The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance in the forthcoming Anambra State governorship poll scheduled for November 6, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, has said the state was too sophisticated for a school certificate holder to aspire to govern.
Soludo, who spoke at the Dr Alex Ekwueme Square in Awka, the state capital, on Friday, during the inauguration of the APGA National Campaign Council for Anambra poll, said the state had outgrown being governed with such lowly educational qualification.
The Independent National Electoral Commission had on Thursday published a list of candidates for the Anambra Governorship election wherein most of the candidates presented secondary school certificates as their highest qualifications.
Soludo said, “APGA has a star-studded team for this election and it is the party with the best brains.
“Look at other political parties and their candidates, and you will find out that they have just first school leaving certificate and others the West African Senior School Certificate as their highest qualification.
“Is it first school leaving certificate and WASSCE they will use to govern Anambra? Anambra has outgrown such and you cannot use those certificates to govern Anambra. Look at my running mate, Dr Onyekachi Ibezim, a medical doctor. You can’t beat our team.”
Soludo also thanked God for the Appeal Court judgment that gave him victory over Chuma Umeoj, who was earlier published by INEC as the party’s candidate, adding that with the judgment, there was no longer anything like faction in APGA.
He added, “APGA will contest for every vote, in every ward, in every church, in every local government, and we are confident of victory.”
The APGA National Chairman, Dr Victor Oye, said, “APGA has grown above destruction. We are warning those who are working towards destroying the party to desist from doing so, or they will be destroyed.
“Anambra people have spoken, and they want Soludo. Let those contesting against Soludo bring their certificates, let’s see. We have a candidate that had first class (degrees) at every level of his education. He is a renowned professor of Economics and a former Central Bank of Nigeria governor.
“Let that candidate who is assembling governors from everywhere to come to Anambra show us his certificate first. He has none. We will remain steadfast and continue to pray and hope that the victory trumpet will sound on November 6. Soludo has won the election already and we are confident of it.
Meanwhile, the state governor, Willie Obiano, was named as the chairman of the APGA national campaign council for the poll.
[Punch]