By Okechukwu Onuegbu
The people of Aguleri Community in Anambra East Local Government area, Anambra state have dismissed the recent outburst by the former governor Willie Obiano's younger brother, Mr Evaristus Obiano that Aguleri and the council area would vote against the incumbent Governor Chukwuma Soludo.
An online medium has reported that Evaristus Obi endorsed the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu and made some other superfluous claims.
But the former Political Adviser to Governor Obiano and immediate past member of the National Assembly, Chief Chinedu Obidigwe, dismissed the claims by Evaristus, describing him as a mere political paperweight and a lone ranger who has been neck deep in the acts of political jobbing .
He, therefore, urged Gov Charles Soludo, Aguleri and Anambra people to discountenance the statements of Evaristus Obiano in support of Ukachukwu insisting that he was just a mere Assistant Protocol Officer while his brother was in office and lacked capacity and mandate to speak for the people of Aguleri.
Obidigwe also dismissed the claims of younger Obiano that Soludo did not provide social security to the people of Aguleri contending that the governor has executed quantum and gargantuan projects in the Community which the area had never had since the creation of the old Anambra state.
"My attention had been drawn to the recent declaration of Mr Evaristus Obiano in support of the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress APC Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu in which he stated that Gov Charles Soludo has not provided basic infrastructure for the people of Aguleri which indeed do not represent the collective position of our people about the governor "
"It is important to note that Mr Evaristus Obiano is a political light weight and our people the Aguleri people know very well that within three years in office Gov Charles Soludo has really shown support to Ndi Aguleri in the area of socioeconomic development"
"It is instructive to note that the hinter land, that is Aguleri Otu never had roads since Adam and Eve was created but today it is witnessing massive road construction to the tune of over N8. 3 billion courtesy of Gov Soludo "
"The people of Aguleri before now had no general hospitals especially the three communities of Aguleri Otu across the Riverine and people cover a distance of 17 km from their homes to Otuocha where one can access medical services a development that Gov Charles Soludo saw the need for the construction of a state of the art General Hospital for the people hence saving them the pains and trouble of going to Otuocha for medical attention "
"It is also worth of note that the moribund water projects in the area have all been revived by Gov Charles Soludo administration and reticulation have been carried out across all Communities in Otuocha. The reticulation cuts across Umuleri, Umu Oba Anam and the electricity project in Aguleri is being given adequate attention"
"If other Communities in Anambra state have this quantum of support by the Governor, Aguleri must be counted first. Be informed that the One Youth Two Skills program of Gov Charles Soludo also factored in the youths of Aguleri who are not only gainfully employed but are now employers of labour respectively," Obidigwe maintained.
The former Federal Lawmaker and a political heavyweight in Anambra who is an indegene of Aguleri, Hon Obidigwe equally observed that despite all these development Gov Soludo has attracted to Aguleri, that the governor out of his magnanimity appointed a commissioner from Aguleri and several other political appointees currently serving in his government, hence Evaristus Obiano cannot use his personal interest against the public interest.
Obidigwe noted that Evaristus Obiano should not because of his selfish interests and unquenchable apatite for pecuniary gains judge the administration of Gov Charles Soludo as not performing.
"We cannot because of someone's stomach interest or apatite to judge the governor rather we judge the governor based on projects on ground. If there is anything Evaristus Obiano who is a political light weight is demanding from Soludo; he should come out straight and say it which indeed is not the priority of Aguleri people.
"We wish him good luck as he joins the APC because he has no single polling unit where he wins in Aguleri during the elections. It is a known fact that he cannot speak for Ndi Aguleri neither can he speak for Obiano his elder brother or Aguleri people in general. He just served as a mere Assistant Protocol Officer and the likes of us who served in strong capacity under Obiano administration are solidly behind Gov Charles Soludo," he noted.