I Will Bring Common Sense to Governance – ADC’s Nwosu

By Jude Atupulazi

For the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Guber Candidate for the November 8 election in Anambra State, Mr John Nwosu, governing Anambra State requires a great dose of common which he says he has, noting that it is as important as other virtues.

Nwosu, in a chat with the media, promised to work hard, be humble and carry the electorate along.

‘Above all, as a servant leader, I will listen to all views before taking decisions. A good leader must be a good listener. No one knows it all. I’m not a professor, but I have common sense,’ he said in response to a question on what would be the difference between his leadership style and that of the incumbent Governor who has been accused of running it alone.

Nwosu also doused the fears in some quarters that the proposed coalition under a new platform of ADA would affect his party which had been believed to be the platform to be adopted by the coalition.

According to the ICT expert, ADC had been a long-established and nationally recognized party which had never been deregistered.

‘It’s a party in good standing. The party has always fielded credible candidates at the national and state levels. Quite on the contrary, the ADA is an attempt to register an entirely new party. The ADA’s application, if I recall correctly, is one out of well over 100 applications still pending before INEC. ADA, will have to cross the high hurdles of registration to get to where the ADC is, presently,’ Nwosu stated.

Giving his take on the implication of the change of leadership in ADC which he joined after failing to secure a ticket in Labour Party, and now it appears that Labour Party and ADC appeal to the same set of voters, he described politics as dynamic.

‘Leadership changes are routine, so long as they conform to established norms. If the interest of ADC is best served by a new leadership, so be it.  I did not leave LP because I could not secure the ticket.

I did not want to secure a ticket illegally or support a process that was riddled with irregularities and illegalities. A party leadership that is incapable of respecting its own constitution and the rule of law does not stand for much.

‘The Anambra electorate are not totally ignorant: they know and can sense who the credible and honest politicians are. It is their choice and call,’ he stated.

On a possible coalition or alliance with other parties in the state to unseat the incumbent Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, Nwosu said that ADC would soon be announced as the coalition party at the national level and would be open to teaming up with parties in Anambra State which have joined the coalition or may wish to do so.

‘As you are aware, ADC will soon be announced as the coalition party at the national level. We are amenable to joining forces. Anambra will be the first test case; the ground zero for ADC and the coalition partners to test their collective resolve.

We will welcome those who have joined or who may wish to join the coalition under ADC. We will be willing to discuss the coalition and power sharing arrangements, if that will facilitate an end to Soludo’s bad government,’ he said.

On why his party did not oppose the N50m campaign fee charged by the Anambra State Government, Nwosu said it was out of respect to the rule of law.

‘We don’t like the steep and almost punitive nature of the levy, but we are bound to pay that amount if we must campaign freely. I tweeted that if I become the governor, I will change that law.

As I am responding to your question, only three parties -YPP, ADC and LP – have paid the levy. Gov. Soludo and his running mate and party are yet to pay. That is shameful. That is a very poor leadership example and that is dubious,’ Nwosu regretted.