BREAKING: Soludo Declares APGA At It Most United in History Ahead of Anambra Guber
Governor Chukwuma Soludo has declared that the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) is more cohesive and coordinated than at any point in its history, setting a confident tone ahead of the Anambra gubernatorial election slated for November.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with ARISE NEWS on Wednesday, the Governor, who recently clinched his party’s ticket unopposed, dismissed claims that he used his incumbency to suppress internal opposition.
“There was no arm-twisting. I don’t, I mean, what for? I won the primary when I wasn’t governor. If anybody was interested in picking a form, they were more than welcome,” Soludo said.
According to the Governor, the absence of internal contestation is due to the widespread support his administration has garnered across the state. “APGA, in its entire history, there has never been any other time in the history of Anambra politics that there is the kind of wide consensus that there is today in terms of the trajectory or in terms of the wide support. APGA has never been more peaceful, more coordinated, more united than it is today. And we’re going into an election as a very formidable united party,” he stated.
Soludo also referenced the recent wave of defections from rival parties as proof of APGA’s growing dominance. “Yesterday was a major faction of APC massively decamping. Today I received literally the other half of PDP. It is fair to say at least 60 to 70 percent of them have floated into us,” he added.
On the issue of security, Soludo highlighted the effectiveness of the recently launched Anambra State Homeland Security architecture.
“Since we launched our new homeland security and with a new security outfit, Agbanwe Chamber, working cooperatively with the federal security agencies, the Nigerian police, the navy, the army, the DSS, the civil defence, all working cooperatively as a team, Anambra is calm. It’s like if I compare that to where we were when I arrived here, when eight local governments were totally under siege, a no-go area, and when they were just killing mayhem every one reckless abandon, I can tell you it’s like the difference between day and night.
“Is the insecurity 100 percent gone? Of course not. You still have, you know, pockets here and there occasionally, but even the intel that we collect tells us even those criminals know that Anambra is too hard for them now,” he noted.
He also dismissed suggestions that the federal government, led by the APC, could influence the outcome of the election.
Soludo affirmed his commitment to democratic processes, saying, “Every contest is a contest. There is no wrestling match that is a joke. We will actually be contesting as if we’re the underdog when the time comes.”
