By Henry Umoru,  Vincent Ujumadu & Inalegwu Shaibu
ABUJA—The Labour Party, LP, candidate in the just-concluded Anambra governorship elections, Dr. Andy Uba, yesterday, expressed his readiness to work with Governor Peter Obi who won the polls on the platform of All Progressive Aliance, APGA.

Also, yesterday the president of the Senate, Senator David Mark and the national leadership of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday, congratulated the Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for their successes in last Saturday’s governorship election.

Labour Party, LP, candidate in the just-concluded Anambra governorship elections, Dr. Andy Uba, expressed his readiness to work with Governor Peter Obi winner of the polls on the platform of All Progressive Aliance, APGA.

Meantime, the National Women Leader of the All Progressive Alliance, APGA, Princess Nana Dahiru praised INEC for conducting a free and fair election in Anambra State.

Senator Mark in a congratulatory message to Governor Obi said his victory was for democracy and the people of Anambra State.

Urging the governor to use the victory to transform the fortunes of the state by bringing stakeholders irrespective of party affiliations on board, Senator Mark said: “Governor Obi’s election was adjudged free and fair.

The people of Anambra State have decided through their votes and it behoves on the governor and the citizenry to close ranks for the development of the State. Election was contested by many candidates for Anambra governorship seat. At the end, the people decided. The people won and democracy triumphed.”

On INEC, Senator Mark said the commission to use the success in Anambra as a launching pad for more credible elections in the future, noting: “INEC has given Nigerians hope that the days of rancour, violence and rigging are over in elections in the country.”

Process of genuine reconciliation

The national leadership of the PDP in its reaction urged Obi who polled 97,833 votes to defeat PDP’s candidate, Professor Chukwuma Soludo who got 59,355 to immediately begin the process of genuine reconciliation by providing a platform where all citizens of Anambra would feel a sense of belonging.

In a statement signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Professor Rufai Ahmed Alkali, the PDP “the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor, on behalf of the National Working Committee congratulates Professor Chukwuma Soludo, the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party in the just concluded governorship elections in Anambra State for conducting a clean and issue based campaign as well as his display of sportsmanship  after of the elections.

“Professor Soludo’s conduct before, during and after the elections, his acceptance of the results in spite of the imperfections and his pledge to co-operate with the declared winner are qualities we recommend for all politicians as we move forward to advance the cause of democracy in Nigeria. By this heroic act and his resolve to spare the people of Anambra State the trauma of endless litigations, he has set a shining example of the quality of politics we practise in the PDP. We wish him well in all his future endeavours.

“We join all well-meaning Nigerians in offering our congratulations to Mr. Peter Obi for his victory and urge him to immediately commence the process of genuine reconciliation by providing a platform where all citizens of Anambra would feel a sense of belonging.”

Andy Uba at Governor’s Lodge

Meanwhile, the Labour candidate in the election, Dr. Andy Uba, yesterday, paid a visit to the winner of the election, Mr. Peter Obi at the Governor’s Lodge in Awka with a promise to cooperate with the governor in the task of developing the State.

Uba, who was at Obi’s residence to congratulate him said Anambra State was bigger than any individual, adding that there was need to support the government to enable it achieve the great task of meeting the aspirations of the people.

Governor Obi, in response, commended Uba for the way and manner he ran his campaign for the just concluded election, adding that Uba’s campaign was devoid of name-calling, name-dropping and the desperate disposition that had become part of Nigerian politics.

Obi said he was already making a general evaluation of campaigns in Nigeria and invited other politicians to always see campaign as an avenue to tell the people what one planned to do for them and not to use it as an avenue to castigate one another.

The governor commended Uba for his disposition towards supporting the government, noting that for Anambra to achieve its aims and objectives, all hands should be on deck.