Any keen follower of Anambra politics over the years would tell you clearly that one of the major achievements of Chief Willie Obiano was making sure that he went the extra mile to support his most preferred candidate in that election to emerge as the All-progressive grand alliance (APGA) gubernatorial candidate.
Irrespective of how we may want to battle with this fact, becoming the governor of Anambra state at this time has a lot to do with your ability to “acquire/clinch” the APGA ticket to contest in a gubernatorial election.
The similarity with Anambra State and Lagos State political systems
While some analysts can argue that Lagos state operates a similar political system of a political party sustained dominance, the Anambra reality as it pertains to making sure that APGA retains gubernatorial power is not under the firm grip of one man after so many years unlike what we have in Lagos state. This is because the system is built around APGA as a party and not around an individual just as we have it in Lagos State.
Some years back, APGA as a political party decided to always work with the party at the centre and this explains why Anambra state has never been a political battle ground for the party at the centre, as the gentle man agreement between APGA as a political party and those at the centre at any time ensures that elections in the state are not rigged in the favour of the party in power at the centre (federal government).
Soludo’s selection as the APGA gubernatorial candidate
Unknown to many political stakeholders in Anambra state, Chief Willie Obiano had promised Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo (Akpokuedike Aguleri) almost four (4) years prior to the end of his tenure, that he was going to have him as his successor.
There are few governors in Nigeria who can boldly say that they were well aware many years before their election that they were the most preferred to succeed their predecessors in power. This was a privilege for Prof. Soludo on all counts which ordinarily should make him humble and not arrogant as most politicians never keep their promises.
This speaks to the person of the former governor and what his real interest for the state was. Akpokuedike Aguleri really meant well for the state judging by that singular act.
During the build up to the 2021 gubernatorial election, the then governor made sure he alongside his team members did every conceivable thing they had to do to give their preferred candidate an edge to vie for the election despite Chief Chukwuma Umeoji’s dexterity at power play and lobbying.
It is public knowledge as to how Chief Willie Obiano stepped in and made sure that the path to producing his preferred candidate was smooth in that election.
Chief Willie Obiano succeeded in supporting Prof. Soludo to become his successor. Akpokuedike Aguleri was very clear with ndi Anambra that his successor was going to be a better leader than him. He made it clear that if there were areas he didn’t deliver well as a governor, that his successor was going to sort most of those areas out.
Prof. Soludo’s impeccable curriculum vitea and its usefulness in local politics
Nigerian politics is unique as it has consistently proven to not be a sphere where 1+1 is always equals to 2.
In advanced societies where their political systems are well developed and the will of the masses are expressed clearly through the ballots, your pedigree, qualification as a contestant count. While over here in Nigeria with the recently concluded Edo gubernatorial election, it is established most excellently that your mileage as successful professional even when garnished with an excellent character barely counts in “our polity”.
It is very verifiable that Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo is a very high-end man when it comes to career excellence however, he seems to have a sharp contrast to the height of his career achievements when you compare it to his character as it pertains to relating to others as a man. They seem to be of very sharp contrast to each other.
What we all know is that assuming that Chief Willie Obiano the former governor allowed Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo to square up with Oba Aguata in a free and fair primary election, allowing the candidates only to do their horse trading. We all know who would have emerged as the APGA candidate in that election.
One thing we know is that the delegates would have not been moved an inch by Prof’s qualifications and extremely impressive professional mileage while making such a critical choice of who gets the party’s ticket.
Chief Willie Obiano, a seemingly contented man.
The minute Chief Willie Obiano opted for Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo as his successor, he must have told himself that he did not have any interest in being a typical Nigerian godfather. Unlike what is obtainable in Nigeria political turf where predecessors actively seek for puppets as successors, Akpokuedike Aguleri made the height of commendable sacrifice by an ex -governor for his state by choosing an accomplished professional with a mind of his own on governance.
Knowing that these are the most probable realities he would face, should he support a Soludo to succeed him and going all the way to take that decision and damning the consequence is to so many of us the true hallmark of a statesman.
This assertion can be substantiated with the fact that you can count the number of public functions convened by Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo that his predecessor has ever attended neither have the both of them been seen in public having a good camaraderie as it should between a predecessor who deliberately handed over to a successor.
November 2025 gubernatorial election striking realities.
On the eight (8th) day of May, 2025 the Commander in Chief of the federation visited Anambra State, one of the few South-eastern states to have such a visit from the president.
The president was in Anambra state to commission some projects executed by Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo’s led administration. The biggest tragedy of this outing was the reality calibration that hit the state All progressive congress (APC) governorship candidate and his team members. What was so nerve jerking and frightening was that Mr. Nicholas Ukachukwu – the APC gubernatorial candidate that has been screaming that they would connect Anambra state to the centre as his only claim to fame, could not get a well shot picture with the leader of his party who visited the state.
This should clearly tell the APC promoters in the state that in the scheme of things as it pertains to Anambra that Mr. President is overly disposed to working with Prof. Soludo of APGA and as such would not offer you the “federal might” which is what the APC is banking on so firmly to win the election in November 2025. It is only fair that we remind Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu and his APC supporters in the state that the realities of Edo and Ondo State elections when compared to that of Anambra states are entirely different.
Soludo and the demigod complex
Owing to the relative successes Prof. Soludo has recorded in his first tenure, he has lately been moving around with the air of a man who is doing what no other human being on earth can achieve if given the privilege to serve his people.
It is on record that during the campaign for his first tenure, he once insinuated that ndi Anambra should count themselves lucky for having a man of his pedigree make himself available to run for public office in the state. There is always a thin line between self-awareness/confidence and toxic arrogance.
While we applaud Prof. Soludo for the areas, he has shown leadership so far, we would want to remind him that it is not enough for him to see himself as a god who cannot stand tolerating other people being acknowledged for their excellence at tasks before him.
There is a clear preoccupation of his of making very light every achievement of his predecessors directly or indirectly. One thing the scholar seems to fail to understand is that if his predecessors didn’t do their parts to the best of their abilities, maybe there would have been no state for him to govern.
We know that intelligent and successful people always struggle to keep their heads and shoulders down but Prof. Soludo must understand that these his actions of not reigning in his arrogance would make it challenging for other clearly successful professionals who want to venture into politics to be trusted as folks who would not look down on others arrogantly when they ascend to their political offices of interest with the support of the not outrightly successful people.
As we conclude, we know that Prof. Soludo at his age is not one who would change easily from the man he has always been over the years as it pertains to the lens with which he sees others. For the sake of the office he holds, we expect him to be more rational and emotionally intelligent with his utterances. Prof. Soludo must acknowledge that he cannot be the best man to come out of Anambra state, as there would still be other excellent men and women to come out of the state in the years to come. Enough of these godlike dispositions of his, it is simply setting bad precedence.