Soludo Chukwuma has received accolades from the Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohaneze Ndigbo as the group commended President Muhammadu Buhari for congratulating the governor-elect of Anambra State.
Razaq Bamidele
The Pan-Ndigbo socio-cultural and political organization, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo General Assembly Worldwide, has commended President Muhammadu Buhari over the credible poll conducted in Anambra State weekend without presidential influence to favour his political party that also took part in the election.
In a statement from Director General, Strategic Planning and Implementations of the group, Ambassador Tony Chiemelu Obizoba, the Assembly asserted that the President deserves commendation for ensuring a credible poll without interference, despite the involvement of his own political party, All Progressives Congress (APC), which remarkably came third in the contest that saw the candidate of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo as the winner.
“We thank President Muhammadu Buhari for providing adequate security and enabling environment for free, fair and credible election in the state, despite an effort by the unpatriotic elements not to make it happen. Thanking President Buhari for this feat is important because, if the President had, had interference with that election, the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) might not win.
“It is therefore remarkable that the President conducted an election in a federating unit of the country and his own party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) not even came second but third and there was no attempt whatsoever by him to manipulate the process.
“We give it to him. In the last 22 years of the democratic experience of the Fourth Republic, we have seen presidents and have seen how they faired in the conduct of solo elections involving their parties’ candidates. We saw a do-or-die election; we saw where the situation was prewritten of results in favour of their parties interest. But under APC’s President Buhari, election victories have been won in ways that the losers have got no justification for disagreement,” the Assembly declared.
While also congratulating Soludo on his victory as Governor-elect in Saturday 6 November 2021 governorship election in the state, the statement said, “this is the destination of choice we clamoured for, adding that, it was the joy of Ohanaeze Ndigbo that the great ending we sought to the ugly scenario in the build-up to the election had come.”
The organization reminded that “amidst the avoidable heat, which turned the South East region of Nigeria to a ghost of itself, and a particular plot against the possibility of holding the 2021 governorship election in Anambra State, we were conspicuously about the only Igbo group that refused to be cowed down by the scares and panic caused as we stood for what was right and blaming leaders in the region for being complacent with activities of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).”
The Igbo apex body said: “We congratulate the winner of the governorship election in the person of Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo over his resounding victory, making bold to say that his success at the election makes us proud as Anambra people and we rejoice with him and the entire electorate, who came out, shunning the threats of the insecurity elements, and decided the fate of the state for the next four years in terms of governance.”
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The organization stated that: “Soludo will remain in history as the former Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) that effected the banking reforms started by late General Sani Abacha regime with the recapitalization policy of that apex bank that saved and has continued to sustain Nigeria’s banking sector till today,” however called his attention to the pattern of his victory – winning 19 of 21, meaning that his victory was for the entire people of Anambra State and so should be governor for all.
“He should reciprocate the magnanimity of President Buhari, who did not allow sentiment for his own party, the APC, to do interference that could have cost him his victory, by also being magnanimous in victory towards others in ensuring a collective effort for a greater Anambra State socially and economically
“We pray and wish him a successful tenure ahead. Congratulations once more!” the statement concluded.
