- Agency Report
Residents of Anambra have commended Prof. Charles Soludo’s victory in the just- concluded governorship election in the state, even as they urged him to ensure more visible development for the state.
The residents spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in separate interviews on Monday in Awka, the state capital.
One of the residents, Prof. Frank-Collins Okafor, while describing the outcome of the election as a victory for democracy, commended Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for a job well done.
Okafor, a Professor of Political Science at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, said that with the election result, the people of the state had just made a statement.
“They know a good leader when they see one and they will always reward such a leader with their votes,” he said.
Okafor called on INEC to continue to uphold the people’s votes in all elections conducted in the country, as it did in Awka, in order to fully redeem its image and gain the confidence of the citizens.
“Anambra people came out en masse, rejected every political inducement to turn away their faces from reality and said ‘thank you’ to Mr Governor for recognising the status of Awka town.
“Soludo is the only governor since the creation of the state that recognsied our town’s status, and we spoke in one voice during the governorship election in appreciation,” he said.
Also, Chief Chris Eluemunoh, a former Chief Press Secretary to a former Governor of old Anambra, Chief Jim Nwobodo, said that the election was peaceful, transparent and went as he had expected.
Eluemunoh noted that other candidates appeared not to be ready to contest against the incumbent governor, saying that they could as well have allowed the governor to do his second term unchallenged.
“I congratulate the governor. I want to advise him that he should shun sectional development projects in the state and face all the regions without disparity,” he said.
The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) of Paul University, Awka, Prof. Chinyere Okunna, described the outcome of the election as the verdict of the voters.
Okunna, the first female professor of Mass Communication in Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa, congratulated the governor and advise him to face core governance in order to justify people’s confidence.
Mr Ken Obi, President-General, Anambra State Association of Town Union (ASATU), Youth Wing, said election was not a do-or-die and that it had come and gone.
Obi said that the youth expected Soludo to continue to see the development projects during the next phase of his administration.
He called on all stakeholders, community leaders, captains of industry and youths to partner with Soludo’s administration in order to take the state to greater heights.
Another resident, Chief Tochi Amalu, called for political sensisitation to guard against possible manipulations, leading to vote buying during elections.
“Voters need to know the game of politics to be able to conquer the fear being instilled in them by politicians during campaign and voting period.
“They should be able to exercise their civil responsibility in a conducive atmosphere and without any form of political inducement.
“The just-concluded election was massive bought and the citizens caved in because of the present level of hardship, but if they are made to recognise the power that they have during elections, the story will be different,” he said.
However, Mr Solomon Nnakie was of the opinion that the outcome of the election was manipulated right from the polling units, with political inducements by the party agents.
Nnakie appealed to government to empower security agents on election duty to arrest anyone promoting vote selling and buying at polling units.
To Mrs Agnes Nwoye, there is the need for political education so as to checkmate the level of manipulation, especially amongst the elderly and the uneducated.
Nwoye noted that except this was done, it might have negative effects on the younger generation, stressing that this might be ‘very destructive’ to the country’s polity.
NAN reports that some of the residents called for more development in the areas of security, rural development, care of the elderly, youth development, health care delivery and prompt payment of gratuities to retirees. NAN