By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

The Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Prof. Peter Umeadi, has blamed the National Chairman of his party, Dr Victor Oye, and Anambra State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, for his poor outing in the presidential election held on Saturday, February 25, 2023.

He noted that the duo did not give him any form of support or encouragement as the presidential candidate of the party neither did he receive any kobo as backing from the party.

Umeadi maintained that it was through his personal efforts that he was able to achieve the little he did in the election, starting from purchase of form to the main election.

According to the former Chief Judge of the state, the duo he naturally expected their support as APGA’s presidential candidate did everything to play down and frustrate him from the race”

He said: “I was determined. I marched on, refused to be discouraged and frustrated.

“As I speak with you, nothing has ever come to me from the party; not one naira has been given to me as the candidate of the party by Soludo and Oye.

“Whatever efforts and breakthroughs I recorded in this presidential election have been through personal and self-efforts.”

He recalled the day he went to see the governor after formally being booked by the protocol, saying that he spent three hours without seeing him.

Umeadi said: “The party, from day one, particularly the governor, sidelined me. He has not even received me. I went to see him; my name was listed in the manifest; he knew I was coming. The Deputy Chief of Staff even called me the day I went to see the governor that my name was in the manifest. I went and stayed for three hours, 2 pm to 5pm to see the governor and he refused to see me.

“I was humiliated because the security men and others around saw what happened. His party’s presidential candidate waited for three hours in his office without seeing him!

“I’m not asking for the state money. They are not supporting me either. If they are supporting and campaigning for me, people will help in funding my activities.”

“All you see in the national campaign flag is APGA all the way; vote for Senate, House of Representatives, and the President is skipped.

“In other parties and under same circumstances, the party’s National and State Assembly contestants have their billboards and campaign posters with their presidential candidates. But none included me in their billboards and campaign posters because they were instructed not to work for me.

“They did everything to play down and frustrate me from the race, but I was determined. I marched on, refused to be discouraged and frustrated.

“They don’t want to project me, but they do not have any option. I am the face of APGA in Nigeria, whether they like it or not.”

He further explained that he was not asking for Anambra state’s money, but insisted that people would have helped to fund his campaign activities if Soludo and Oye were supportive and campaigning for him.

The presidential candidate however said he received and enjoyed the support and encouragement of APGA local government chairmen; but explained that they themselves also got disappointed at some point how Oye and Soludo sidelined and treated him unfairly.

Reacting through his Press Secretary, Christian Aburime, Soludo dismissed Umeadi’s allegations as untrue.