SOLUDO ADVOCATES SUPPORT GROUP, ASSEMBLES VOLUNTEERS TEAM OF MORE THAN 100 LAWYERS TO DEFEND SOLUDO IF ANDY UBA GOES TO COURT TO CHALLENGE HIS VICTORY
By Christian ABURIME
…SAYS ANDY UBA’S JOURNEY TO ELECTION TRIBUNAL IS A MIS-ADVENTURE TO HEAT UP THE POLITY
One out of the over 42 Support Groups who campaigned vigorously for Prof Chukwuma Charles Soludo’s victory in the just concluded Anambra governorship election has vowed to resist the continous threat by Senator Andy Uba to hijack the hard-earned mandate freely given to Prof Soludo by the good people of Anambra at the polls
In a press statement signed by the Secretary of the group, Mr O. L Udemezue, the group opined that Senator Andy Uba’s intended journey to challenge the outcome of the governorship election that was freely and fairly won by Prof Chukwuma Charles Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, (APGA), was a misadventure aimed at unnecessarily heating up the polity which can snowball into near breakdown of law and order within the state ( as posited by Senator Andy Uba’s lawyer)
Below is the full text of the press statement:
PRESS STATEMENT BY THE SOLUDO ADVOCATES
Gentlemen of the Press,
We, the members of the Soludo Advocates – a group of lawyers of Anambra State origin and those practicing in Anambra, make the following press statements consequent upon the continuous threat by Senator Andy Uba to hijack the hard-earned mandate freely given to Prof. C.C. Soludo at the polls. It is not a border at all that Andy Uba intends to go to Court as he is constitutionally entitled, our worry stems from his antecedents, the threats and boasts by his minions and the unnecessary heating up of the polity by their rather infantile propaganda, so it became needful for matters to be put in proper perspective and we also state our position and what we intend to do going forward.
Senator Andy Uba emergence as APC candidate
In the run up for the APC primary elections, a lot of people purchased the forms to contest the Governorship Primary on the platform of the APC. A direct primary election was to be held in all the wards and all the LGAs of Anambra State. Surprisingly, it was announced that Senator Andy Uba has emerged the ‘winner’ of the contest. Every other aspirant protested but Andy Uba continued to act as if it never mattered. He even ‘won’ with over 200,000 votes! That primary election is now subject of litigation at the Federal High Court and it is public knowledge that it was Andy Uba’s lawyers who wrote to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court for judgment not to be given in the matter because of ‘security reasons. Now for someone that scored more than 200,000 votes in a primary election but later ended up with about 40,000 votes, it calls for some introspection and not going to Court.
Online Polls and Post Debate Polls Never favoured Andy Uba but Soludo
As the Anambra Governorship Elections of 6th November 2021 approached, a lot of online polls were conducted by different orgainsations. All favoured Prof. C.C. Soludo to emerge as winner of the elections. Even after the Governorship debate organized by the Arise TV and Enough is Enough, the Arise TV set up a platform for viewers to vote the candidate that best addressed the issues. Prof. Soludo came first with 53% of the votes, Val Ozigbo scored 43% while Andy Uba took the rear with only 4%. Again, one wonders why Senator Andy Uba hoped to emerge as a Governor with this woeful outing.
*The People that Defected to Join Andy Uba in APC should not be the reason for him to think he could have won the election*
It is not news that some political office holders and some other paperweight politicians who have been wandering in political wilderness were wooed by and they joined Senator Andy Uba’s APC in the run up to the election. Unfortunately, they could not deliver Andy Uba because of the following reasons among others:
a. Most of the people that left PDP or APGA for APC to join Andy Uba are people that felt they did not have any future in their respective political parties.
b. The defections were either perfected in Abuja or in Imo Government House with only the defectors crossing over without any single follower joining them
c. Most followers of the defectors were bitter that they were not consulted and felt that the so-called bosses did what they did for their selfish interests and not for any altruistic reasons.
It is therefore should not be a surprise to Senator Andy Uba that the people he celebrated their defection to his side were trounced roundly in their various polling booths throughout the State.
*The Candidates of Other Political Parties and Other Anambra Groups and Individuals that has congratulated Soludo all attest to the Credibility of the Election*
So far, more than 4 candidates who contested the election on the platform of the other parties have congratulated Soludo for his victory at the polls. Groups and individuals within the State who witnesses, took part in or monitored the election hailed the process and the outcome and have congratulated the winner in the person of Prof. C.C. Soludo. The election was adjudged free, fair, credible and devoid of violence. If anything, it is Andy Uba’s Agents that was seen online sharing money to people which money was rejected by a lot of people.
It is clear from the foregoing that Senator Andy Uba’s journey to the Election Tribunal is a misadventure aimed at unnecessarily heating up the polity which can snowball into near breakdown of law and order within the State (as posited by Senator Andy Uba’s lawyers). We still feel it is not advisable for Senator Uba to continue his proposed journey to the Court.
*The Soludo Advocates Pledges to Defend the Mandate of Anambra People*
Nevertheless, since it is becoming clear by the day that Senator Andy Uba intends to go on with his challenge of the results of the election in Court, we have decided to live our beliefs and convictions by assembling a volunteer team of not less than 100 lawyers of Anambra origin or those practicing in Anambra who shall be part of the legal team to defend Prof. C.C. Soludo if and when he eventually Senator Andy Uba goes to Court. The volunteer team shall not only offer their services to defend the mandate pro bono but shall also contribute to host the other members of the legal team from all over the country
We shall also continue to keep Ndi Anambra, Nigerians and the entire world informed as events unfold
Thank You.
Dated the 19th day of November, 2021
O. L. Udemezue Esq.,
Secretary