I know Obi won't support me for second term, says Sulodo

Anambra State governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, has expressed doubt that the Labour Party(LP) presidential candidate, M. Peter Obi, will support his (Soludo’s) bid for a second term in office at the due time.

Soludo expressed the doubt after Obi had reportedly urged residents of the State to vote massively for Labour Party candidates in the March 18 House of Assembly election.

Reports said Obi, on Friday night, during a meeting with National and State Assembly candidates of the Labour Party in Anambra State urged the assembly candidates to work with Soludo after the election.

Obi had also said Soludo remains his brother, adding that he (Soludo) should nurse no fear of impeachment by the Labour Party-dominated assembly, pointing out that what is paramount is to bring development to the State.

But Soludo, through his Press Secretary Christian Aburime, described Obi’s gesture as deceptive, inappropriate, and meant to lay landmines for the governor.

Aburime said: “That call was meant to deceive Anambra people. Obi cannot be talking about development in Anambra and also be talking about asking the Anambra people to elect lawmakers from an opposition party to work with Soludo.

“He worked with a legislature that was dominated by lawmakers from the PDP when he first came in as governor, and he knows that it was not easy for him.

“He even suffered impeachment because of that, and we hope it is not the same thing he wants to set Soludo up for.

“Anambra people should go all out next Saturday and vote for APGA if they want the developmental strides of Mr. Governor to continue.

“You can not be talking of development and at the same time talking of electing opposition politicians into the House of Assembly, it is not done. It is deceit.

“Anambra people supported Obi during the presidential election, and besides, Soludo refused to interfere as the people trooped out to vote for Labour Party, and that was even before Soludo made the environment conducive for people to come out and vote.

“We have voted Labour Party in the presidential election, but for the House of Assembly election, we are voting for APGA, and we want Anambra people to know so.”

Soludo and Obi have had a running battle on the choice of lawmakers in the next session of the Anambra House of Assembly.

Though there will be no governorship election in Anambra State on March 18, Soludo is fighting to have a majority in the House of Assembly, if not all members of the 30-man assembly, while Obi, as the leader of an emerging political force in the country, is believed to be interested in assert his influence to secure a higher number of lawmakers in the assembly.