Anambra Election: Ekwueme Backs Out on Obiano, Supports Obaze

David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka

Former Vice President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, wednesday cleared the air on his earlier endorsement of Anambra State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano for a second term.

News of the endorsement of Obiano by Ekwueme against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Mr. Oseloka Obaze, who is also running for the election with his (Ekwueme’s) daughter has been making waves on the internet, suggesting that he might have dumped his party and daughter.

But Ekwueme in a meeting of stakeholders of the Old Aguata Union (OAU) in his country home in Oko, Orumba North Local Government Area, said his support for his daughter is total.

Ekwueme who went into memory lane on the formation of the PDP, said Anambra State had an affinity and consanguinity with the party.

He said time had come to unseat Obiano of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and enthrone a PDP government in Anambra State as
APGA was able to saddle the affairs of the state for 12 years because of the protracted crisis in the PDP in the state.

He said: “Anambra State is a PDP state from inception. We shall now continue with PDP. Time has come for us to take away power from APGA.”

He insisted that APGA’s tenure in the state would officially come to an end on November 18 as PDP which has brought its members together were ready to ensure victory for the party.

In his speech, a former governor of the state, Mr. Peter Obi, described Obiano’s performance as ‘provocatively abysmal’.

He said it was the reason he was championing his (Obiano’s) ouster.
Obi added that Obaze would only do one term to give way for Anambra South senatorial district to produce the next governor of the state in respect of the zoning arrangement enshrined in the state’s political system.

While denying that he did not demand N7bn from Obiano for funding his election in 2013 as being speculated, Obi maintained that he left N75 billion in the coffers of the state for Obiano.

In his speech, Obaze hailed Ekwueme for his roles in the enthronement of democracy in the country in 1999.
He assured the people of simultaneous development of the state.

He said his priority would be on education, adding that 26 per cent of the state budget would be dedicated to education, while promising scholarship from nursery to junior secondary school three if voted to power

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