By Deborah Hassan

365Daily – The  candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Andy Uba, has been declared as the most experienced candidate for the Anambra State Governorship election scheduled to hold on November 6, 2021.

The declaration was made by the President of Anambra State Chapter of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Prince Emeka Udodeme, on Tuesday, October 26, 2021, in Awka, the state capital, when Sen. Uba presented his manifesto to the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation.

A press release signed by the Director, Media and Publicity, of the Senator Andy Uba Governorship Campaign Organisation (SAUGCO), Hon. Victor Afam Ogene, and made available to 365Daily on Wednesday, October 27, 2022, said the Ohanaeze chief based on the fact that of all the candidates of the three leading political parties, only Senator Uba has “tasted electoral victory.”

Ogene said Udodeme praised the pan-Igbo disposition of the APC candidate, which he said was the reason why he attended to every request for intervention while he served in the Presidency.

The Ohanaeze Ndigbo chieftain told the gathering that Senator Uba, who was accompanied by the Anambra State Deputy Governor, Dr. Ikem Okeke, his Deputy Governorship candidate, Barrister Emeka Okafor and members of his campaign team, that the APC candidate is “one of the brightest candidate in the race.”

The SAUGCO Spokesman added that Udeme stressed that while the group was not endorsing any candidate, he would not shy away from disclosing that Senator Uba had assisted Ohanaeze Ndigbo whenever he was approached to do so.

He quoted the Anambra Ohanaeze Ndigbo head thus: “Senator Uba has, besides coming to the aid of Ohanaeze Ndigbo whenever he is beckoned upon, also impacted positively in the lives of our people, especially businessmen who were caught in the web of favourable policies.

“He (Senator Uba) during the President Obasanjo era was a very effective go between for our people, and I can vouch that given a similar opportunity he would exactly the same, if not more.”

Also speaking at the parley, National Vice President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Chief Damian Okeke-Ogene, observed that the zoning arrangement and understanding reached for the governorship seat by the people of Anambra State through the stakeholders remains sacrosanct and should be respected by all and sundry.

“When we were pushing the zoning arrangement many did not trust us, but I am happy that today, almost all the leading candidates hail from Anambra South Senatorial zone,” Okeke-Ogene said.

Earlier, while speaking about his manifesto, Uba reiterated that his government, if elected, will tackle insecurity, youth unemployment and women empowerment with vigour.

He promised to look into the parlous state of the Onitsha-Enugu expressway so as to ameliorate the hardship which commuters currently face while plying the road.

The highest Igbo social cultural group charged all the candidates to shun hate speech, violence and any act that may jeopardise a smooth electoral process.