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6 — SATURDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 19, 2022
Verbal attack on Peter Obi:
Verbal attack on Peter Obi:
Ndigbo descend heavily on Soludo
•He did not speak like a professor - Igbo Youths
•Soludo’s outburst baseless, unwarranted –Obasi
•No wisdom in his speech -Ex-Ohanaeze Chairman
•There is wisdom in Soludo’s epistle- Onoh
•Soludo envious of Peter Obi- Labour Party
By Anayo Okoli,
Dennis Agbo,
Ugochukwu Alaribe,
Steve Oko, Chinonso
Alozie & Emmanuel
Iheaka
ENUGU—Prominent
Igbo elders and leaders as
well as stakeholders and
various groups have
continued to express anger
over verbal attack on the
Presidential candidate of
the Labour Party, Mr Peter
Obi by Anambra State
governor, Professor
Charles Soludo.
Professor Soludo, in a
recent Television
interview described the
present value of
investments made by
Peter Obi while he was
governor as worthless and
followed it up in a long
article attacking Peter and
concluding that Peter Oni
can never win the 2023
president election.
In his reaction to Soludo’s
outburst, former Imo state
President of Ohanaeze
Ndigbo, Professor Chidi
Osuagwu said, “Soludo is a
clever person but unwise.
He has not shown wisdom.
By Omeiza Ajayi,
Abuja
The
Independent
National Electoral
Commission INEC has said
in line with its tradition of
adequately preparing for
eventualities, it has enough
logistics to take care of a
possible run-off in next
year’s Presidential Election.
INEC Chairman, Prof.
Mahmood Yakubu disclosed
this on Friday in Abuja at a
meeting with Bureau Chiefs
and Regional Editors of
media organizations.
Many people who have
made career success in
Nigeria are people of
questionable character.
People should not take
away that from their
minds when accessing
characters. Even now
everybody is talking of the
Igbo in 2023; I am not
surprised that this
statement is coming from
an Anambra person. The
Igbo must take note that
the Anambra people are
self-promoting too much.
Other people should not see
it as different; it is like what
is happening between
Osinbajo and Tinubu. But
even within the Imo state
the governing people,
selling their people for
personal aggrandizement,
Enugu State Governor and candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for Enugu
North Senatorial District, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (2nd left) with the PDP candidate
for Nsukka/Igbo-Eze South Federal Constituency, Chief Engr. Vita Abba (2nd right), the
lawmaker representing Nsukka West Constituency in the State House of Assembly, Hon.
Dr. Emmanuel Ugwuerua (right), former member of House of Representatives, Hon.
Charles Ugwu (middle) and former Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Dan Shere,
during the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Town Hall Meeting in Nsukka East
Development Centre ahead of the 2023 polls, yesterday.
2023: INEC expresses readiness for possible run-off
Represented by the
National Commissioner and
Chairman, Information
and Voter Education
Committee, Barr. Festus
Okoye, the INEC Chairman
said the commission has
always prepared for all
elections and that it would
not have the time to start
printing new ballot papers
within a space of three weeks
in the event of a tie.
“This is because the law
gives the commission just
21 days within which to
engage in reverse logistics
and conduct a run-off
election in case there’s no
winner,” he said.
INEC also advised
Nigerians to follow the
procedure outlined in the
Electoral Act 2022 (as
amended) to make their
claims and objections on the
voters’ register as displayed
nationwide.
He said; “We will harvest
all the claims, objections and
complaints and carefully
and objectively deal with
them.
“The whole essence of the
display is for Nigerians to
double check the register
and assist the Commission
put in place a robust,
comprehensive, and
acceptable register.
“While it is Important to
use the social media to point
out errors, issues and
challenges in the register,
the correction of the errors
and removal of malicious
registrations must follow
the procedure and sequence
outlined in section 19 and
20 of the Electoral Act
2022. “We urge members
of the public to approach our
Revision Officers for
assistance in making their
claims, objections, and
complaints.
“We also encourage
members of the public to visit
the Commissions website
and follow the protocols
outlined therein in making
their claims”.
IN furtherance of his
administration’s
commitment to the welfare
of civil servants,
Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi
recently granted approval
to the Enugu State
Civil Service Commission
(ESCSC) to conduct promotion
exercise for eligible
staff across the state’s
Ministries, Departments,
and Agencies (MDAs).
The promotion exercise
was in fulfilment of Governor
Ugwuanyi’s earlier
promise to clear all backlogs
of promotions for civil
servants in the state.
for self-promotion are
people who have come
from within the Anambra
border”.
Chief Jerry Obasi, a
former
deputy
governorship candidate of
the All Progressive Grand
Alliance, APGA, in Ebonyi
state described Governor
Chukwuma Soludo’s
outburst against Obi as
baseless and unwarranted.
