- As PDP chairman tells aspirants to refrain from personality attacks
- Says he will be an impartial umpire
MADUAKO IGBOKWE l Saturday, August 29, 2020
ONITSHA, Anambra, Nigeria –A former Commissioner for Environment in Anambra state and one of the governorship aspirants in 2021 elections under the platform of People Democratic Party PDP, Mr. Ifedi Okwenna has stated the he was not being promoted by the former governor of the state Dr. Peter Obi for the 2021 governorship race.
Ifedi state this on Friday shortly after declaring his intention to run for Anambra state governorship race at the PDP secretariat in Awka.
He said that, however that if a person in the calibre of Peter Obi should support his governorship ambition it would an added advantage because nobody comes out for such contest without wishing great men to support him.
Ifedi said he consulted all the stakeholders in the state PDP including Mr. Peter Obi and got their supports.
” I am just hearing that Peter Obi prompted me to come to contest for governor in the state for the first time. How I hope it is true because if he is my sponsor, I will be very happy. I consulted my former boss, the PDP stakeholders before coming out for the race. Every politician going out for such a contest must need big person to support him. I will be happy if he is sponsoring me” he said.
He also said that he is the most humble and qualified person to lead the party to government House and pleaded with the PDP to give him the ticket.
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He said the state has been denied good governance because PDP has been out of the government House for a very long time. Ifedi said that it is only the PDP that can change the fortune of the state to greatness, saying that he needs PDP ticket for the party to take over Agu Akwa. Ifedi also assured the people of Anambra for positioning the state to attract the best brains.
He said the state has the potential to be the best in sub-sahara Africa but that poor governance is pushing out businessmen to develop other places.
According to him, many people have lost confident and trust in the government hence they are moving out of the state to invest in others parts of the world. He said there is need to rebuild governance for people to have confident and trust in the system for the rapid development of the state.
He explained that Anambra State has the potential to be the best but that poor governance has been the obstacle.
“Less than 21 Percent of Anambra people have trust in the government and it is affecting the state development. Because of lost of confidence and trust in government our people are now preferring to invest in other places because of lack of infrastructure and enablement. Our people are using their resource to build other people’s economies because government there provides enablement.
We need to build government that partner with people especially the youths who are running away from the state due lack of infrastructure and conducive environment to survive” he said.
He vowed that if he emerges governor of Anambra State, he would restore the lost glory of Onitsha main market, saying that the market which was best in West Africa has gone so bad that those trading there are suffocating. According to him, Onitsha main market which provide employment for over two million Nigerians, regrettably is in a sorry state.
“Our people build markets in other places, build others cities across the world because home government has not provided conducive environment for them to build good markets and survive” he said.
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Earlier, the PDP State Chairman, Mr. Ndubisi Nwobu assured that he will conduct the most credible primary election to select the party flag bearer for the 2021 governorship election.He said he will not allow any person or group to hijack the primary in the state because credible elections made him the state chairman
He advised Ifedi to canvass for support ahead of the primary, stressing that executive does not have special interest in any aspirant, saying that the executive will only be an umpire in the elections.
He advised all aspirants not to attack themselves so that whoever emergencies would be supported by others to enable the PDP get to the government House.
