By Fred Iwenjora

The race towards the return of incumbent Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo CFR, to a residence he has occupied in more than three years or his dislodgment by any of the army of challengers most formidable being Evangelist Nicholas Ukachukwu better known as Ikukuoma in indeed very on.

In fact the heat is so hot state wide campaigns and consultations are rife.

Ukachukwu and his running mate Senator Uche Ekwunife  of the APC are going into the battle of wrenching power from governor  Soludo and his running mate, Dr Ibezim,  of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA.

Other governorship candidates on the INEC ballot paper are 14 others including candidates of PDP, AA, AAC, ADC, APM, APP, BP, LP, NNPP, NRM, ZLP,SDP, YPP.

In all, there are 16 political parties, 16 governorship candidates vying for the coveted seat. Of these 14 are males while only 2 are female.

Soludo is banking on his “good works” according to his supporters while his opponents say he has done nothing to merit a return to Agu Awka, the seat of Anambra state power.

FRED IWENJORA roamed the state earlier in the week, meeting top “warriors” of APGA and APC to present this CROSSFIRE

SOLUDO HAS EARNED HIS RE-ELECTION….HON. EMMA NWEKE, MAYOR, OYI LGA

Hon Dr Emma Nweke is a foundation member of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA).

Nweke has been around APGA corridors of powers since he left journalism to answer a call to run for leadership. He became Supervisor, later Deputy Chairman of the LGA and today the Mayor of Oyi.

Many know him as one of Soludo’s vociferous supporters. He stole out time out of the continuous review of APGA voters register earlier in the week to declare that Soludo has earned his re-election come Nov 8, 2025.

Why do you think voters should return Soludo to Agu Awka?

If you look at the coming election dispassionately in every index of assessing a good leadership, you will see that Soludo has performed creditably well. He has put himself up on the winning pedestal. His developmental strides are based on needs assessment. Let’s discuss the human capital development assessment. When Soludo came to power a bit more than three years ago, in 2023, the teacher need of Anambra state was 10,000 but today Soludo has employed 8,115.

This employment is not just for any one who needed to teach. No. It was for the most qualified based on merit. Every school in Anambra now has teachers unlike what he met on ground. Under 3 years of Soludo coming on board, there is Free education in Anambra state from kindergarten to senior Secondary. In health, Anambra state government led by Soludo has employed medical personnel including doctors, nurses and other ranks serving the hospitals that he has built across the states

Many argue that Soludo is concentrating all his development to Anambra south…

That is not a true analysis. Soludo started his urban renewal projects in Anambra North. Okpoko is Anambra North. Okpoko is now a haven of sorts. No longer submerged under the water. The Sakomori drainage project which was the first thing the governor attacked has given Okpoko residents a new lease of life and nite life has returned. There is a General hospital now located at Okpoko for the first time.  Then he moved to Fegge Onitsha and sanitised it. Go and verify that there is today a major tarred road in Nzam, Anambra west LGA which had the reputation as an LGA without a tarred road. Nzam is in Anambra North Senatorial zone

Insecurity is a big issue in Anambra state at the moment; do you agree? His declaration that 99% of the criminals in Anambra are Igbos makes it look like he is helpless…

It depends on how you look at the matter. I also note that security is every one’s business. However let us dissect the matter. It appeared at the beginning that the government was not living up to its responsibility until Soludo slammed the master stroke at the right time. He launched operation Udo ga achi with about 336 Tacoma trucks and an armada of Sienna buses and security equipment. There is also something he did differently.

He struck at the group of people delusionally leading our youths astray and leading them by the nose to believe that Oke ite would give them money. Fake native doctors, Eze nwanyis, fake prophets and churches were giving our young people false hopes throwing up yahoo and yahoo plus business. By the time he had dealt with high level idolatry, he had reduced drastically the insecurity situation in Anambra.

However let us take note that no society is totally free of crime. But it is noteworthy that those who are making Anambra unliveable have all evaporated. Getting rich at the age of 15/16 is illicit. Soludo has curbed it and reduced the fear in the state. Solution will continue to ride. Like me, all Mayors in Anambra state are working assiduously towards this.

Do you see APC as a formidable opposition in Anambra state?

All I can say is that APGA is going to win this coming Anambra election. We just started mobilising for the Continuous Voter Registration exercise. APGA  is still welcoming many big wigs of other parties. Yet we are working with zeal not leaving things to chance.

