“I will work harder in my second term” – Obiano
… Invites other contestants to join him
The Governor of Anambra State and winner of November 18, 2017 Gubernatorial Election, Chief Willie Obiano has assured ndi Anambra and Nigerians that he will work harder in his second term in office than he did in the first term to fulfill his promises to the people and ensure that the state sustains her match to greatness. The governor-elect gave the assurance after receiving Certificate of Returns from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at their office in Awka today following his victory at the polls last Saturday.
Sounding confident and energized, Governor Obiano told the crowd who witnessed the ceremony at INEC that he is ready to do much more to justify the confidence reposed in him by of the electorates.
Said he: “I want to assure that with my Deputy and I, and my team that Anambra will continue to shine; God has been good to us and God will continue to be with us. I want to assure you that I am not going to fail you. I will work harder in my second term than I did in the first term so that at the end of eight years Anambra will look back and see that the confidence reposed in me by electing me as governor is not in vain.”
Obiano extended the olive branch to other contestants with a call to join him; “Let me seize this opportunity to call on my friends that contested with me to join hands with me so that we can move our state forward. Anambra is bigger than our private ambitions. Now that God has given me the mandate I call on everybody whether you supported me or not to work with me so that we can move our state forward.”
Giving indication of his plans for All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the coming years, the Governor-Elect thanked the party and reassured, “We are going to now move into other states and present APGA as a formidable political party to be reckoned with the South East and the whole of Nigeria. I thank APGA immensely for having the confidence to present me and giving me the support all the way. I want to reassure you that this is the beginning.”
He equally thanked everyone for the roles played towards his success at the polls. According to the Governor; “My first thanks go to the Almighty God who performed the miracle of twenty-one over twenty-one. I want to specially thank the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for keeping his word that this election will be free and fair. I thank the whole of INEC staff especially the Chairman for conducting the election in free and fair manner; I thank members of the security agencies for maintaining the peace. I also want to thank ndi Anambra in general for this trust and particularly APGA as a political force.”
Presenting the Certificate to the Governor-Elect, Hon National Commissioner, of INEC, Mrs. May Akpabuche, congratulated the people of Anambra state for peaceful conduct and successful outcome in the elections. She stated that the event is organized in compliance with Section 57.1 of the Electoral Law which compels INEC to present Certificate within seven days after the election. She also commended the governor-Elect and other contestants for conducting themselves well in accordance with INEC guidelines during the elections.
Earlier in his explanation, The Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Nkwachukwu Orji said that the solemn event of Certificate Presentation is a culmination of INEC programme which commenced with the Announcement of Election Guidelines in February 2017.
Dr. Nwachukwu told the elected officials that the mandate they just received from the electorate is symbolized in the issuing of Certificate of Return is not just a reward but a responsibility to see to the welfare of the people, stressing that how well they perform will determine how the people will vote for them next time. According to the INEC REC,
“INEC is committed to ensuring that the value of votes counts. In the past the value of votes was threatened but today the value is counting. The elected have a role to play in ensuring that the value of votes counts by living up to their electoral promises. The electorates also have a duty to ensure that their votes were not bought and that the outcome of the election should not divide but unify us.”
The INEC Commissioner congratulated the Governor-Elect Chief Willie Obiano, his Deputy Governor, Dr. Nkem Okeke and the new Member elect for Idemili North Constituency in Anambra State House of Assembly, Mrs. Nkoli Mmegbuanaeze for their victory. He also thanked ndi Anambra for making the elections free and fair and ensuring that there was neither violence nor report of injuries or loss of lives.
