Soludo, Ubah, Andy, Okonkwo Absent At Anambra Guber Debate. As Ozigbo , Nwamkpu, Maduka Clash.

 Soludo, Ubah, Andy, Okonkwo Absent At Anambra Guber Debate. As Ozigbo , Nwamkpu, Maduka Clash.

By Nkiru Nwagbo. 

The crowd of Anambra electorates were yesterday disappointed when four front line gubernatorial candidates for the November governoship election debate organized by the Kwechiri Political movement in conjunction with Arise TV in Awka failed to show up.

The four candidates, Prof Charles Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance APGA, Sen Ifeanyi Ubah of the Young Progressive Party YPP , Sen Andy Uba of the All Progressives Congress APC and Chief Obiora Okonkwo of the Zenith labour Party ZLP did not honor the invitation of the body to the debate.

But Mr Valentine Ozigbo of the People's Democratic Party PDP, Chief Akachukwu Nwakpu of African Democratic Congress ADC, Dr Godwin Maduka of the Accord Party Chief Ben Etiaba of the Action Alliance and Col Jeff Onyejegbu of the People's Democratic Movement PDM  were  present at the debate.

The electorates who attended the function described the absence of the four candidates as a slap on them contending that it was an opportunity for them to showcase what they have for Anambra people in the next four years.

The  Coordinator of the body for Anambra  North Senatorai District Mr Anselem Onuoha told reporters that all the candidates were duly informed and officially invited  to the debate and wondered why they were absent.

He further said that the absentee candidates did inform the body that they could not make it to the debate but congratulated the other candidates that came describing it as a show of commitment to serve.

At the debate candidate of the PDP Mr Valentine Ozigbo appears to have stolen the show following a well tailored and arranged manifestos which was hinged on security, improved health services system and vocational education with emphasis on self employment.

Ozigbo noted that he is not going to duel in the past by blaming past administration's in the state adding that all former governors in the state played very important roles in the socioeconomic development of Anambra state promising to improve greatly on what they had done.

Akachukwu Nwakpu described the over twenty years of governance as one that produced a brand of leadership that is not accountable to the people.

He proposed a Ministry of Umunna meaning leadership through the village and Community Heads to fight insecurity and guarantee good governance that is people oriented .

He accused those absent at the debate as part of the cabals that have continued to stagnate development in Anambra state and killed the local government system by appointmenting Transition Committee TC Chairmen instead of elected council chairmen.

The duo of Dr Godwin Maduka and Col Jeff Onyejegbu hinged their manifesoe on security and world class health services adding that there would be satelite  University campuses in the twenty one local government areas of the state .

Ben Etiaba said that his vision is to repeat the selfless leadership of the late Premier of the former East Central State Dr Micheal Okpara adding that in those days Public Utilities were working and social security was adequately taken care of while the economy of the current nine states of the South East and South South that was the East Central State blossomed.

Reacting to the allegations of deliberate avoiding the debate the Anambra state Commissioner for Information and Director Media and Communication Chief C Don Adinuba that there are many debates lined up before the election and that candidates were imposed with date and time for the debates without recourse to their program of events.

Media Assistant to Obiora Okonkwo Mr Achilus Ukaegbu said that he was not informed about the debate adding that his candidate would have attended if he was property notified in good time promising not to fail next time.

Kameh Ogbonnaya who is the Media Assistant to Send Ifeanyi Ubah contended that in the last one month his boss has been on a campaign tour of the communities in Anambra state adding that the time and date for the debate was not convinent for Sen Ifeanyi Ubah.

He demanded why the likes of Soludo, Uba, Okonkwo and Ubah did not attend the debate noting that the major contenders were not at the function noting that his boss was not the only candidate absent from the program.

Arinze Igboeli Media Assistant to Sen Andy Uba told this reporter that his boss is not against Political debates adding that as the time of the function he was holding stakeholders meeting with eight community groups in Anambra state who he said are also Anambra electorates who also deserve to be informed about the manifesoe of his boss.

Meanwhile a total of ten debates have been lined up before the election which also includes the Anambra Political Summit being organized by the state Council of the Nigerian Union of Journalists NUJ.