By Ebuka Onyekwelu, Ph.D
Anambra State Governor, Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, has said that the All Progressive Grand Alliance – APGA, must reform. “We must reform,” the governor said, while addressing party faithful yesterday, during a meeting of APGA leaders, aspirants, and candidates of the party in the 2027 General Election.
In his remarks, the State Chairman of APGA, Barrister Ifeatu Obiokoye, said that it was only APGA that conducted primary elections ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 General Election. “APGA is the only party that conducted primaries,” Obiokoye held.
The National Chairman of the party, Barrister Sly Ezeokenwa, while addressing the meeting, observed that it was the first time the party leadership and aspirants were meeting after the party’s primary about a month ago. Thereafter, he invited the Governor of Anambra State, Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, who doubles as the National Leader of the party, to chair the meeting.
Speaking, the governor acknowledged that the meeting was essential as a form of postmortem after the party’s primary. This, he said, was because, after the primaries, some were happy and some were sad as a result of the primary’s outcome. “Since the end of the primaries, some are happy, and some are sad, and rightly so. But as a family, we should meet to do a prognosis of the primaries, then we discuss the road ahead. This meeting is not about speech-making; we need to discuss as a family,” Governor Soludo said. Offering insight about his philosophy of sustaining an open town hall meeting and what it does for an organization, Professor Soludo narrated how, as the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, he introduced “an open hall session to hear directly from the people.” He therefore maintained that such opportunities not only give a sense of belonging to members but also sustain a sense of family and unity of purpose.
Reacting, aspirants who were aggrieved by the outcome of the party primaries then had the chance to express their grievances exhaustively, and their questions were dutifully answered by Governor Soludo, with further clarification from the National Chairman, Barr. Ezeokenwa, to the admiration of the party faithful. Admonishing party members, Professor Soludo noted that party members must remember that it must not favour them all the time. “It must not favour you all the time. Always remember that the times it favoured you, others were disfavoured”, he said, in his admonition to party members, urging them to remain firm in the APGA family.
The Governor, however, admitted that he had been inundated by complaints about the party primaries and that “some of the complaints he got were painful.” Therefore, he pledged his commitment to party reforms, assuring that a credible primary election is a process. “I am committed that this party must be different,” he said. Professor Soludo also assured that APGA will sweep the coming General Election. “This is APGA’s 20th year in power in Anambra State. APGA will sweep the coming election in Anambra State”, the governor declared.
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