Anambra 2025: Gov. Soludo faces tough hurdles ahead second term bid

When elections are held later in 2025, a number of variables will come together to oppose Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, the governor of Anambra State, from being re-elected by the Anambra people for a second term.

Though Soludo has only been the governor of Anambra for a little over two years, politicians and opposition groups have begun expressing interest in unseating him.

Despite having the legal right to run for office a second time and the widespread belief that he won’t decline it, Soludo has not yet announced his desire to do so. Most people think he’ll run for re-election.

Even though Soludo is the current incumbent—a position that is considered to provide advantages—it is anticipated that he will have a very difficult time winning re-election.

This is due to the fact that elections are typically contests, rather than just the fact that he holds a prestigious position that many people envy or that Anambra has been called a “A” list state that parades people with enormous pockets of cash from private enterprise or minds full of ideas.

A portion of the obstacles will stem from the governor’s miscalculations, which have earned him adversaries. This implies that in addition to people with interests and political parties that exist to win elections, there are institutions that, in general, ought to be impartial and may choose a side because they have been insulted or believe they have been offended in some way by the governor.

Politics based on religion

In Anambra, religious politics continue to be prevalent, and this has a big impact on who gets to be the state’s governor. In Anambra, after democracy was restored in 1999, the church has contributed to the rise of governors.

And the Catholic Church has always held the advantage in this. With the exception of Dr. Chinwoke Mbadinuju, who was elected in 1999, all previous state governors have been either Anglican or Catholic.

These two have continued to be the most powerful religious organisations in the state. They are aware of their influence and use it to establish monarchs, even if it means preaching politics from the most holy altar of Christ.

The incumbent, Soludo, was elected on the basis of his Catholic faith, and he did not select Dr. Onyekachi Ibezim, an Anglican, as his running mate by accident.

This drew the anger of the governor who was at the ceremony. He chastised Rev Fr Emmanuel Obimma and his brother, Charles Obimma for such a show of opulence in a burial.

Charles, a former lawmaker, was in the Anambra House of Assembly when the law against such displays during burials was passed, and Soludo was said not to have spared anything in chastising him for breaking a law he contributed to making. He was also said to have come hard at Fr Obimma, and by extension the Catholic Church by showing his disappointment at a priest involved in such disrespect for the law.

The governor, who was present at the wedding, became enraged by this. He scolded Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Obimma and his brother Charles Obimma for displaying such extravagant funeral decor.

Former legislator Charles was present in the Anambra House of Assembly when the legislation prohibiting these kind of displays during funerals was passed. It was said that Soludo spared no detail in scolding Charles for disobeying a law he helped draft. It was also reported that he expressed his displeasure with a priest who was disobeying the law by taking a harsh stance against Fr. Obimma and the Catholic Church as a whole.

This reportedly infuriated Valerian Okeke, the Archbishop of the Onitsha Archdiocese, who took the microphone and chastised the governor for becoming involved in trivial affairs and ignoring the important issues of government.

Even though the situation had been resolved peacefully, it is still thought that Soludo’s audacity to speak with clerics about such topics could not be quickly forgotten. In the unlikely event that Soludo’s fellow Catholic Church decides to oppose him, his chances of surviving could be severely limited.

Recent conflict with monarchs

Another institution that can run against Soludo in the election is the traditional one.

Some of the traditional rulers were suspended as a result of his ongoing conflict with them. The issue had been Senator Ifeanyi Ubah’s appointment to the chieftaincy.

Igwe Damian Ezeani, the traditional head of the Neni Community, gave Ubah the chieftaincy title of Odenjinji. But for doing so without getting the go-ahead from the traditional monarch of Nnewi Kingdom, the home of Ifeanyi Ubah, he was suspended by the state administration.

Anambra State Traditional Ruler Law clause was used in a news release issued by Hon. Tony Collins Nwabunwanne, the State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, justifying the suspension of Igwe Damian Ezeani.

