A governorship aspirant in Anambra State on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, Valentine Ozigbo, has urged the leadership of the party to reconsider its stance on the zoning of the 2021 governorship ticket.
Ozigbo, a former Chief Executive Officer of Transnational Corporation of Nigeria Plc, stated this during an online news conference on Thursday in Awka.
He said the yearnings of the people of the state was that Anambra South Senatorial District should produce the next governor of the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that the party leadership had said at an expanded South East Zonal Executive Committee meeting in March that it was not considering zoning of the governorship ticket to any of the three senatorial zones of the state “at least for now”.
The National Vice Chairman of the PDP for the South East, Chief Austin Umahi, had made the declaration, shortly after the meeting in Enugu.
The meeting was attended by Governors Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, David Umahi of Ebonyi and the Deputy Governor of Abia State, Senators Ike Ekweremadu and Sam Anayanwu and other current and past National Assembly members.
The governorship election will hold in November 2021.
According to Ozigbo, for the party to have turned down the zoning of the governorship race does not augur well for the people of Anambra South Senatorial District.
“If the proper things are done and the race zoned to Anambra South Senatorial District, I will win the party primary and become the next governor of the state by the grace of God,’’ he said.
He, however, said in spite of his party’s refusal to zone the race, he would still contest and win.
He said he was not afraid to contest against any candidate, including the ex-Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo.
Ozigbo said: “If my party gives me the governorship ticket and Soludo emerges in APGA or any other party, I will floor him.
“What Soludo has, I have more.
“It’s Soludo that will be bothering on how to beat me in the contest because I have the wherewithal and connection to contest and win the election.”
Expressing confidence that he would emerge the consensus candidate of the PDP, Ozigbo said he had the goodwill of the majority of the party’s leaders in the state.
He said: “I don’t have a godfather; God is my godfather, but I have the goodwill of the leaders of our party.
“Some have linked me with Mr. Peter Obi, Chief Chris Uba, Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu and a host of others.
“That shows I’m popular across the board.”