The much-anticipated governorship poll in Anambra State will hold on November 8, 2025 and as expected, the incumbent Governor, Charles Soludo, has already begun to stir the murky waters of politics in the state as he prepares for a second rodeo at capturing the governorship seat again.
Soludo, a member of the All Progressives Grand Alliance – a political party that enjoys the patronage of Nigerians living mainly in the South East region – wants to sit, for the second time, atop the political empire of Anambra State, the gateway to the East as it is sometimes called.
However, in doing so, Soludo, a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, has been aiming a stinging satire at his would-be governorship rivals in the opposition parties.
Soludo recently said during a media chat to celebrate his third anniversary as governor that he sees no competent challenger as he seeks re-election in the governorship poll that is expected to reshape the dynamics of Anambra State politics forever.
The governor also mocked the opposition parties by boasting that it would take something in the mould of a miracle for them to produce competent candidates that can challenge or scuttle his governorship re-election bid.
Soludo, who is likely to get his party’s automatic ticket for the governorship election, said, “If there is an election, I mean there will be an election, and if I am candidate (of APGA), I will be on the ballot, and then I ask: who else (among politicians in opposition parties) is running? Which party is fielding a candidate?
“So far, unless the person will come down from somewhere but so far, I have not heard of any.”
Whether Soludo wanted his talk to be taken literally or figuratively by the people of the state, or Ndi Anambra, remains to be seen.
His opponents, however, are insisting that he is barking up the wrong tree with his contentious claim about them vacillating over producing competent candidates.
Analysts are of the view that the Labour Party is perhaps the greatest obstacle to a second Soludo homecoming as a governor.
The frosty relationship, too, between the lynchpin and former presidential candidate of the LP, Peter Obi, and Soludo will almost certainly ensure that sparks fly during the build-up to the election.
There is indeed little love lost between Obi, a former Governor of Anambra State as well, and Soludo especially as the latter had publicly faulted the former’s 2023 presidential ambition and gone on record to criticize his past stewardship of the state.
Some analysts believe that Obi’s influence on the LP has led to realignments within Anambra State politics.
According to these analysts, this has helped some governorship aspirants to decide on the platform to use for actualizing their ambition.
A Labour Party governorship aspirant, George Moghalu, after a series of consultations, said he chose to give the thumbs up to the LP and that he has already thrown down the gauntlet to Soludo.
Moghalu, the immediate past Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the National Inland Waterways Authority, defected from the All Progressives Congress – a party he helped form – and rejects the notion that he could either be an inconsequential or incompetent governorship aspirant.
Asked why he wanted to take the torch from Soludo, he said, “I want to offer myself to serve our people from an entirely different perspective from what is happening now.
“Everybody knows I have what it takes to offer good governance. We need to redeem Anambra fast because Soludo has failed the people. There is a dearth of infrastructure in the state, and security has collapsed.
“The simple fact that the governor is in APGA will work for him. Many of us have forgotten that Anambra State is the home of APGA and the party Odumegwu Ojukwu contested as a presidential candidate”
“Anambra will not tolerate Soludo any further. What he could not do in four years, he will never be able to do in eight years.”
Moghalu has lofty aspirations. But like the other aspirants in the LP, such as John Nwosu, Bart Nwibe, and Tony Nwoye who all also believe that they are not inconsequential aspirants, he (Moghalu) will also wait till April 5 when the LP holds its primary election before he will know whether he will get the party’s nod.
The APC is also scheduled to hold its primary election on April 5.
The party, which is finding a new rhythm in Anambra State, has already screened no fewer than seven governorship aspirants, including Chukuma Umeoji, Obiora Okonkwo, Nicholas Ukachukwu, Paul Chukwuma, Johnbosco Onunkwo, Edozie Madu and Valentine Ozigbo.
Of those aspirants, only Ozigbo, a former LP stalwart and ally of Obi, was granted a waiver to contest despite the fact that he recently defected to the APC.
This is leading to apathy and disenchantment among party members because Ozigbo might go on to win the primary.
In the PDP, the once-untouchable party in Anambra State is struggling to find its feet in the governorship race. The party is reportedly yet to sell its governorship nomination form valued at N40 million to any aspirant.
The leadership crisis rocking the PDP at the national level has also permeated the Anambra State chapter of the party with uncertainty and disillusionment, leading some would-be aspirants to jump ship.
Soludo must have seen the handwriting on the wall on behalf of the opposition parties. He has thus reiterated that opposition parties and their aspirants are weak and do not exist.
The governor, who does not give a hoot about his opponents thinking that his comments drip with bombastic bravado, may have sealed the fate of other aspirants when he stated during a gathering of party faithful that Ndi Anambra would only vote APGA in state elections.
“Ndi Anambra can vote for anybody, but when it comes to state elections, Ndi Anambra has resolved that APGA is the vehicle for the transformation of their state. We have no opposition here.
“…Of course, the Labour Party has disintegrated, APC does not exist in Anambra…They are afraid, but they make a lot of noise,” Soludo said.
A political pundit, Ifeoma Ogbonna, told The Point, “It is nine months to the governorship election in Anambra State and things are heating up pretty well.
“Soludo is the protagonist in the election drama taking place but he shouldn’t underestimate any candidate or, in one way or the other, think of them as inconsequential aspirants. Doing so will mean that he is letting his guard down.
“Anambra people want to know what he has been able to achieve in four years. Soludo should concentrate more in that regard. Let him inundate his people with his first term scorecard.
“As for all the antagonists in the election drama, I mean Soludo’s opponents now; they should know that one of them might be the chosen one who, using the governor’s description, came down from somewhere.
“They are aspirants today but some of them will soon win the mandate of their respective parties to challenge Soludo.
“When they do so, let them focus on issue-based discourse. Let them give Anambrarians the roadmap to a greater state and see whether one of them will not do the unthinkable.”
Another commentator, Nuru Wanbai, believes that the current governorship aspirants, on paper, do not stand any chance against Soludo.
According to him, “the power of incumbency and other factors will work well for Soludo.
“I have seen all the aspirants who spent their millions purchasing nomination forms. I have also noted many of them who were cleared by their respective parties.
“But without sounding immodest, I think that on paper, none of them can beat Soludo to the tape. They can only try their best.
“The power of incumbency and other factors will work well for Soludo in this election.
“The simple fact that the governor is in APGA will work for him. Many of us have forgotten that Anambra State is the home of APGA and the party Odumegwu Ojukwu contested as a presidential candidate.
“Anambra people love Ojukwu. They love APGA and by extension, they have no choice but to also love Soludo.
“Obi will therefore have to prove with the Labour Party that a new dawn is possible in Anambra State. But it won’t be easy.”