Obiano denies having endorsed Buhari saying he will support Apga candidate General Gbor

ANAMBRA State governor Willie Obiano has rubbished claims he has endorsed President Muhammadu Buhari as his presidential candidate for next year's polls saying that such rumours were fabrications just designed to drum up support.

Over recent weeks, it has been rumoured that Governor Obiano, the only All Progressives Grand Alliance (Apga) governor in Nigeria has endorsed President Buhari for a second term. With next year's election likely to be a two-horse race between President Buhari of the All progressives Congress (APC) and former vice president Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), both candidates are looking for the endorsement of smaller parties.

Although Apga itself is expected to field a presidential candidate after retired Major General John Gbor won its primaries, Governor Obiano has been reported to have pitched his tent with President Buhari and the APC. In an emphatic rebuttal, however, Governor Obiano said such information was untrue, adding that it was just propaganda aimed at using his name to drum up support.

Anambra State information commissioner Con Adinuba, said: “As the 2019 general election approaches, it is interesting how various politicians and political parties have been swooping on Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State in the belief that his role will be critical in deciding who wins the presidential vote. For instance, operatives of two of the leading political parties in Nigeria, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), have taken to the social media to create the impression that the governor has endorsed their candidates in the forthcoming election.

“Some have even gone as far as reproducing a video of an event which took place in 2014 in a bid to give the impression that the event has just occurred but this is not true. The enormous attention paid to Governor Obiano by various national political parties as well as their agents is flattering and we are not aware of any state governor who has in recent times received this level of attention in Nigeria."

He stated that Governor Obiano was neither working for Buhari nor Atiku as he was his own man, who is steadfast about his party, which he said also had its presidential candidate. According to Mr Adinuba, the governor will be backing the Apga candidate, given his senior position in the party.

Mr Adinuba added: “Governor Obiano is the chairman of the board of trustees of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (Apga) and he is also the Apga national leader. These positions place heavy responsibilities on his shoulders, so therefore, any talk about his endorsing the presidential candidate of another party, let alone joining another party, is sheer wishful thinking.

“Apga has a presidential candidate in the 2019 general election in the person of General John Gbor in sharp contrast to the situation during the two previous presidential elections when it had no candidate and was consequently constrained to form an electoral alliance with the ruling party. To state the obvious, Governor  Obiano will work closely with General Gbor in the electioneering campaign whose outcome will be a pleasant surprise to the Nigerian people.”