Governorship candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Anambra State, Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu, was on Saturday welcomed back to the state after a visit to President Bola Tinubu in Abuja.
Ukachukwu used the opportunity to debunk rumours that the party and Tinubu had entered into an alliance to support the incumbent, Governor Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
Ukachukwu, who was hosted to a grand reception at the Chinua Achebe Airport, said there was no such alliance between Tinubu and Soludo.
He also used the opportunity of the reception to unveil his running mate, Senator Uche Ekwunife, and also presented her to the party’s stakeholders.
Addressing the party members, he said: “APC is Tinubu and Tinubu is APC, so they (APGA/Soludo) should not lie to you that they are in alliance with us. We are the APC, it is our party, we will win and we are not partnering with anybody.
“If APC is non-existent in Anambra State, and not powerful as they claim, if they are not afraid of APC, why are they using our name to campaign? I want to tell you all that it is over for APGA in Anambra State and we will make it happen.
“We met with the President in Abuja, and he said to us ‘go and get me Anambra State and connect Anambra to the centre’. That is a mandate, and I want to give you the same mandate to go and gather your people for us to connect Anambra to the centre.
“I and Ekwunife are capable of the task but we need your support to do it. Take this message to the grassroot, no one should deceive you any longer.
“I’m here to introduce to you today the very qualified deputy governorship candidate, my running mate. She is a political juggernaut, someone who we all know, she is Senator Uche Ekwunife.”;
Earlier, the chairman of the APC in Anambra State, Mr Basil Ejidike said with the meeting of the candidate with President Tinubu, records have now been set straight.
He said the meeting puts a lie to all the rumours that Tinubu had entered an alliance with Soludo for the Anambra election.
Ejidike said, “Today is a great day. The man we are here with is coming straight from the Presidential Villa. Weeks ago they were making jest of us about an alliance, but now it is clear there is no alliance between APGA and President Tinubu. We are already marching to the Government House.
“The national officers and the presidency have all confirmed that Ukachukwu is our governorship candidate, so we are more stronger now. Ukachukwu is the man will will go to war with as our candidate.”;
