Former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, may have been picked by the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, as its consensus candidate for the November 16 gubernatorial election in Anambra state, a competent source close to the party’s leadership told LEADERSHIP last night.
The former governor of the apex bank is expected to address a rally in Awka this week or the next, where he would announce his defection to APGA, and subsequently declare his ambition to contest the next gubernatorial election on the party’s platform.
Prof. Soludo contested the 2010 gubernatorial election in the state on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, and lost to the incumbent governor Mr. Peter Obi.
Addressing the South-East Economic Summit last year, the former CBN governor revealed that he was nudged by late President Umaru Musa Y’Adua, to contest the last governorship election in Anambra state, but said he was stabbed at the back by some members of the PDP from the state.
Prof. Soludo hails from Anambra South Senatorial zone, but governor Obi had insisted that his successor will come from Anambra North Senatorial zone on the basis that the zone is yet to produce a governor since the state was created in 1991.
It was gathered that several hundreds of APGA members from Anambra North Senatorial zone have decided to decamp to the nascent United Progressive Party, UPP, in protest against the alleged decision of APGA leadership to field Prof. Soludo as its gubernatorial candidate.
Yesterday in Awka, Governor Obi and Chief Victor Umeh, reconciled after several months of bitter quarrel over who leads the party as national chairman.
Source: Leadership
