From Aloysius Attah, Onitsha
Nollywood star, Yul Edochie has emerged as Anambra governorship candidate for the Democratic Peoples Congress (DPC).
Chief Edochie was elected unopposed at the party’s primary which took place yesterday in Awka, the Anambra State capital. The party also elected state party executives to run its affairs in Anambra for the next four years.
The delegates’ election was supervised by the National Chairman of the party Rev. Olusegun Peters and other national executives of the party in the presence of representatives of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and some security agents.
After his emergence, Edochie, urged his supporters to join hands with him to move the economy of the state forward saying, “If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem. Some people may say they do not know me in politics, having made a name for himself in nollywood, but, if the state is in a bad shape, it is celebrities that should speak out. I need the support of the people of the state to make it work in Anambra state.
“My ambition is driven by the ineffective leadership style of those entrusted with the leadership of the state. Since the creation of Anambra State, it has been in the news for the wrong reasons. In all, the youths have been at the receiving end of the political tussle. The older generation of leaders recruit youths, arm them with weapons to actualize their political goals and abandon when elections are won. But when I take over as governor, youths will take their rightful position as leaders of the future.”
….ID picks Ndife
From Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha
The Independent Democratic (ID) yesterday elected 35-year-old Franklin Ndife as the governorship candidate of the party for the November 18th election in Anambra State.
Ndife, a farmer and business man was the sole aspirant and was elected by 243 delegates through voice votes conducted by officials of the party and monitored by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He was announced winner of the primary by the party’s Cross River State chairman, Mr. Sunday Michael.
The party’s national chairman, Edozie Madu congratulated him on his emergence and said it was time for young people to take over governance.
He said the party met and agreed that it would field a young candidate who would be acceptable to a larger population of the state and the candidate’s running mate would be a woman.
In his acceptance speech, Ndife pledged to stamp out poverty and also ensure youth empowerment if elected as governor of the state. “I came out to come and challenge the old men who have been in power for years and refused to leave the stage for the younger generation. As a youth, I am coming to change the way things are done and bring about economic progress” he said.
He said he went door-to-door to seek support from youths and voters in the state who gave him the go-ahead before he went on to pick his nomination form to contest. He called on young voters and women to support his governorship bid.