AWKA—As the campaign for the February 6 governorship election in Anambra State intensifies, the candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Dr Andy Uba, has received the endorsement of Anambra True Democrats, ATD, a group of progressives from across various political parties in the state.

In a statement at the end of its executive council meeting in Awka, the group said it was throwing its weight behind Andy Uba because he “represents the change which the state badly needs at this time.” National

Coordinator of the group, Chief Ben Odenigbo, lamented the squalid state of infrastructure in Anambra in spite of the calibre and national profile of indigenes of the state.

“We are worried by the degradation and maladministration that had been visited on the state by successive governments. The direct consequence of this is that Anambra continues to wear the badge of underdevelopment and poverty, when in actual fact, it ought to be one of the richest states in the federation.

“We note that Anambra is not an oil producing state, but we believe that with proper management, it ought to rank among states with highest internally generated revenue, IGR, because of the volume of commerce that goes on in the state. Regrettably, this is not the case.

The state cannot boast of half of what Lagos State collects as internally generated revenue, yet many traders in Lagos depend on Onitsha and Nnewi, two commercial towns in Anambra, for their goods. This is as a result of poverty of leadership,” the statement added.