Vice Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Peter Obi, has described Hon. Chuma Nzeribe as one man that loves Anambra State demonstrably. Obi was speaking Wednesday during the requiem mass for Nzeribe’s mother presided by the Emeritus Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Mbaise, Most Rev. Dr. Peter Okpaleke.
Explaining, Obi said that before he became governor he heard many tales about Hon. Chuma Nzeribe and that concerned friends even warned him to keep a distance from the “Dangerous man”. Further, Obi, who said he had learnt to judge people by their present circumstance, said the much he dealt with him made him believe that he was essentially a good man who had the misfortune of operating in an environment that promoted negative understanding of his essential being.
On what informed his conclusion, Obi said: “As the governor, I was pursuing N2 billion due to Anambra State. I had to seek all manners of intervention until I was advised to meet Hon. Chuma Nzeribe, who was at that time in the House of Representatives.”
Obi said that once he contacted Hon. Nzeribe, he took up the fight unattached and handed him the cheque.
Continuing, Obi said that Nzeribe did one thing remarkable on the basis of which he formed an opinion about him. In Obi’s words, “After I received the cheque, we decided, as was advised, to officially do PR for him. Surprisingly, when others would have requested PR as the basis of helping, he rejected our token and only requested we use the money to commence the construction of Ebonesi road, and that was how that road was constructed.”
Obi also recalled how he enlisted his assistance towards the Second Niger Bridge. He said it was Nzeribe’s altruistic intervention that led to the cancellation of the initial plan to make Delta and Anambra states contribute 10% each of the total cost of the project.
“In our determination to have that bridge constructed, we initially agreed, myself and my Delta State counterpart, to contribute 10% each, but when the commitment was secured, we used Hon. Chuma Nzeribe to trash that harsh clause,” Obi disclosed.
