Charles Soludo, governor of Anambra State, says his party, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), would support its presidential candidate Justice Peter Umeadi (rtd) in next year’s election, noting that Peter Obi, candidate of the Labour Party is not a threat to the party.
The Anambra governor who also said it was an injustice for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to refuse to zone its presidential ticket to the Southeast, noted the best response to the PDP’s decision would be for Ndigbo to send a “message” by voting APGA across the board.
Soludo, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Political Matters, Dr Alex Obiogbolu, said supporting any other party would ruin the chances of the APGA candidates at different levels in 2023.
He said: “APGA remains the third largest political party in Nigeria, considering the number of political offices it has won.
“APGA has a state governor, members of the National Assembly and members of the state assemblies.
“The vision of APGA for the 2023 general election is to expand its reach and spheres of influence.
“APGA does not consider the wave of the ‘Obidient Movement’ as a threat towards achieving its set goals in 2023.
“The LP and the ‘Obidient Movement’ are offshoots of the PDP. Therefore, they pose a big threat to PDP, not APGA.
“We wish Peter Obi good luck, but no matter how much we wish him, everyone is aware that we also have our own Peter Umeadi, running for president under APGA.
“Even if APGA should adopt Obi as its presidential candidate, our votes alone cannot make him president.”
Soludo believes a message must be sent that a people rejected will not also reject themselves.
He said: “What we actually want to send as a message is that as APGA people, and as Igbo people, we want to prove that one who is rejected does not reject himself.
“We have seen that politically, the Southeast and Igbo people have been denied what ought to be ours by the major parties, especially the PDP founded by an Igbo man, Alex Ekwueme.
“PDP’s zoning of presidency to the north is big injustice. PDP was founded in zoning, fairness and national patriotism.
“That was the reason why in 2019, the PDP ticket went to a northerner, Atiku Abubakar, and Igbo people supported him; because they see PDP as a party that will protect their interest at the national level.
“Now that it is the turn of the Southeast to be rewarded, PDP threw the slot back to the north. That is a big injustice.
“In 2023, we need to use APGA to send a message by ensuring that all the people that are going to represent us at the National Assembly, both in Anambra and other parts of Southeast, are from the platform of APGA.
“Anything short of this does not represent the interest and aspiration of our people.”