Lawrence Nwimo, Awka
Professor Peter Umeadi, the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the Saturday general election, has attributed his poor outing in the February 25 polls to lack of support.
He said the National Chairman of the party, Dr Victor Oye, and the Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, frustrated him in the race.
Umeadi stated this on Wednesday during his post-election press briefing in Anambra State.
According to him, Oye and Soludo did not give him any form of support or encouragement as the presidential candidate of the party.
He said he did not receive “one Kobo as backing from the party,” explaining that it was through his personal efforts that he was able to achieve the little he did in the election, starting from purchase of form to the main election.
Umeadi, who is a former Chief Judge of the State, explained that he was not asking for Anambra State’s money, but insisted that people would have helped to fund his campaign activities if Soludo and Oye were supportive and campaigning for him.
He, however, said he received and enjoyed the support and encouragement of APGA Local Government Chairmen, but explained that they themselves also got disappointed at some point how Oye and Soludo sidelined and treated him unfairly.
He said: “As I speak with you, nothing has ever come to me from the party; not one naira has been given to me as the candidate of the party by Soludo and Oye.
“Whatever efforts and breakthroughs I recorded in this presidential election have been through personal and self-efforts.
“I’m not asking for the state money. They are not supporting me either. If they are supporting and campaigning for me, people will help in funding my activities.
“All you see in the national campaign flag is APGA all the way; vote for Senate, House of Representatives, and the President is skipped.
“In other parties and under same circumstances, the party’s National and State Assembly contestants have their billboards and campaign posters with their presidential candidates. But none included me in their billboards and campaign posters because they were instructed not to work for me.
“The party, from day one, particularly the Governor, sidelined me. He has not even received me. I went to see him; my name was listed in the manifest; he knew I was coming. The Deputy Chief of Staff even called me the day I went to see the Governor that my name was in the manifest. I went and stayed for three hours – 2 p.m to 5 p.m – to see the Governor and he refused to see me.
“I was humiliated because the security men and others around saw what happened. His party’s presidential candidate waited for three hours in his office without seeing him!
“They did everything to play down and frustrate me from the race, but I was determined. I marched on, refused to be discouraged and frustrated.
“They don’t want to project me, but they do not have any option. I am the face of APGA in Nigeria, whether they like it or not.”
