2019: Obiano insists on General Gbor for President

Statement by the Anambra State Commissioner for Information & Public Enlightenment on Speculations about Chief Obiano’s Endorsement of Presidential Candidates

1.      As the 2019 general election approaches, it is interesting how various politicians and political parties have been swooping on Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State in the belief that his role will be critical in deciding who wins the presidential vote. For instance, operatives of two of the leading political parties in Nigeria, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), have taken to the social media to create the impression that the governor has endorsed their candidates in the forthcoming election. Some have even gone as far as reproducing a video of an event which took place in 2014 in a bid to give the impression that the event has just occurred.

2.      Agents of the Vice Presidential candidate of one of the parties have been contradicting themselves on the social media as regards support from Chief Obiano. While some have unleashed fake news claiming that the governor is opposed to their candidate, some others have cloned Gov Obiano’s twitter’s account where the governor purportedly supports the candidate.

3.      The enormous attention paid to Gov Obiano by various national political parties as well as their agents is flattering. Indeed, we are not aware of any state governor who has in recent times received this level of attention in Nigeria. It certainly has to do with Gov Obiano’s prodigious achievements which have been acknowledged across Nigeria and beyond. Ever since he won the November 17, 2017, gubernatorial race overwhelmingly in each of the 21 local government areas (LGAs) in the state—an unprecedented achievement in the history of the state—he has become the most decorated governor in the country. The good people of Anambra State appreciate the honour to their high performing governor.

4.      However, we would like to inform all Nigerians, especially the political class, that Chief Obiano is no political bride. He is no looking for political suitors. He is, in fact, his own man.

5.      Gov Obiano is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). He is also the APGA National Leader. These positions place heavy responsibilities on his shoulders. Therefore, any talk about his endorsing the presidential candidate of another party, let alone joining another party, is sheer wishful thinking.

6.      APGA has a presidential candidate in the 2019 general election in the person of General John Gbor (retd). This is in sharp contrast to the situation during the two previous presidential elections when APGA had no candidate, and was consequently constrained to form an electoral alliance with the ruling party.

7.      Gen Gbor, whose many exceedingly impressive qualifications include a doctoral degree, will formally launch his presidential campaign on December 6, 2018, in Awka, Anambra State, in a very big way. Many Nigerians expect him to win because he has the best credentials, temperament and vision for the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Besides, unlike most other parties under the Nigerian firmament, Gen Gbor’s party, APGA, is the only development-oriented party in the nation. Most other parties are driven by primordial considerations like ethnicity and religion at a time the country is facing acute developmental challenges. Gen Gbor’s vision is to make Nigeria follow the trajectory of nations like Singapore, Malaysia and India which have become role models to developing countries across the globe.

8.      To state the obvious, Gov Obiano will work closely with Gen Gbor in the electioneering campaign whose outcome will be a pleasant surprise to the Nigerian people.

Signed

C. Don Adinuba,

Commissioner for Information & Public Enlightenment.