By Ebuka Onyekwelu, Ph.D
The appointment of the Governor of Anambra State, His Excellency, Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, CFR, as the Anambra State Coordinator of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, re-election campaign, is an elegant confirmation of his nationalist politics. To begin, let me congratulate Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo on this appointment.
From the outset, there were no doubts about Professor Charles Soludo’s governance credentials, and in the last four years and six months, Governor Soludo has proven his mettle in providing sustainable solutions to various governance demands in Anambra State. He has proffered sustainable solutions to local government administration in Anambra State. He has also proffered sustainable solutions to persistent insecurity wrapped in the garb of agitation. On the social agenda, the governor stands distinguished in every sense of the word. On insightful leadership, Soludo stands out as the man who is carving a sustainable and defined path for Anambra’s development trajectory through commerce, industry, and ICT. In building a livable homeland, Governor Soludo has enthroned law and order, instilling a righteous fear for the state, which was absent before. What many did not realize early is that Professor Soludo’s political credentials are as competent as his governance credentials. Add to it that his reformist governance is as fierce as his transformational politics.
Governor Soludo, the leader of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), now leads the Presidential campaign of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Anambra State. Demonstrably, with no iota of doubt, the leader of progressives in Anambra State, under whose watch progressives have continued to work together.
A few points to note: first, Governor Soludo is leading a credible alternative pathway for Ndi Igbo in national politics. This is a political pathway illuminated with confidence, yet enveloped by refinement and national accord. Ndi Igbo cannot govern Nigeria except by national consensus. No group can govern Nigeria without national consensus. This point is key ahead of the 2027 Presidential Election. A Nigerian president of Igbo extraction is a national project, not a regional championship.
The second point to note is that Governor Soludo is charting the course of a new political landscape in Southeast politics where boldness is currency. While some people feel that Soludo should stay away from the 2027 Presidential campaign because Obi is on the ballot as the NDC candidate, the reality is that this is partisan politics and it is a matter of interest. Since Soludo’s interests align with APC, why then must he stay away? Why must his interest be silenced to amplify Obi’s interest? These are real political questions. Politics by its nature is competitive, and you do not compete in silence. Therefore, no one should be quiet about where he stands in politics if he is honest about his conviction. This is the clarity Governor Soludo has brought into the 2027 conversation as it affects the Southeast.
The third point is that whether for or against a politician running for office, we must imbibe the principle of tolerance as an important element of our individualist worldview as Ndi Igbo. This should be the minimum standard for those engaging in political conversations ahead of 2027. Governor Soludo’s reminder of this inalienable right of individuals to support their choice of candidates must be imbibed as an established order of behavior across the Southeast. Nobody should be abused for disagreeing or agreeing. To each, his own! This should be a bare minimum public conduct entrenched in the Southeast for humanity and for posterity.
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