Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the upcoming Anambra State governorship election, Mr. John Chuma Nwosu, has expressed confidence in winning the November 8 poll, provided that incidents of vote-buying and voter apathy are curbed.
Nwosu, who spoke on The Signature Show on Arise Television on Tuesday night, said the alleged poor performance of the incumbent governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, had weakened the power of incumbency, giving opposition candidates a fair chance at victory.
He commended the appointment of Prof. Joash Amupitan as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), describing it as a source of renewed hope for credible and transparent elections in Nigeria.
‘This time, Anambra people have a golden opportunity to make their voices count. I urge our voters to come out in large numbers, reject vote-buying, and ensure that Prof. Amupitan’s promise of credible elections becomes a reality,’ Nwosu said.
Explaining his defection from the Labour Party (LP) to the ADC, Nwosu said he made the move after discovering that LP’s nomination process violated provisions of the Electoral Act and the Nigerian Constitution.
He recounted his efforts in building the LP’s structures in Anambra, revealing that he had the backing of the party’s leader, Mr. Peter Obi, to strengthen its presence in the state.
‘I was the one who built the structure of the Labour Party in Anambra. I worked with His Excellency Oseloka Obaze and former Speaker Ben Chuks Nwosu to establish 21 local government offices across the state, funding them with ?1 million each,’ he said.
According to him, after investing time and resources in the Labour Party, he found a more credible platform in the ADC, which he described as a coalition of parties-mainly from the PDP and Labour Party-united by shared progressive ideals.
He named Chief Dr. Ndubisi Nwobo, a former PDP State Chairman and former Awka South Local Government Chairman, as his running mate.
Nwosu reiterated his pledge to serve only one term if elected, saying he had taken an oath in court to that effect.
‘Four years is enough to make a difference. The incumbent has had three and a half years to show results, and Anambra people can see for themselves what has been achieved,’ he said.
The ADC candidate accused the Soludo administration of failing to address insecurity, claiming that several parts of the state, particularly Ihiala Local Government Area, had become unsafe for residents.
‘People are holding traditional weddings and burials in cities because they can’t go home without paying ransom. Insecurity has become a major challenge,’ he lamented.
He also criticised what he described as a lack of innovation in governance, alleging that the only major project completed under Soludo was the State Government House, which was initiated by the late Dr. Chinwoke Mbadinuju in 1999.
If elected, Nwosu said his administration would prioritise e-governance, e-security, e-health, e-tax, e-transportation, and e-commerce to modernise public service delivery and improve efficiency.
Drawing from his 31 years of experience in the ICT sector, Nwosu said he would apply corporate management principles to governance to promote transparency and accountability.
He decried Anambra’s low performance in internally generated revenue (IGR), ranking 17th nationally with ?42.69 billion compared to Enugu State’s ?180.69 billion, attributing the shortfall to leakages and corruption.
‘Most of our IGR goes into private pockets because the system isn’t computerised. With e-governance, we’ll remove touts from the streets and make tax payment simple and transparent,’ he said.
Nwosu expressed optimism that the ADC would spring surprises in the November 8 governorship election, describing it as both INEC’s first election under Prof. Amupitan and the ADC’s first major electoral outing as a coalition party.