Awka — Two leading candidates in the Anambra 2010 governorship race, incumbent governor, Mr. Peter Obi of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, have continued the verbal tirades on each other.

While Obi argued that Soludo was a colossal failure as Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Soludo believes that Anambra State under Obi is in a mess.

It is recalled that weekend, Soludo said he withdrew his support for Obi's second term bid after promising to support him when he realised Obi had nothing else to offer the state.

Soludo who said Obi has done his best, appealed to Anambra citizens not to waste their time hallucinating over a lost bid Obi to return for a second term, saying the PDP under him will win the governorship election.

Soludo who was addressing a stakeholders meeting at Government House Awka where former Vice President of Nigeria Chief Alex Ekwueme and wife wept for the PDP in Anambra State appealing that all aggrieved members to bury their hatchet and ensure Soludo was enthroned in office, lamented that Obi had failed to give Anambra people good governance.

He said businesses are moving away from Onitsha to Asaba and yet the government was doing nothing promising that he would declare emergencies for the major cities in Anambra immediately he was sworn in next year.

He further accused the governor of receiving the highest allocation ever.

But reacting, Chief Press Secretary to Obi, Mr. Mike Udah called on the candidates contesting the 2010 gubernatorial election in the state to emulate Obi who he said, faces issues rather than engage in the politics of name-calling.

He said he was saddened that some of the candidates rather than face their campaigns, are calling names, even as he reacted to reports that Soludo had asked Obi to "prepare his hand-over notes" as he (the professor) has decided to come and redeem Anambra State from him.

He said: "One, it is not true that Anambra State of today needs any salvation. Salvation should go to the states which are comatose, not a state like Anambra which such international development agencies as the UNDP, UNICEF, EU and DFID, and the Bureau of Public Procurement(BPP) of the federal government of Nigeria to mention just a few, have certified as one of the fastest developing States.

"While it is impossible to catalogue the numerous projects executed by Gov. Obi in health, agriculture, education, human rights, institution of governance, business, integrity, and transparency in an exercise of this nature, it has become imperative to advise political gladiators, not to open their mouths so wide in the name of politicking or else they will easily give themselves out as third rate aspirants.

"Nigerians are discernible people and cannot be hoodwinked into believing that someone who his successor in office has shown as having woefully failed will perform a miracle in a state which Gov. Obi has lifted from obscurity- from sorcery, arson, lunacy and treachery, to an Olympian height in less than four years. Under him the state has successfully produced for the first time structure plans for Awka, Onitsha and Nnewi, a feat which previous administrations had attempted, but failed to accomplish."

However in a statement yesterday, the Soludo Campaign Organisation said there was nothing wrong in Soludo stating that Obi should prepare his government handover notes for March 2010.

It said: "All responsible governments throughout the world, as a matter of routine in the run up to their elections, usually prepare handover notes as a contingency measure if the people should choose to withdraw their mandate in the elections of February 2010. They prepare a statement for if they win and a statement for when they fail re-election. Governor Obi should not be afraid of preparing government hand over notes, except if he intends to leave Anambra state in a mess. Just in case Peter Obi is unaware, his efforts at preparing handover notes would enable him to truly take stock of what his government has truly been able to accomplish for the people of Anambra state."