There was a lot of controversy around the action, and many people criticised the Soludo government for it. As a result, the king and everyone else who had given Ubah a title during the Christmas season had to apologise, and some had even taken back their titles.

Igwe Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe wrote to the commissioner, supporting the monarchs, in what appeared to be a conflict between the traditional institution and the governor, the chairman of the Anambra State Traditional Ruler Council, and Obi of Onitsha.

He denounced the state government’s move and charged Soludo with grossly demeaning the state’s historic institutions.

Achebe reminded the state government that he does not view the monarchs as his boys or demean them to the extent that he does, even if he pays each one a monthly salary of N170,000.

He reminded him that the traditional leaders of their communities were not to be viewed as errand boys, but rather as distinguished individuals who had achieved success in a variety of disciplines prior to assuming their traditional positions.

This might have set off a conflict that the state government is thought to have handled flawlessly, as Soludo recently dismissed the Achebe-led council during a visit to the gathering of traditional rulers, claiming that it was improperly constituted.

Even if everything has been handled correctly, it is hoped that the 2025 election would provide the monarchs a chance to exact revenge on the governor, who will then need their support in the form of votes.

Obidient’s wave force in 2023

Undoubtedly, one element that can be crucial in opposing Prof. Soludo in the upcoming election is the goodwill and support garnered by Mr. Peter Obi, the former governor of the state and the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election.

By attempting to appoint a governor from the Labour Party in his home state of Anambra, Obi hopes to establish himself as a symbol of the new democracy in Nigeria and set a precedent for future political attempts.

In addition to this, Obi’s popularity during the most recent presidential election allowed him to attract prominent politicians from Anambra State’s three senatorial zones as followers. The majority of these politicians greatly profited from their election-related victories.

Among these persons are current members of the House of Representatives such as Senator Tony Nwoye and Senator Victor Umeh.

Throughout his political career, Umeh, the senator for the Anambra Central Senatorial District, has been a grassroots politician. However, Soludo’s arrival has caused him to lose ground.

In 2023, forces thought to be led by Soludo managed to push him out of APGA.

Dozie Nwankwo of the APGA and Uche Ekwunife of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) alternated as the opposing forces. In the APGA primaries, Nwankwo defeated Umeh. However, Dozie Nwankwo and Uche Ekwunife were defeated by Umeh, who subsequently selected the LP Senatorial ticket for the race. There will definitely be a chance for him to repay Soludo in the 2025 governorship race.

However, Senator Tony Nwoye, who represents the state’s northern senatorial zone, is likewise a formidable politician. Someone once referred to him as a one-man riot squad.

Despite coming from the same region as the current governor, Chief Willie Obiano, in the northern senatorial zone, he has been said to be interested in running for governor on the Labour Party platform.

However, the general consensus is that the party may continue to support Valentine Ozigbo, who is Mr. Peter Obi’s close associate and the party’s candidate for the 2021 election.

Ifeanyi Ubah and the APC thugs he led

There has been noticeable conflict among APGA members ever since billionaire oil magnate and senator from Anambra South senatorial zone, Ifeanyi Ubah, joined the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The people of Anambra have never previously given the APC a chance. During the administration of the late President Muhammadu Buhari, it got considerably worse. Many residents in Anambra State’s rural areas refer to the APC as a Fulani party, and the ostentatious behaviour of herders during Buhari’s administration only served to fuel animosity towards the group.

Since Tinubu took office, animosity has decreased and more Anambra sons have joined the party. Furthermore, individuals such as Ifeanyi Ubah have initiated an effort to persuade the state that political parties are only means by which politicians ascend to public office.

People’s perceptions of the party have begun to soften as a result. Ubah, a well-known grassroots politician with substantial resources, expressed his interest in the election in a recent interview.
It’s also said that he’s trying to unseat Soludo by running alongside Senator Uche Ekwunife, a well-known politician and grassroots activist.

This has unnerved the ruling party and, should the APC field Soludo for reelection, could prove to be one of the major obstacles.