Valentine Ozigbo, the flag-bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2021 Anambra governorship election, has urged the electorate to carefully analyse all the candidates in the guber election before deciding on who to elect into the high office.
Mr Ozigbo made the remark on Thursday, September 16, 2021, when he held a town hall meeting with ‘Friends of VCO’, a powerful support group with thousands of members from across the southeastern state.
The town hall meeting, which was held in Orauwku in the state’s Idemili North Local Government Area, was attended by over seven hundred members of the group.
While addressing the audience, Ozigbo, a respected Nigerian business leader, said everyone has a part to play to actualise his grand vision for the state. He called for unity of purpose and an elevated commitment to seeing that his Ka Anambra Chawapu vision is actualised.
“You are here because you are important to the grand vision of Anambra State, and we expect a few things from you and other progressives who are passionate about changing Anambra State,” Ozigbo said.
“We need your prayers. We need you to be our ears, eyes, and feet on the ground in your various localities. We need you to be true ambassadors of the Ka Anambra Chawapu message.
“We will entrench a performance-driven system that will reward everyone who puts in the work,” Ozigbo, a grassroots favourite for the November 6 poll, stated.
During her opening address, Mrs Azuka Enemo, the Deputy Governorship Candidate of the PDP, said she and Ozigbo would run an inclusive government that will carry everyone along, regardless of gender, religious creed, or place of origin.
“It’s clear that Valentine Ozigbo takes women as a priority. We assure you that we will ensure that women play more than a nominal role in our administration,” Mrs Enemo remarked.
“This kind of inclusiveness has been missing in Anambra State, especially with the exclusive nature of the current administration. This situation is going to change as we will deploy the best brains without gender or geographical bias.
“We will partner with Ndi Anambra and ensure that the people are the real owners of the state. Anambra is our common patrimony, and we must benefit from the abundance of resources at our disposal.
“There’s a lot of work to be done. The current administration has taken us a few steps back, but we will set up structures that will fast track the development process and put us on the global map,” Mrs Enemo added.
The multiple-award-winning global CEO, Valentine Ozigbo, added that Anambra deserved a leader with a heart for the people, urging them to carefully analyse all the candidates contesting the gubernatorial election. He said he was confident that such an unbiased analysis will present him as the right man for the job.
“Ndi Anambra need a leader that has the right combination of character, compassion, competence, and capacity. You deserve a leader whose character is guided by strong morals, who listens and respects people, and fears God.
“The key variable which separates Africans from the global community is a lack of quality leadership and a culture of continuous improvement.
“If all these factors are analysed, you will come to the conclusion that Valentine Ozigbo and Azuka Enemo are the best that Anambra has to offer in this election,” Ozigbo said to rapturous applause from the large crowd.
“We must eliminate sentiments like the tribe, dialect, religion, and denomination that cloud our judgement. We can’t allow emotions to come between us and our destinies. Imagine what our lives would look like for another eight years if we get it wrong this year.
“Anambra needs a leader who has a track record of proven competence. I urge you all to research those who are aspiring to decide Anambra’s future. What feedback can we get from people who have had dealings with them? Who will be a true inspiration to younger generations? These are the questions that we should ask ourselves when we go to the polls in November.
“The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has not lived up to the expectations of Ndi Anambra.
“We have the best intentions for our people, and you can verify it from our manifesto. The Ka Anambra Chawapu manifesto is a result of months of interaction with the people at the grassroots.
“We went around the 21 local government areas in Anambra state and asked the people what they expect from their next governor, and we got different answers from different locations.
“We will implement the manifesto to the letter, and we will make Ndi Anambra proud to taking part in this project,” Ozigbo added.
In a brief speech, the convener of Friends of VCO, Chief Mrs Chika Ibeneme, said the group had carefully studied the contenders for the governorship before endorsing the pair of Valentine Ozigbo and Azuka Enemo.
Mrs Ibeneme, who is a former Commissioner of Works in Anambra State, said with Ozigbo and Enemo, the opportunities are enormous, and everyone must play a vital role in joining them to shape the future of Anambra State.
Some top directors of the Anambra State PDP Governorship Campaign Council who were present at the event included Hon Tim Egboka, the Deputy Director-General; Chief Ugochukwu Okeke, the Secretary of the Campaign Council; Hon Eucharia Azodo, the Director for Religious Affairs; Chief Ejike Oguebego, the Director for Inter-Party and Intra-Party Affairs; Mr Obinna Ufudo, the Director of Finance; Chief Damian Nwafor, and many others.
Since emerging as the PDP candidate in June, Ozigbo received the support of many political leaders, support groups and the grassroots, including the PDP National Working Committee (NWC), National Executive Council (NEC), Board of Trustees (BoT), PDP Governors’ Forum, PDP National Assembly Caucus and members of the Anambra State House of Assembly.
