Former Anambra State Governor, Mr Peter Obi, has confirmed that he is indeed running for the Anambra Central senatorial seat on the platform of the People's Democratic Party (PDP).
Admitting his candidacy publicly for the first time, Obi gave reasons behind his decision to join the race to the senate in Anambra State.
He said that he is in the race because various prominent people of Anambra State, including Senator Uche Ekwunife, had piled pressure on him to run and convinced him beyond doubt that he is needed there at the Red Chamber of the National Assembly to assist his constituency and the state.
He insisted that he did not agree initially hence he went back to school, trying to figure out how to help his people but yielded when critical stakeholders explained the implications of a General abandoning his troops when they needed him most.
Speaking in an interview with Odenigbo FM at Obosi yesterday, the former governor said that notable people across the southeast geopolitical zone put it to him that his experience and exposure with wide connections would make him a good senator and he succumbed to the pressure they mounted after due consultations.
He said that he decided to run the race after putting certain factors into consideration among which include the fact that he has a good relationship with a good number of current senators who were his colleagues as governors like the Senate President Bukola Saraki, Sen Aliyu Magatarda Wamakko from Sokoto, Sen Sam Egwu from Ebonyi, Sen Ahmed Sani Yerima from Zamfara, Sen Danjuma Goje from Gombe, Sen Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso from Kano, Sen Godswill Akpabio from Akwa Ibom, and Sen Theodore Orji from Abia among others.
"Senator Saraki was the Chairman of the Governors Forum and I was his deputy for three years and we moved together, did a lot of things together, so I am sure that Saraki would like to welcome me in the Senate," he said adding that if elected, he would use his relationship with top senators to attract dividends of democracy to the good people of Anambra central in particular and the southeast zone in general.
Maintaining that good relationship pays, he noted that he was able to record great achievements in Anambra as governor because he had good relationship with people that matters.
"Through a good relationship, a senator facilitated the construction of a flyover bridge at the New Parts junction along Onitsha – Enugu expressway at Nkpor, through a senator I attracted N3 billion to a University in Anambra, through good relationship I brought MDG, World Bank, European Union, DFID and other foreign agencies to Anambra."
The former governor who is called Okwute (stone) because of his doggedness and competence in doing things also recalled that through his relationship with the Federal Government during late president Umaru Musa Yar'Adua and immediate past president, Goodluck Jonathan, he was able to save Onitsha Drug Market from permanent closure by the federal government, facilitated the state burial for the late Ikemba of Nnewi and Eze Igbo Gburugburu Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, helped to facilitate the establishment of Innoson Vehicle plant and validated the upgrading of Enugu Airport into an international Airport.
He explained that the federal government wanted to permanently close Onitsha Drug Market following a report presented by an international organisation convincing the ministry of health that the market is the den of fake drugs in Nigeria noting that it took his decision to storm Abuja with other southeast governors to save the market from permanent closure.
Reassuring that he will fulfil his promise if elected into the senate, he echoed that he fulfilled all he promised Ndi Anambra as governor from 2006 – 2014 noting that he promised that he won't loot and share public fund with friends and relations and he did not loot and share money to anybody, promised to pay pensioners and he did, promised to tar 60 kilometres of road annually and exceeded it, promised to revamp education and health sector and ended up carrying out a massive revolution in the sectors among other things numerous to mention.
"As governor, I fulfilled every promise I made during campaign, the records are there and I will do same if I go to the senate," he repeated