The Mega Coalition, an alliance of 15 registered political parties, said it had endorsed Sen. Andy Uba as its candidate for the Nov. 18 governorship election in Anambra.
The Chancellor of the coalition, Chief Perry Opara, announced this in a statement on Monday in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Uba is currently the Senator representing Anambra South in the red chamber.
Opara said that Uba emerged from a consensus, and that the decision was arrived at after several meetings by the National Chairmen of participating parties in the coalition.
According to him, after rigorous scrutiny of the numerous candidates for the elective position, Uba of the All Progressives Congress (APC) came top as the best aspirant for the top job.
Opara said that although the APC was not a very popular party in the South-East, it paraded the best and most experienced aspirants in the race.
“There are also other qualified aspirants like Chief George Mughalu, Dr Chike Obidigbo, Dr Obinna Uzor, Mr Tony Nwoye, Mr Barth Nwibe and Dr Obigboh of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“These aspirants also have capacity to win the race, but among them all, Sen. Andy Uba tops the pack.’’
The chancellor said that the coalition’s consideration was not on party platform but on individual that had the capacity to win the state election.
He added that Mega Coalition was not in enmity with APC, PDP or any other party as its consideration was on contesting candidates.
“Our consideration is the candidate who is calm, calculated and has capacity to withstand the storm in running for election.
“A political party is like the vehicle to get to the destination while the `passenger’ is the candidate. We are more interested in the candidate getting to the destination, which is victory.
‘’We don’t want to support a candidate for the sake of printing posters and mounting bill boards. We want to win.’’
He said that when the consensus candidate won, the collation would form a “Government of State Unity’’, assuring that everybody would be carried along.
“We don’t want winner-take-all. We want inclusive government in Anambra.’’
Opara described Uba as cerebral, humane, quintessential, less-controversial, experienced and national figure with capacity to win election the governorship poll.
“Andy Uba stands tall as an Iroko in Anambra State guber election. He will be the bridge between the South-East and the rest of Nigeria.
“He will bring peace and stability to Igboland and be a link to the Federal Government in attracting federal presence to the South-East and Anambra in particular.’’
He urged the APC leadership and the delegates in Anambra to choose Uba as their candidate for the election, explaining, however, that the coalition would not nominate candidate of only the same party in every state.
Opara said that each state shall be treated differently considering its peculiarities and the strength of a party and the candidate.
The Coalition had in June set up a committee to interact with some gubernatorial aspirants in the state and pick a consensus candidate that has the reach and acceptance of the youth, women and the elderly.
The committee was directed to interact with all known aspirants in the election, irrespective of their party affiliations.
It also had the mandate not to limit its search to one political party, “as the desire of Anambra people was to have a less controversial, experienced and a capable candidate.’’(NAN)