Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State has described Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as one of the two leading candidates for next year’s presidential election. 

 

He made the comment at the Governor’s Lodge in Awka, Anambra State on Thursday when Atiku visited him before attending a campaign rally ahead of the polls.

 

“You are one of the two frontrunners for the presidency of Nigeria,” the former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) said.

 

Soludo had a few weeks back said there are only two contenders for the presidency and described others as “exciting drama!”

 

“The brutal truth (and some will say, God forbid) is that there are two persons/parties seriously contesting for president: the rest is exciting drama!” he wrote in a lengthy November article.

 

While welcoming Atiku to the state, Governor Soludo added that “Nigeria is one great country that, as far as I am concerned, is destined by God to be the largest, most prosperous, and powerful black nation on earth.”

 

He also said the state is open to receiving all candidates who should sell themselves to the residents of the South-East state.

 

Anambra should be an open space for all to come and tell the people what they have in stock for them as the 2023 election draw closer, Soludo added.

 

“Part of what we are asking for is to have a level playing ground for all and that is my own orientation,” he said.

 

The governor equally appealed to Atiku to address erosion issues in Anambra if he wins next year’s election.

 

On his part, the former vice president promised to revive industries in the region if elected.

 

“He (Soludo) said ‘Make sure that you control our erosion because Anambra is the erosion headquarters of the world. Erosion is destroying our farmlands, destroying our houses and everything we have’,” Atiku said.

 

“This is a very gigantic project. And I promised him I’m going to do that, and you know I have worked with Soludo before, he is a first-class patriotic Nigerian.

“You have an excellent governor. He also appealed to me about the Onisha Port and I said this time around we are going to dredge River Niger and Onisha Port will function.

 

“We are also going to help Anambra industrialise the state so that the state will create as many jobs for our young men and women.”