Anambra 2010: Soludo offered us bribe – Aspirants
From JACOB EDI, Abuja
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Soludo
Photo: Sun News Publishing
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Internal bickering that greeted the choice of former governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) boss, Chukwuma Soludo, as the standard bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in next year’s gubernatorial election in Anambra State took a turn for the worse on Wednesday with allegation that Soludo is offering N35 million to any of the 47 aspirants who rejected his nomination by the leadership of the party.

In a swift reaction, Soludo dismissed the allegation as spurious and ridiculous.

Chuma Nwafor, leading the 47 aspirants, who, on Monday, rejected Soludo as standard bearer of the party, said he also had information that some of the seven aspirants who reportedly pulled out of the earlier plan to reject Soludo must have been compromised, adding that even some, whose names were brandished by the group of seven, had their signatures forged.

Those present when Nwafor spoke yesterday are Hon. Basil Iwuoba, Chinyere Agagbo, Sir Valentine Ozigboh, Princess Kate Egwu, Engr. Ifeanyi Best Dim, Mrs Love Ijeoma Ibe, Mrs Victoria Nwankwu, Dr. Amanchukwu Ezike, Dr. Nkoli Imoh, Dr. Alex Obiogbolu and Dr. Carol Nwosu.
Nwafor alleged that the offer was meant for the aspirants to trade their positions but that they needed to look beyond the present because it concerned the future of Anambra State.

“The delegates we are talking about are Anambrarians and no other person. Let it be clear to everybody that we are not ready to change our stand. Our stand remains firm and our resolution and resolve are consistent with what we believe in and nothing will alter and change that. ,” Nwafor stated.
Nwafor also disclosed that the group had decided to expand the scope of opposition to include other stakeholders in the state.

Asked if he would still pursue the court option he said: “The way the leadership of the party is going, they leave us with no option but to take the extreme way out.”

“We have also decided that this group will not just be aspirants. We are enlarging this group. We have the former chairman, Chief Uchenna Emordi; he is part of us. We have the former chairman of the party, Chief I.V. Obi-Okoye who is also part of us. We also have former member of the House of Representatives, Chief Ozi Eguadu. Others are coming to join us. These are stakeholders in the party. They want to say that this is wrong and it is unacceptable to us and we will not condone it in any form or disguise. No matter how much people have advised him to offer to us, we are not for sale.

“We are the ‘Integrity Group’ and our mission is to correct the anomalies in our party. We are not for sale. As you aware, he has offered some of our people N35 million to sell their positions and also bring their people to him. We have told him point blank that it is not acceptable to us.

“I have given you the telephone numbers of Dr Emeka Eze and Dr Amachukwu Ezike who are members of this group because I don’t want anything to be done through proxy. They never, at anytime, said that their signatures were forged and that they are no longer part of the group. So, I have given you their numbers so that you can contact them directly and hear from them. We also have Dr Alex Obiogbolu.
“He didn’t sign the first one but he is here to indicate to you that he is part of the group. Please, what we are saying is that you should ignore this madness that they are blackmailing people in the papers, trying to show people in a different light. It also shows the character of the man in question.

“This is the same way that he fooled Nigerians and told us that the banking sector was sound and healthy. Only for Sanusi Lamido Sanusi to come and we found out that it was all lies. Today again, he is telling another lie that people had forged signatures. Please, how do you juxtapose such statement?” Nwafor noted.
But in his reaction, Soludo dismissed the allegation saying it is spurious and ridiculous insisting he never met Nwafor or any member of his group to negotiate.

“First and foremost, I never met with any aspirant or Chuma Nwafor. I have never met him except in the context of the meetings of the aspirants that were called. Since Friday last week, I have never met him. I have never seen him. That is absolute nonsense.

“To negotiate what? The nomination process has finished. What is it about? The reconciliation process is on but nothing about negotiation. Negotiation is that we first of all win an election. The basic point I want to say to you is that I think I find that a little bit funny, ridiculous and I’m just hearing that from you for the first time. I can’t even believe that he could say that because if he said so then he knows that he was obviously knowingly lying bare-facedly. Let him show where I called him. When you call somebody’s phone, it should show,” Soludo stated.

“Any plan to discuss with him as an aspirant?”
“May be he is saying that because according to him he feels may be I haven’t called him , I haven’t talked to him and so he has a chance to go and fabricate anything, but that is not the way things should be done. We a plan to reach everybody. If we haven’t reached him, we will certainly reach him at some point. But so far, I haven’t spoken to him and he knows that. If I have spoken with him, it should be on his phone and he should be able to show you.”

Soludo spoke at the headquarters of the PDP where he was presented to the leadership of the party by some other stake-holders in the state.
National Vice President, South East, Olisa Metu, announced that he had he set up a reconciliation committee to reconcile all the factions in the state with a view to winning the state.CID Maduabuam, a member of the House of Representatives submitted a resolution of all the law makers from Anambra state whom he said endorsed Soludo to the National chairman, Ogbulafor.
In his remarks, the PDP national chairman called for a closer collaboration among all the stake-holders.

The reason why the baggers are voicing their concerns is cause N37mil is too little.Let him give them 200 each and let's see if anyone will say anything again.They're all thieves who only have their own interests at heart!

See desperado moves to bring the man down!!

We go hear am come 2010!!