The Governorship Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in Anambra State, Mr. Valentine Ozigbo, has said that it would be unfair for aspirants who contested and lost the party’s primary election to decamp to other political parties.
Ozigbo alleged yesterday in Awka that the former aspirants were not leaving the party because they have made up their minds to leave and not for lack of attention or because the primary election was manipulated.
Dr. Godwin Maduka and Dr Obiora Okonkwo, who were among those that contested the primary election alongside Ozigbo, have resigned from the PDP and announced their re-entry into the governorship race on other platforms.
Ozigbo said: “We have visited all our co-aspirants, trying to urge them to join forces with us to help PDP win the state.
“We first visited Senator Ekwunife. We went to see Mr. Chris Uba who is a member of the (BOT) because he said that would his court cases if an aspirant emerged from the South senatorial zone.
“We met with him and all the other aspirants. I did this fence-mending because the problem of the party has always been anti-party activities by its members, arising from rancour during primary election. I embarked on the visits because we needed to cage that.
“If you hear anyone is leaving the PDP, it is not for lack of attention. The party intervened, some governors intervened, but they have made up their minds to leave. It is unfair, but I’m certain that the bigger number of people is still with me. If two people leave, you will agree with me that we have lost nothing.”
Speaking also on rumours that some godfathers in the state had foisted a deputy governorship candidate on him, the immediate past Chief Executive Officer of Transcorp PLC noted that he has from the very day he joined the race been his own man.
He also denied that his running mate was not foisted on him by certain godfathers in the party.
He said: “From the outset, I knew what I wanted. I told everyone plainly that I will choose a woman as my running mate, and that she will be an Anglican. I did just that.
“I decided to finance my own election. That is not to say that I will not listen when elders of the party speak to me.
“Just like Mr. Peter Obi who came in as governor and did his best because he had no one dictating to him, I am in the race all by myself, and no one is financing my election. I made it so, so that I can be as independent as I can.
“I went to the primary venue almost like an orphan, but one with God is majority. We saw clearly through my victory that I’m a destiny child. The primary election was transparent enough, and some of you here witnessed it. I don’t know what they mean about protesting, but I urge you all to come together and win the state.”
