For the Records: GOV. CHUKWUMA CHARLES SOLUDO’S EXTEMPORÉ SPEECH AT THE APGA MEGA RALLY, AHEAD OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTION IN ANAMBRA STATE ON SEPTEMBER 21ST, 2024

Greetings!

A.P.G.A!  APGA!!!

Today, we’ve come for the official launch of the campaign of the local government elections.

Campaigns had already started about a week ago, but today, APGA is formally launching its own campaign.

And, as always, it is evident that APGA is Anambra and Anambra is APGA!

Today, while we mark this campaign, we also use this opportunity to make an important point – that the conduct of the local government election is promised made, and promise kept. During our campaigns, I promised that we were going to organize local government elections, many did not believe.

During my inaugural speech, I promised ndi Anambra that as soon as we put in place the institutional mechanisms and the legal framework for the organisation of the local government election, that we were going to organize the election. Many people did not believe.

Anambra had the first local government election in 1998. the second one was in 2014. I think that one was conducted a month or so before the then governor was leaving office after eight years. Now, 2024, that promise we made will be fulfilled come Saturday, 28th of September, 2024

We originally planned that we were going to conduct local government elections by December, but the Supreme Court judgement literally declared a state of emergency by compelling all states with no elected local government councils, to do so immediately. That’s why we had to bring it forward from December to 28th of September, 2024

Anambra, are we ready? APGA, are we ready? APGA is ready. We are fully on the ground. There is no opposition here. There are about nine political parties contesting the election, but only APGA fielded candidates for all the 21 council chairs for the election of the mayor. Only APGA fielded candidates in the 326 wards.

I love this party. We are launching the continuation, consolidation of progressivism. APGA is the first political party registered as a PROGRESSIVE. And Anambra, for the past 18 years, has been experiencing unbroken, unprecedented progressivism.

This election is supposed to test out which parties are on the ground. At the last governorship election, out of the 326 wards, we won in 282, but this time around, with what is going on around the state; in the 326 wards in Anambra, our aspiration and what we are working towards is to be able to clear the 326 over 326. We won’t lose anywhere.

I heard many people are campaigning, but when they campaign, they say it is a waste of time and resources. What are they going to tell ndị Anambra? They will definitely tell ndị Anambra that Solution is here. That’s why they are afraid. Our campaign is vigorous in all the wards in Anambra.

We know we are the landlord, but we are campaigning as if we are the underdog, even though the other parties have not even fielded candidates to challenge us. There are about four local governments where we are being returned unopposed in terms of local government chairmanship election.

The reason other parties are lukewarm, not campaigning with two hands, is because they realise that there are owners of this place – that there is consensus in Anambra. When it comes to national elections, they can vote for anybody, but when it comes to local elections, ndị Anambra have resolved that APGA is the vehicle for the transformation of their state.

It is APGA that guarantees them peace, security, law, and order. It is APGA that is giving them unprecedented transformation in terms of infrastructure.

Over 500 kilometres of road transformation – the quality that Anambra has not seen before, guaranteed to last at least twenty years, we are completing an average of 10 kilometres a month. It is unprecedented anywhere.

All the nooks and crannies of Anambra- the economic transformation agenda, our Awka 2.0, Onitsha 2.0 or the mixed industrial city that we are building, or is it breaking the 33‐year old jinx that for the first time, Anambra is going to have government house and a governor’s Lodge for the first time in its history, the human capital, free education, free antenatal care and free delivery scheme that have benefitted over 60,000 women.

The future is technology and innovation. Tens of thousands of our youth are receiving digital training because we are purposeful that Anambra will be the unchallenged digital tribe. The Silicon Valley is already under construction, but our youths are already being enabled to even get jobs all over the world sitting in Anambra. We are training the human capital that is productive at home and exportable abroad.

APGA is the place to be. The value that we are providing to ndị Anambra is the reason Anambra is 85-90 per cent APGA.

APGA as a political party remains one united, indivisible, ever stronger political party under the National Chairmanship of no other than Barr. Sly Ezeokenwa. We will join other political parties in Nigeria in the course of nation building.

We have a task and mission to bring peace, stability, and prosperity to the people of Nigeria. That is what all of us are committed to. APGA is in tact – a family united. We are going into this, battle ready.

Anambra will continue to go from strength to strength, higher and higher. APGA is also ready to contribute to the national conversation to continue to proffer ways to move Nigeria forward. As a party, we will continue to partner with everyone – all progressives in Nigeria – to continue to give the country progressive leadership and progressive outcomes. That’s why we are prioritizing human capital in Anambra state – health, education, youth empowerment, skill development, and very importantly, leaving no one behind.

APGA is our identity, and with it, Anambra will continue to move forward. I urge you, ndị Anambra to troup out en mass as you have always done because we are working every day to earn your vote and confidence, and every day, you continue to show us that we are not disappointing you.

Ndị Anambra, come out on the 28th of September to make sure we use our votes wisely.

Let’s go to our wards, work very hard, knock on doors, get everyone organized to the poling booth. Democracy is alive in Anambra. The election will be free, fair, transparent – one man, one vote, one woman, one vote, one youth, one vote, and it will be counted and the results announced. We are moving to the next chapter of local government administration in Anambra. Democracy and its dividends will get down to the man in the village.

Thank you, and God bless you.

A.P.G.A! APGA!!!

Extracted by Christian Aburime