Moses Ofodeme
Days before the Anambra State gubernatorial election, the absence of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu from the All Progressives Congress (APC) rally held on Friday, 31st October, in Onitsha raises doubts about the party’s hope.
This is also instructive, as the President has declared Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, whom he has known since 2003, is his good friend, a progressive, with a clear vision for credible leadership.
The President, represented by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has expressed satisfaction with the incredible performance of Governor Soludo, who has transformed Anambra into a destination where economic and business activities thrive, through laudable reforms in vital sectors of the state’s economy.
The President’s absence comes amidst intense political manoeuvring in the state, where incumbent Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo has been promoting a “Progressives working together” concept that has blurred traditional party lines and emphasised his 22-year friendship with Tinubu.
The timing of the campaign launch has drawn sharp criticism. “The APC flagging off their campaign just one week before the election, with Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu as the governorship candidate, is an evidence that the party was not serious about the contest,” in a state where the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA has held power.
Earlier in March, the Minister for Works, Senator Dave Umahi, during the flag-off of the Second Niger Bridge access road at Ogbunike, commended Governor Soludo for his visionary leadership and style of governance that have the interest of the people at heart, with an avalanche of infrastructural and transformational projects across the state.
Senator Umahi stated, “I don’t see anyone that can challenge you in the election,” a remark from a high-ranking APC member, which shows Governor Soludo is unmatched.
Also, during a state visit to Anambra in May, President Tinubu publicly affirmed his bond with Soludo, saying, ” Governor Soludo has been my friend since 2003, and we are working together for a better Anambra and Nigeria.”
The President recalled telling voters during his campaign, “Charles Soludo is still my friend. I salute his vision. He is a brilliant man, and we will keep working together.” A political analyst Dr Chijoke Obatosu refers to the Soludo brand of politics as developmental focused. It is a politics that de-emphasises political affiliation while embracing developmental alignment. He’s indeed a socio-political economist who is ingeniously leveraging all skills to ensure Anambra is not shortchanged and he appears to be winning from all angles.