Sen. Uba optimistic of winning Anambra guber poll
An aspirant for Nov. 6 Anambra governorship poll, under the All Progressives Congress (APC) Sen. Andy Uba says he is optimistic of victory, because the entire issue lies in the hands of God and the electorate. Uba who is re-contesting for the governorship election under the APC platform, said this at the party’s national headquarters on Tuesday in Abuja when he spoke with journalists.
He spoke shortly after submitting his Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms to re-contest the election which he had contested severally. He said he was not threatened by presence of political big weights in the race, especially those from the All Progressives Ground Alliance (APGA) which produced the incumbent governor. He stressed that the power of incumbency in the state was not a threat to him, saying that the electorate would decide who become the next governor.
“I think Anambra people will have to decide after our primaries, and I know am going to win for sure.
“After the primary, they will decide who they want as their governor, what APGA has done, they have done. Everybody knows.
“They have been there for 16 years and that does not mean they will win, being in power for many years does not mean anything,” he said.
According to Uba, what matters is the impact made on the state and lives of the people by the government in question and if the people are happy with it.
“If they are not, then they have reasons to change, and I am sure they will change to vote APC this time,’’ Uba said.
He said that Anambra was at a crossroad, saying that he has a plan to change the narrative and make the state better in terms of infrastructure development.
“If you remember in 2007 when I won the election as the governor of Anambra, I had plans to change the face of Anambra.
“My plan was to empower youths and women in the state and to take Anambra to a different level in terms of infrastructure and agriculture among others.
“I have modified those plans now from what they were before. Anambra will be a different state once I am elected as a governor,” he said.
It would be recalled that Uba won the governorship election in 2007 with a landslide victory and was sworn on May 27, 2007. But on June 14, 2007, barely two weeks and three days after beibg sworn in, Uba was removed from office by a judgment of the Supreme Court. The court held that the tenure of the then incumbent Gov. Peter Obi of APGA had not expired.
The election in which Uba emerged victorious, was therefore declared as null and void because the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) conducted it in contravention of the law. Uba who hailed from Uga, Aguata Local Government Area (LGA) in Anambra South had since then made tenacious efforts to claim the top political job in his state.
In April 2011, he won the Senatorial election to represent his district and had served for two terms. Fourteen aspirants were jostling for the APC ticket for the Nov.6 governorship poll. The APC Expression of Interest and Nomination forms were sold to aspirants for N2.5 million and N20 million respectively.
