The Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has said the November 8 governorship election in the state will be approached with all seriousness and it’s not going to be taken for granted.

Soludo, who is the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, also reiterated that he has no opponents in the forthcoming election, insisting that any other contestant claiming to be in the race is merely looking for appointment and cheap popularity.

He said, “The journey to the November 8 election is still far. We are not going to take it for granted. Although we have no contestants, we are going to into the election with all seriousness.

“Every other contestant is looking for an appointment, but instead of them to come and telling us what they are looking for, they are claiming to be contesting for the election.

“Our opponents don’t have a certificate. Gone are the days when charlatans rule Anambra; this is the state of the great Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chinua Achebe, Alex Ekwueme; no unknown character will be allowed to rule Anambra again. They should go and continue their land-grabbing business and stop contesting to be governor.

“All the Anambra traders, I can see you in your thousands in this endorsement rally. It is now a people movement, everywhere we go, the people are contributing to our campaign and we have not even started our campaign yet.”

The governor thanked the people for voting for the candidates of the APGA during the August 16 by-elections, adding that the victory is a sign that Anambra is APGA.

“The election in Onitsha, became a national election, because the election was about leadership by selection against leadership by competence. Election is not about sympathy, it’s not about ‘oh, vote for me, my husband is no more’…But I am glad, you guys voted for competence over sentiment.

“Some people who were ready to write result said it was a mock election for November, but they were defeated at their wards and polling units. APGA is our address. APGA is Anambra and Anambra is APGA,” he added.

Taking a jibe at the opposition parties, Soludo dismissed their threats, describing it as “mere noise” of nomadic politicians.

“Last time, it was Labour Party everywhere, they were making noise. I call them the nomadic politicians; every election year, they enter into another party. But for us, we are APGA and we are saying APGA is Anambra and Anambra is APGA.

“Election period is business for some people, after the election, they will write on their complimentary card, ‘former governorship candidate’ and be begging for appointment here and there.

“Between now and November, you will be seeing new projects we are embarking on across the state. Keep the markets clean, keep it safe and most importantly, open your market on Mondays, there is nothing like Monday sit-at-home,” the governor added.

Soludo also appreciated the traders for the endorsement, describing it as a partnership, for the good of Ndi Anambra, adding, “All the traders are here today. The other day, I took a walk through Ochanja market, in the past, it was an eyesore, but today, there’s a fountain there, there is pipe-borne water everywhere…

He said, “What we have done, if we start saying it, we won’t finish talking about it. We knew how these areas were in the past. All these are for everybody’s good. I also want to thank the Anambra traders for your vote of confidence in Udo-ga-chi.

“Yes, we acknowledge that there might be excesses, but we know the work they are doing, and we appreciate their work. They work and keep us safer and safer…

“Let me share something with you, in the last three years plus, all the work going on, this past three years, we still have not borrowed one Kobo. But it will require us to work together. I want to tell you that it’s a partnership.”

The governor added, “The complaints I received from traders are that there were too many charges and levies. We are going to have a meeting and harmonise all these charges. Petty traders will not be charged in Anambra anymore. Anybody demanding charges from any petty trader is a thief; such money doesn’t come into the coffers of the government.

“When I was campaigning in the last election, there was only one thing that Onitsha traders requested from me, and that was to chase away agberos. I came in and we started work, we formed the state anti-tout agency and today, agberos have been chased awa,y and today, everybody can walk freely on the road without any molestation.

“Anybody paying tax should pay it into the government coffers. We are advancing our tax system. Nobody will ask you to pay cash; we are going to consolidate all, and when you pay, it goes straight into the government’s pockets. We are coming, all the markets and everybody will be enumerated, and it is for our good.”

The highlight of the endorsement rally was the presentation of a N10million cheque to the governor by the President-General of Anambra State Market Amalgamated Traders Association, Chief Humphrey Anuna, on behalf of the traders for the support of the governor’s second term bid.

The governor stated this on Saturday, at the Chuba Ikpeazu Sports Complex, Onitsha, during a political rally organised by Anambra State Market Amalgamated Traders Association, where they endorsed the governor’s second term.

While addressing the crowd comprising of leadership of the market and various traders across the state, Soludo disclosed that the state government is advancing a new tax system, where nobody would be asked to pay cash.

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