Anambra 2010: Okonkwo rejects Soludo

By Enyim Enyim

ONITSHA—A governorship aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), Senator Annie Okonkwo, weekend rejected the party’s endorsement of former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) Prof. Charles Soludo as the party’s flag bearer for Anambra governorship election fixed for February 6, 2010.

Okonkwo, a serving PDP Senator said the adoption of Soludo, did not follow the laid down procedure for picking a candidate as entrenched in the party’s constitution, saying that the national leadership of the party has up till December to carry out a democratic congress,  where a candidate who scores the highest votes from delegates would be given the ticket.

He said the party did not pick the former central bank governor in line with the agreement of the stakeholders from the South East, who had agreed that former vice president of Nigeria, Dr Alex Ekwueme’s name be submitted to INEC to give the party enough time to conduct a credible and acceptable congress and thereafter substitute Ekwueme’s name with any candidate that would emerge.

The aspirant, who spoke at the occasion he organised to thank the 980 delegates, who supported him during the last PDP ward congress in the state, however, said he would remain in the party no matter the odds.

He charged his supporters to go back to their respective wards and mobilize more people for the Annie Okonkwo campaign organisation, boasting that the group would capture the Awka, Government House come 2010.

Speaker at the event, including his campaign organisation director, Chief Felix Olih advised him not to relent in his struggle to get the party’s ticket to contest the February 6, governorship election in the state.