By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

Anambra State government has called on the people of the state to disregard the call by the Labour Party (LP) Presidential Candidate, Mr Peter Obi, on the electorate to vote for LP House of Assembly candidates against the sittingAll Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), describing Obi's call as a ploy to destabilise Soludo’s administration.

A Media Aide to the Governor Soludo, Mr Christian Aburime, in a statement in Awka on Saturday, March 11, 2023, stressed that Obi was being economical with the truth, despite experiencing the harsh bite of working with an opposition PDP that impeached him during his time as Governor of the state.

Aburime who was reacting to Obi's call for people to vote LP candidates in the forthcoming Saturday, March 18 House of Assembly election in the state, said that “Obi is simply being unfair to the people of Anambra by his inappropriate call to vote LP when he knows Anambra is APGA land, controlled by APGA government.

“How can he ask people to vote for LP when he understands very well, the thorns of working with opposition party as a Governor. This is like going back to Egypt which is absolutely untenable.

“During his time as Governor of Anambra State, he suffered impeachment because majority of the state lawmakers were of the PDP, while he was a member of APGA.

“Anambra State is an APGA state and if he loves his state as he claims, he should not support anything that will destabilise the government.

“Anambra, as an APGA state, should remain so in the spirit of ‘onye aghana nwanne ya’. “We appreciate him for saying that LP candidates who win the assembly election should work with Soludo, but he should, at the same time, avoid speaking from both sides of the mouth.”

Aburime said that the Soludo played a major role in Obi’s victory in the February 25 Presidential election by ensuring a peaceful environment, adding that the LP should reciprocate the gesture by encouraging the electorate to vote in APGA candidates during the February 18, 2023 House of Assembly election.

Obi had, while fielding questions from journalists in Awka, after his meeting with LP House of Assembly candidates, said that Anambra people should vote in all LP candidates for the state legislature.

“We can have political differences. Soludo is the Governor of my state. I have utmost respect for him. I’m contesting for the President of Nigeria which, to the best of my knowledge, he is not a candidate and he is not a contestant.

“We have political differences and the way we approach it. I have told our people, go and campaign and win elections. Your job as a legislator is to work with the Governor to ensure that he provides dividends to the people. Help him ensure that the number one thing, education, works; give him adequate support in appropriation, laws to guide in education, health, roads, among others.

“The lawmakers don’t do executive job, so there’s no way they cannot enjoy whatever good that comes from the government. If he builds road, will he tell the lawmaker, because he is from another party, not to pass the road?

“All I’m saying is Anambra people should vote for Labour Party but winners should work with Soludo. You don’t have to be afraid of impeachment when you are doing a good job,” Obi had said.