By Jude Atupulazi
Many people who lost their lives to kidnappers last year would have lived if Anambra Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, had acted earlier. This was the view of a frontline Governorship Aspirant on the platform of the Labour Party, LP, Mr John Nwosu, who spoke to the press recently in Awka.
Nwosu who was answering a question on whether Governor Soludo’s new security initiative had effectively silenced the opposition, leaving them with nothing left to criticize, rather said it was to the contrary.
He expressed the belief that it was the concerted criticisms from the opposition that prodded Soludo to come with what he described as his belated security measures, noting that it came too late in the day for those who lost their lives.
But even at that, Nwosu doubted if the new security measures would last. His words, ‘We are still not certain if his security initiatives are sustainable or just a kneejerk response geared at winning electoral votes. We are already witnessing some lapses.’
On how the people were buying into his promise of serving for just one term, Nwosu, said, ‘I’m the first to acknowledge the trust deficit that exists in our body politics. Yet, I can only speak for myself in terms of my four years commitment. That is a promise, a commitment and an undertaking cast in stone. We must restore faith and trust in our leaders. Naturally, they are believers and doubters.’
He denied the view in some quarters that the crisis in Labour Party could affect the party’s chances in the forthcoming election, noting that even as he could not feign ignorance of the prevailing leadership challenges in the party, they were nevertheless, not insurmountable.
‘There are ongoing efforts to resolve the challenges at the national level. At the state Level, our party is stable and the state exco under the leadership of the Chairman, Ugochukwu Emeh, is doing the needful ahead of the primaries,’ he said, while expressing confidence that the people of the state would turn out in their numbers to vote for the right party that would give them the government they deserved.
He spoke against the backdrop of fears in some quarters that the ruling party at the centre, the All Progressives Congress, APC, could truncate the wishes of the people.
‘Hope is an essential commodity. I don’t speak for the APC, but I believe the people of Anambra State will get the government they deserve if they turn out boldly to vote for such a government. Conventionally, I do not foresee the APC featuring in that Anambra Governance Spectrum. We are not aspiring to be a one-party nation,’ he stated.
On whether the involvement of two aspirants from the same Nnewi would affect his chances of snatching the sole ticket of the party in the primary, and if there was the possibility of striking a gentleman’s agreement that would see one of them stepping down for the other, he said that democracy was about pluralism and equal opportunity for all.
‘Anyone who is prima facie qualified to run should run. The primaries remain a vetting process. It would be ideal to have a gentleman’s, agreement. But where that is not possible, the only option is to go to the field and allow the people to decide. After all, it is the people who will give the ultimate electoral mandate,’ Nwosu stated.
