Tony Nwoye arrival causes traffic jam at Arroma Junction in Awka yesterday
Awka the Anambra State capital was agog yesterday when the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for the November, 2013 governorship election, Tony Nwoye made a triumphant entry to a grande border reception, indicating that the sparks for which the party was well known in the past were still very much intact.
Nwoye in his maiden remarks did not mince words to assert that the days of the reign of Gov Peter Obi’s All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the State was completely over and gone.
Nwoye who rode in a long convoy of vehicles with top national and zonal party stalwarts was received by a tumultuous crowd of party faithfuls numbering in their thousands announced that none among Governor Obi, Chike Obidigbo or Willie Obiano has the political capacity and people’s support to stop the PDP from taking over the government house Awka in the Nov 16,2013 election.
He told the surging crowd who besieged the Amansea border post, that “We have seen eight years of Mr. Peter Obi’s administration and every one can see that it is a colossal failure. He now wants one of his boys to replace him so that the misrule and maladministration can continue”
“The APGA government has this way of deceiving people with gifts and pretending to be doing something good when ever election is by the corner. The governor has announced that people should go and collect employment forms because election is by the corner. This was what he did in 2010 governorship election and after that nobody was employed till date”.
“He has started with local government elections and that was what he told us in 2010 election. Today it has been shifted from October to December 2013. We learnt that he has been going about distributing cheques and money to schools and we wonder under what sub head these payments are being made in the 2013 budgetary provisions. He now, shares money in churches and we wonder if he is more Christian than us. We want to announce that the days of APGA in government house Awka are numbered and we shall use Anambra Peoples mandate to flush the Obianos and Peter Obi’s out of there”.
Reacting to the alleged payment of bribe to some clerics in Anambra is the alleged cracks among catholic priests in the state over the payment of stipends to some parish priests in the Catholic Church.
Some Catholic priests had already turned down the offer of money in exchange for praying for Willie Obiano who is Governor Peter Obi’s anointed candidate as according to them, they had experienced disappointment in the past and mislead.
One of the priests from Awka Catholic Diocese sharply retorted when the matter was brought to his notice for reaction, “What money? We are supposed to be an unbiased umpire. Our duty is to pin point the areas where things are not going well and advice our leaders. We are not supposed to be partisan at all. Most of us turned down the offer because of the experience of 2010 where some of us abdicated their duties for vain glory”.
He however told journalists that he did not receive any text message in view of his position on the matter.
The message which has now incensed the clergy was said to have read in part thus, “Dear Parish Priests, you are directed to offer nine Sunday masses (beginning this Sunday) for (name witheld of a guber candidate)Mass intention is for the intention of the donor, please check your letter boxes at information desk from Monday next week for the stipend. Fin Admin”.
Reacting to the text message the Director of Communication of Onitsha Arch Diocese, Fr. Pius Uko told Journalists that he and the rest of the priests working with him did not receive any text message.
“I have not received any money or text message. Here in my house I leave with five priests and nobody has received any money or text message and in my office where I have three priests, non of us received any money or text message. I do not think it is true but for all I know I am not aware of that”.
