Governor of Anambra State, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has described members of the Labour Party (LP) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as “nomadic politicians” who switch parties during elections.
Soludo, who is seeking re-election on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), made the remark in Onitsha on Saturday during a rally organised by the Anambra State Market Amalgamated Traders Association, which endorsed his second-term bid.
The governor said the November 8 governorship election would be taken seriously, but insisted he had no real rivals in the contest.
“The journey to the November 8 election is still far. We are not going to take it for granted. Although we have no contestants, we are going into the election with all seriousness. Every other contestant is looking for appointment,” Soludo said.
He added: “Our opponents don’t have certificate. Gone are the days when charlatans ruled Anambra. This is the state of the great Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chinua Achebe, Alex Ekwueme. No unknown character will be allowed to rule Anambra again.”
Taking a swipe at rival parties, the governor accused opposition figures of lacking consistency.
“Last time, it was Labour Party everywhere, they were making noise. I call them nomadic politicians. Every election year, they enter another party. For us, we are APGA, and we are saying APGA is Anambra and Anambra is APGA,” he said.
Soludo also cautioned against extortion of petty traders, warning that his administration had harmonised levies and introduced a cashless tax payment system.
“Anybody demanding charges from any petty trader is a thief. Such money doesn’t go into government coffers. Nobody will ask you to pay cash; once you pay, it goes straight into government accounts,” he stated.
He recalled the establishment of the State Anti-Tout Agency, which he said had flushed out touts (“agberos”) from Onitsha and other markets in the state.