Obasi said that Soludo
shot himself on the foot by
his outburst against Obi
and wondered if the former
governor of the Central
Bank actually thought
about his feelings for Obi
before going public.
Insisting that Soludo
harbours bottled up anger
against Obi, Obasi stated
that the right thing for the
Anambra governor to
have done was to support
his party’s presidential
candidate and ignore Obi.
He said that Soludo has a
huge task to match the
records Obi made as
Governor of Anambra
state, stressing that no
propaganda or bitterness
can erase the fact that Obi
saved money and made
huge investments for
Anambra state.
His words: “You can see
the level of public anger
and criticisms against
Soludo. Such outburst was
unwarranted and could
only show anger and
bitterness against the
Labour Presidential
candidate. The right thing
was not for Soludo to start
contradicting Obi
especially when he had no
facts. Obi handed over to a
successor who Soludo took
over from. So, if there was
any issue, Soludo needed to
ask the man who handed
over to him and not to
dance naked in public by
attacking Obi.
“The issue of Obi’s savings
and investments when he
served as the Governor of
Ugwuanyi moves to clear all promotion
backlogs for civil servants
Consequently, over
3,000 state civil servants
last weekend converged
on the Government Secondary
School (GSS),
Enugu, for their 2021/
2022 promotional examination.
Speaking on the development,
the Chairman of
the ESCSC, Mr. Robinson
Odo, said that “the agenda
for the 2021/2022
promotion is to ensure
that members of staff who
scale through in the exercise
are promoted without
delay to enable them celebrate
the upcoming yuletide
as promoted officers.”
Odo explained that “the
just concluded promotional
examination was in
written form, and encompassed
staff on salary
grade levels 07 and
above, whose briefs had
earlier been received by
the commission.”
He added that the “ESC-
SC has announced that
the oral interview for the
promotion exercise will
hold from November 22
to 29, 2022, at the commission’s
premises, at
9am daily.”
The Chairman disclosed
that all hands have been
on deck both at the commission
and the MDAs
levels to ensure that the
promotion processes are
successful.
Anambra state is a fact
already in the public
domain. No propaganda or
bitterness can erase the fact
that Obi saved money and
made investments when
he served as governor.
“Again, with the
popularity Obi enjoys in his
presidential pursuit,
Soludo should have
remained silent and watch
the electorate give their
verdict on him. I am sure
Soludo is envious of Obi.
You know Soludo also
nurses a presidential
ambition. Maybe, he
thinks that with Obi he
may not have a chance to
run for the presidency in
future. Soludo forgot that
Obi will make a better
president
than
Muhammadu Buhari.
Even Atiku Abubakar and
Bola Tinubu are not in the
same class with Obi; this is
why the majority of
Nigerians are supporting
Obi. Nigerians want fresh
air and Obi represents that
dream.
“That Atiku wants to
succeed Buhari who is from
the same North is the
height of injustice. Maybe,
Soludo is blind to the fact
that Obi is just the man
Nigerian needs at this
moment. You can see that
Soludo’s son even criticized
him for attacking Obi.
“An Igbo governor like
Soludo could have kept
silent and support his
party’s presidential
candidate, rather than
dancing naked in the
market place as he just did.
Soludo should watch it
because he is becoming
unpopular. He has been in
office for more than six
months, what has he
achieved; only lectures
and mere rhetoric. I
predict that he may serve
for only one term as
governor in Anambra
State. Soludo’s outburst
against Obi accounts for
one of the reasons enemies
of the Igbo have continued
to say that we don’t love
ourselves and don’t speak
with one voice”.
Also, the former
National Deputy
Chairman of APGA, South,
Chief Chris Ejike Uche
cautioned Soludo against
laying landmines on the
path of Peter Obi. Chief
Uche submitted that
Soludo should have called
Obi privately to settle
whatever issue if there was
anything he knew which
others didn’t know, rather
than raising very
contentious issues. He
described Soludo’s action
as an embarrassment on
the Igbo and Nigerians of
goodwill, adding that Obi
responded maturely.
Chief Uche called on Igbo
leaders to unite in
arresting the situation.
According to him, “it is
really embarrassing to
Nigerians of goodwill. You
can’t see the Yoruba or
Hausa people do that. Peter
Obi is not angling for
governorship of Anambra,
Prof Soludo is not running
for presidency. Their lines
don’t meet. If Soludo does
not want to support Peter,
why not remain silent.
Don’t build, don’t destroy.
“It is always difficult to
manage success. Soludo
should go for confession for
telling lies. Peter Obi’s
achievement in Anambra
is glaring; nobody disputes
that. It is very scandalous
to say he achieved
nothing. Soludo has a lot of
people supporting and
praising him, being a
scholar. He should outgrow
this mediocrity.