By Okey Maduforo Awka
Ahead of the conduct of the State Assembly election in Anambra state there is a growing confusion within the ranks of the Labour Party over reports of funds allegedly provided for the party agents to monitor the electoral process.
Though the state Chairman of the party Chief Ogochukwu Ene had described the allegation as untrue some Assembly members who spoke to reporters in Awka contended that they were supposed to have been informed about the funds and how much it is but has been shrouded in secrecy.
They further alleged that the National Assembly Candidates of the party have abandoned them to their fates in the coming election even though They mobilized voters during the Presidential and National Assembly elections which gave the party victory.
According to the spokesman of the group who gave his name as Uchenna Nwokoye ” After the last election we had a meeting at the marble Arch hotel Awka to fashion out how to deliver our state Assembly Candidates most of them failed to show up and we expected them to join hands with us but nothing is happening”
“We learnt that some funds were made available for the agents and up till now nobody is telling us what is happening and the All Progressives Grand Alliance APGA have been everywhere mobilizing and sensitizing the voter but we are doing nothing”
“I have my fears that we may not win up to five seats in this election and that magic that happened in the last election cannot be replicated going by what we have on ground” he said.
But in his reaction the party chairman said that he is not aware of any fund made available for the election describing Uchenna Nwokoye as not speaking for the candidates.
Similarly Gov Charles Soludo and the Resident Electoral Commissioner Dr Queen Elizabeth Agwu have dismissed the allegation of N100 million bribe contending that it is diversionary.
According to the Commissioner who spoke on phone;
“We have passed this stage of name calling or name dropping and I wish to dissociate myself and the Commission from those spurious allegations because instead of politicians going out to campaign to the voters they have chosen to attack the Commission and the Commission would not want to be distracted”
She quarried who brought the money and through who or the banks involved contending that the Commission would not allow itself to be subjected to share blackmail.
Reacting through his Press Secretary, Mr. Christian Aburime, Governor Soludo described the allegations as propaganda from the pit of hell, which, he said, the opposition are using to blackmail him because they do not stand a chance on Saturday.
He wondered why he should ever imagine or think of resorting to threats to make people vote APGA, while his numerous achievements in his less than one year in office are already speaking volume and are enough to give victory to APGA House of Assembly candidates in the state.
According to Aburime who interacted with journalists in Awka on Wednesday, apart from the fact that Anambra remains an APGA state, it would be unfair for any Anambra indigene to see all the good works of the Governor and still not vote for APGA in Saturday’s election.
While recounting the Governor’s achievements in office, he also expressed confidence that APGA will win majority seats in the State’s House of Assembly come Saturday, even as he called on Ndị Anambra not to allow anyone deceive them under any disguise.
He said, “The Governor will be one year in office on Friday, but you will think he has been here for four years already. Within this one year, he has employed 5,000 teachers for our schools, that is something that has never happened anywhere before.
“When he came to office, there were no doctors in most of the hospitals across the state, but the governor has employed many doctors, nurses and other caregivers, in addition to road projects being flagged off everywhere in the state.
“We are confident that on Saturday, we will win majority seats in the state assembly. No Anambra indigene who wishes the state well will allow another party to dominate the house of assembly. That will create distractions in the developmental strides the governor. has embarked upon.”
