IT IS NOW OBVIOUS THAT PROFESSOR SOLUDO HAS NO MANIFESTO AND NO PLANS FOR NDI-ANAMBRA AS AT 26TH OF AUGUST 2021

Ndi be anyi.  

We all were amazed watching the factional candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the governorship election billed to hold November 6th; when he came out, unprovoked, to cast aspersions on academic qualifications of the  candidates of other political parties in the contest.

In line with *GosimKamfunanya* mantra, the Distingushed Senator Dr Ifeanyi Ubah took it upon himself to expose the hypocrisy that has been the lot of (this) APGA government in the past 16years, from continuing, by throwing challenge to Professor Soludo to put his money where his mouth is. 

One thought that the Professor would have seized the opportunity presented by the challenge thrown at him, to take the man he derides, as having "questionable" NECO, to the cleaners by not only presenting his Manifesto to Ndi-Anambra, but also schooling the Distingushed Senator on the rudiments of governance in a peculiar commercial State like Anambra; but alas that remains not the case.

In the eyes of the general public, Professor Charles Soludo might be an erudite professor but in depth and substance, events in the past few days have proven that he is indeed a leader that has no action plan for Anambra State, just as he has since proven that he has none, too, for Nigeria, being President Buhari's economic adviser. 

The Professor by his response, showed clearly to Ndi-Anambra that he has neither a Manifesto nor a Working Document of any sort, in his kitty, to be used in administering this Commercial (Anambra) State. 

We would have given him the benefit of doubt by believing further that he has plans of governing the State from an engraved Manifesto in his brain if he had gone ahead to take up the challenge and used the opportunity to showcase his prowess to the man he arrogantly viewed an underdog. 

It is therefore very laughable that the Professor through his spokesperson, Mr Joe Anatune, rather decided to embark on a voyage of name-calling and arrogant posturing by deliberately repeating the same statements that elicited the debate challenge, in the first place. 

Professor Soludo, in disappointing Ndi-Anambra who were all looking forward to analysing the content of his Manifesto and who would have as well used the opportunity presented by the debate (call) to assess both candidates, gave lame excuse on why he will rather avoid such debate as according to him, he is not going to take part in a hasty debate not organised by a "credible" organisation, as he put it.

Pray; is the Professor looking for an organisation that would help him "walk" through this debate challenge in the same manner that he walked through his party primaries, by getting the leaders of his party to disqualify all the other (strong) aspirants contesting the primaries with him leading to the facilitation of his emergence as factional flagbearer; an act that has since upturned the peace in his party, and gave rise to INEC clearly (in red colour) ascribing the words "COURT ORDER" as the reason for the Professor's name to surface on the ballot; for the time being.

This infantile recourse to excuses, and name calling, including arrogant innuendos like "questionable NECO"  lowering the Anambra standard, etc; all point to one conclusion, which is, that the Professor has no Manifesto and shockingly afraid of engaging Senator Dr Ifeanyi Ubah in any debate.

It is pertinent, at this juncture, to note that Professor Soludo, in his haste to distract, as usual, from the substance of the challenge, started questioning the entrepreneurial spirit of our bussinessmen by making careless statements (and I quote him) "No successful bussiness employs a NECO holder as General Manager" - unquote - in our dear Anambra State where we boast of billionaires and millionaires that did not see the four walls of a classroom, yet personally nurtured their bussineses into becoming active conglomerates that are competing comfortably in the global bussiness world?

Professor Charles Solodo, in presenting his argument that our dear Anambra State is known for sound administrators and best brains, gave examples of such men as the former Governor Mbadinuju and Governor Willie Mmaduaburochukwu Obiano. The pertinent question is, how has these two gentlemen mentioned above fared in their handling of the State?

It is now very clear and obvious to all that while  Professor Soludo is still struggling and trying to cobble together  a Manifesto, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Ubah has since presented his, as well as presented another document, which he christened ASSET (in full - "Anambra Sustainable Socio-economic Transformation"), an Economic Blueprint, before the court of public opinion.

It is clear from all indications that the Young Progressives Party (YPP) is the only party that has a Campaign Manifesto as well as an Economic Blueprint for the State , nine weeks to a crucial Governorship election that will determine the fate of our dear state post Governor Obiano's disastrous era .

It is key to note that Professor Soludo's nonchalant attitude to the yearnings of Ndi-Anambra, is an extension of Governor Obiano's lacklustre performance in office exemplified, for instance, by his refusal to engage with or have meetings to profer solutions to the myriad of problems facing Anambra State, with National Assembly (Senate and Federal House of Representatives) members of Anambra State extraction. This situation has remained so, from the day they were sworn in, till date. 

Since Professor Charles  Soludo has failed to take up the challenge to debate in the last 72 hours as stipulated, it would be gentlemanly that he tenders an unconditional apology to Ndi-Anambra and undertake to engage in issue based debates devoid of name calling and character assassination going forward. . 

We are all brothers and the quest for a better Anambra shoud be selfless rather than do or die..

Kamen Chuks Ogbonna

(Head, Media & Strategic Communications to Senator Dr Ifeanyi Ubah)