By Cajetan Mmuta
Governorship Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the November 6 Anambra state election, Mr. Valentine Ozigbo has dismissed insinuations in some quarters that a certain godfather imposed a running mate, Mrs. Azuka Enemo on him.

He said the choice of who becomes his deputy Governorship candidate to him ahead of the poll was his sole decision.

Ozigbo who spoke during an interactive session with media practitioners on Monday night in Awka, the state capital, pointing out that, he decided to zero the choice of Mrs. Enemo because of his conviction and certain values on women and youths, adding that such a personality must be a core politician.

According to him, “I decided to run along with Mrs. Azuka Enemo because of her huge integrity and large support base. Nobody imposed her on me. The fact that I ran an election primary for two years in the state should have given me an idea of who my deputy would be though I didn’t decide on that even after the primary.

“I am not one of the people who go to politicians to make empty promises, in fact, I was on the plane coincidentally with Mr. Peter Obi and I told him how I would engage the leadership of Anglican Communion to get my deputy.

“I turned down the first list of the people they sent to me not because the individuals sent to me are not good because there are certain criteria I insisted must be met.

“I had to be thorough about the choice of a running mate because she must be someone I have full confidence in.”

“The two issues I hang my campaigns are youths and women. That is part of the reason why I chose a woman deputy governorship candidate”, he stated.

The PDP flag bearer insisted that he had no godfather and did not believe in such.

“As a matter of fact, I’m an independent-minded person who does not believe in godfatherism. Not even Mr Peter Obi, Tony Elumelu, or any other individuals,” he said.

He explained that though the leadership of the party could make some influence and suggestions to him about issues, such suggestions must be evaluated on their merit.

On the defection of some of the aggrieved Governorship aspirants to other parties contrary to their initial stand to support whosoever emerges candidate of the party, Ozigbo said “If any of the governorship aspirants on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is leaving the party, it is not for lack of attention or lack of consultation but the person has made up his mind to leave.

“After the primary election, I paid homage to all of them including Chief Chris Uba who pledged before the primaries that he will support any candidate that emerged from the South,” according to PDP governorship hopeful in the November 6 governorship election in Anambra State, Valentine Chineto Ozigbo.

He said that he knew before the party primary that the problem of PDP in Anambra State was that after similar exercises in the past losers resort to anti-party activities.

That was why after he was declared winner of the primary, he took time to pay homage to the losers as well as chieftains of the party.

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Despite that, however, Ozigbo noted, the party still recorded about 20 court cases ranging from those who claimed that some votes were missing to those who claim that the election was not properly conducted.