The Old Aguata Union of Anambra State has thrown its weight behind the re-election bid of the incumbent governor, Chief Willie Obiano, in the November 18 governorship election in the state. Old Aguata is made up of three local government areas: Aguata, Orumba North and South

Speaking at the meeting on Saturday that endorsed Obiano for a second term at Amaokpala in Orumba North Local Government Area, the former governor of the state, Chukwuemeka Ezeife, who also chaired the event observed that the one sure way of ensuring peace and stability in any polity was through power rotation amongst the component units.

He said the incumbent governor having come from Anambra North and served first term should be allowed to complete the turn of the zone by serving out the remaining four years.

While suggesting that such rotation should be made rigid in the state to allow for peace,

Ezeife said the Igbo could not be crying for the rotation of the president of Nigeria only to start doing the opposite at state level on power sharing and rotation.

He called on the people of Aguata union to take their destiny in their hands through cooperative electoral processes that would guarantee their chances of becoming the governor of the state.

The area is the clan of a former Vice President, Dr Alex Ekwueme, pioneer governor of the state, Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife, and Prof Chukwuma Soludo, a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

The meeting which had in attendance two former deputy governors in the state, Dr. Okey Udeh and Chief Emeka Sibeudu, unanimously declared that the zone was tired of producing deputies.

In his speech, the former CBN Governor, Prof Charles Soludo said those from Anambra North district who were in the November 18 poll and saying if elected they would do only one term of four years to respect the zoning arrangement in the state were either “naive of the dynamics of power or are fraudulent” .

His words: “Nobody voluntarily leaves power. So, the surest way of getting power to the south, constitutionally speaking, is through a support for Obiano to complete his second term.

“Therefore, we shall support him to win the election. We want governor and not deputy and we are going to start door-to-door campaign on this project.

“Their communique presented at the end of the meeting read in part. The current governor of Anambra State, Dr Willie Obiano, who is from Anambra North district, has performed very creditably in all sectors of governance.

“The governor has embarked on major infrastructure development in Aguata Union which are ongoing.

“He needs OAU’s support to finish these projects. Achange of government will stall the progress of such projects.

“OAU agrees with rotational principles as passed by the Ohanaeze Ndigbo on the rotation of the governorships seat of the state among the central, north and south senatorial districts of the state.”

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