a flawless grammerian.
Chidioka disappointed me really. He 'fall my hand' to use the local lingo.
As for Obaze, that one is on a revenge mission, afterall, Obiano's roads are better than Peter's, the godfather of Obaze.
Source
Ngige Nwachukwu wrote...
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Brethren, the best candidate remains Chief Willie Obiano... #ReElectObiano by Voting APGA to Keep Willie Working! #AnambraIsAPGA
Less than seven days to the Anambra state governorship election, five leading candidates have on Sunday, slugged it out in the governorship debate organised by Channels Television.
Five governorship candidates for the November 18 governorship election in the Anambra state on Sunday, clashed at the governorship debate organised and televised by Channels Television.
The candidates include incumbent governor, Willie Obiano of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), Mr Oseloka Obaze of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Tony Nwoye of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Osita Chidoka of the United Peoples Party (UPP) and Progressive People’s Alliance (PPA) candidate, Godwin Ezeemo.
According to Daily Sun, the candidates who presented their vision for the state and why they were in the race took turns to answer questions on some key issues on the state.
Obiano, who is contesting for a second term said that if re-elected he would make Anambra State first choice investment destination and hub of economic activities in the country. He also said that under his administration, indigenes and non-indigenes alike would be given equal opportunity for wealth creation. He also said that if all states in the country were like Anambra State, Nigeria would not be in recession.
On his part, Obaze said he had to come out of his private life back into politics because the state had been hijacked. Obaze, who was Secretary to the State Government (SSG) during the Peter Obi-led administration and partly during the Obiano administration, said he had to come back to active politics because of the need to rescue the state from bad governance, occasioned by Obiano’s style of administration.
Obiano on his part, seized the occasion to again deny receiving N75bn from his predecessor, Peter Obi, saying that he (Obi) left N9bn in cash and issued cheques worth over N15bn. But, Obaze challenged him, asking why he (Obiano) waited four years before denying receiving the said amount.
“Obi left N75bn in cash, foreign exchange and assets and in his handover notes these figures were well documented. Obiano received these notes and signed them, if he claims to be an auditor, why did he sign those handover notes and agreed to have received the funds? Why did he wait four years before denying? It is because he knows that those funds were given to him.”
Obiano, while reacting to other issues about infrastructure decay in the state, accused his opponents of being ignorant of the state’s economy, saying the APC candidate did not have executive capacity to govern a state because he has never worked in his life. He also said other opponents lacked financial and administrative capacity to govern.
He said his predecessor generated Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of N40bn in eight years and received over $2bn, while he (Obiano) has been able to generate N551bn in three and half years but received only 40percent of what Obi received from the federal government. He also said that the state had begun export of yams and vegetables to the United Kingdom and has completed 51 roads of 337 kilometres and made payment of N38bn to solve erosion problems.
“Onitsha- Enugu expressway has not been done because it is a federal road and they are owing N43bn. The federal government was owing N49bn but it has been brought down, when they pay it, I will construct the road”, Obiano said.
Nwoye on his part said he has been able to lobby the federal government to begin work on the Onitsha expressway and promised to make the state an industrial hub through the provision of power and water, if elected governor.
Obaze challenged Obiano over these claims asking him to state any two kilometres of road he started and completed. “This government has spent over N600bn in the last four years on roads but there is nothing to show for it.”
Obaze Should Be ‘Distributing Relief Materials’ In Syria – Obiano #AnambraDebates channelstv.com/2017/11/12/oba…
Chidoka, while responding to Obiano’s assessment of other candidates said “can you compare a 60 year old man who retired as Executive director of a middle class bank and a man who became CEO at 35 years? We cannot collect from the poor to build a state. Anambra is not a sustainable state and my ambition is to reverse the trend.”
On his part, Ezeemo said, “this state is wallowing in trouble, that is why we need selfless people to take over leadership.”
On the issue of the agitation of the proscribed indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nwoye said he would tackle the issue by providing employment opportunities for the teeming unemployed youths because he believed the agitation was caused by lack of jobs, while Obiano empathised with them, but noted that the solution was restructuring.
Obaze however blamed Obiano for the surge in agitation and accused him of mishandling the situation. He said that it was unfathomable that the governor would sit by and let South Eastern youths be branded terrorists by the federal government, telling him to accept responsibility.
Chidoka and Ezeemo also differed, saying that the agitation was not caused by unemployment. They believed that the root of the issues is structural problem caused by the imbalance in the country.
“Nnamdi Kanu was the London chairman of APGA, but because the party deviated from its ideology and became a money-making machine, the seeds of IPOB were sown. Those agitating all over the world are professionals and not unemployed”, Chidoka said.
Speaking on the viability of having an airport in the state, Obiano said the airport project at Umuleri is being financed by three companies to the tune of $2bn while the state government gets 10percent equity shares. He promised that the project would be completed in three years.
But Obaze and Chidoka described the project as a waste of resources. They argued that many of the surrounding states already had airports; as such they advised that such funds be channelled into infrastructural and human development.
Chidoka said, “No state government owns an airport because it’s in the exclusive list. If a state builds an airport, the federal government would eventually collect it. When I was Minister for Aviation, I collected three airports from three state governments.
"The government should rather channel the $2bn meant for the airport into transforming Awka and Onitsha into megacities.”
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