APGA seems stuck in Anambra because of much bickering amongst members; any plans for further growth?

APGA was founded to give the Igbo man a base. At the very beginning we were in Anambra, Imo, Abia. But because our people seek external influences, we lost the two Igbo states we already had in the kitty. That is regrettable. But be that as it may, APGA has won elections in other parts of the country.

We have our members in the National Assembly from Taraba and Bayelsa. APGA still remains the third largest party in Nigeria, if not the second with what is currently happening to many parties today.

UKACHUKWU HAS THE ACES TO RESCUE ANAMBRA FROM THE BRINKS -HON PRINCE NONSO NWAEBILI, SENIOR AIDE TO SPEAKER HOUSE OF REPS.

Hon. Barrister Chukwunonso Henry Nwaebili, Senior legislative Assistant to House of Reps Speaker Tajudeen Abass is a young and vibrant political organiser. Since his years at the University of Wales and at the Nigeria Law school, Bwari, Abuja, Prince Nwaebili has not left any one in doubt about his interests in politics.

Nwaebili also took time out of APC Anambra mobilisation effort for Ikukuoma campaigns across Anambra North when he declared that Governor Soludo does not merit a return as Anambra state governor because according to him, “he has failed woefully.”

He added that Evangelist Nicholas Ukachukwu has all the aces to rescue Anambra state from the brinks. And more.

Why do you think that APC would win the Anambra guber election?

I believe so, not that I think. Governor Soludo will not win the coming election because he has failed Ndi Anambra by his non-performance. Evangelist Nicholas Ukachukwu, Ikukuoma and Uche Ekwunife, Iyom are formidable replacements. They are round pegs in round holes. Anambra people are yearning for good governance. In the past six years, it has been very bad for ndi Anambra.

The state has become a complete joke. People are governing a state that is not in the North east of Nigeria yet the state has been completely over run by bandits, kidnappers and other criminals. It is like going to a point of no return. 

The Azia/Ihiala, Ekwulobia, Umunze and all communities in Anambra south have been excised from the state by bandits. The biggest market in west Africa is in Anambra which is encumbered by tales of insecurity. The candidacy of a grass roots man as Ikukuoma is what Anambra needs at this time. Ukachukwu is experienced in field work and not theory. 

Anambra state does not need a white collar governor. Ukachukwu is a business mogul and understands the importance of ease of doing business. Where people see bushes, Ukachukwu would see mass housing for both lower and medium earners.

Ikukuoma with Iyom, a vibrant Senator who was among the best at the Red Chamber giving an all-round sense of belonging, Anambra will return to winning ways and women, youths, children as well as the elderly will benefit. What we have in APC in Anambra state is a gender balance not found in all the other parties on the ballot paper.

Let me be selfish here. I am a member of Ward 403 Odekpe, Ogbaru LGA where the only major road from Onitsha cutting through my LGA through Atani, Ossomalla, Ogwu, into Ase and Ndoni, Rivers state is a federal road and no one wants to touch. A connection with the federal government by voting APC will benefit people from that part and the state in general terms. Ikukuoma will have a direct access to his Oga to discuss and get a fair hearing concerning the plight of people from Anambra state. We have coastal erosion affecting people of the banks of the Niger which the state government will not ordinarily dip hands to check.

Again the unemployment issues in the state needs to be addressed and only APC has full plans to take care of these problems. I am happy with the efforts of the reconciliation committee headed by Hon JohnBosco overseeing APC Anambra marching forward and the grand mobilisation of state wide Ikukuoma solidarity groups by great stalwarts as Hon Arinzechukwu Awogu.  

But Soludo supporters count his achievements…

If you really stop a common Anambra state resident on the road and ask how he feels about Charles Soludo’s leadership, they will tell you the reality. I am not talking about politicians who are benefiting one way or the other. It is time to elect a new system by the most organised party in Nigeria with a strong, firm and organised leadership. Anambra will connect with the centre. And President Tinubu knows the importance of Anambra regaining its past glory. 

In fact APGA is the opposition in this coming elections.

It is noteworthy that Anambra people have been welcoming Ikukuoma and Iyom with open arms during this campaign because they want to see a government that understands that there is basic hunger in the land and that there is need for a change. That change they will get come November 8, 2025 when before it is 8 pm, the result has been declared. This is not minding that the government has been setting up paramilitary organisations to intimidate the people. The most recent act was the attack on innocent Obosi people.