By Ebuka Onyekwelu, Ph.D
Between last weekend and today, I have been in more than a handful of conversations and debates about governance in Anambra State under Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo. This evening, in yet another debate, I pointed out Governor Soludo’s strides in the health sector, with deliberate effort to strengthen healthcare facilities like the Okpoko General Hospital, Enugu-Ukwu General Hospital, Umueri General Hospital, and Ekwulobia General Hospital. Today, PHCs that had been abandoned for years in Anambra are now functional, and the Anambra State Commissioner for Health has introduced telemedicine to enhance access to quality healthcare professionals for patients in hard-to-reach places across the state. Last month, Management Sciences for Health (MSH) completed its Programme for Equitable Expansion of Community-Based Health Workers (PEECH) project in Anambra, the first in Nigeria, to help support quality healthcare workforce at the community level in Anambra State. These are things I can speak to on a firsthand basis. Interestingly, through the debate, there was no contravention, yet “Soludo is not doing anything.”
The other day, it was whether Soludo’s end to the criminal Monday sit-at-home was beneficial or otherwise. I argued from personal experience that it was Governor Soludo who put an end to the rascality by his declaration and closure of Onitsha Main Market for failing to comply with the Government’s legitimate order to end the Monday sit-at-home. I have video and picture evidence of what Onitsha was before Governor Soludo’s order and what happened after the order. In Onitsha, before Soludo’s end to the sit-at-home, markets were shut down on Mondays, completely locked up as though Monday was an off day. This is a fact that no one could counter. But somehow, “Monday sit-at-home had ended before Soludo’s intervention.”
I also recall a debate over the past weekend about how Governor Alex Otti of Abia State had “outperformed” Governor Soludo by far. I simply shared an article I wrote on August 13, 2023, discussing the comparison between Governors Alex Otti and Chukwuma Soludo on revenue digitization and how Governor Otti should rather learn from Governor Soludo’s experience. As of 2022, I shared platforms with Mr. Isaac Okoro, former SSA on Revenue to Governor Soludo, who is now working as Governor Alex Otti’s SSA on Revenue. There is possibly nothing new, and indeed, if anything, Governor Otti should simply learn from Governor Soludo’s experience. The other point I made was that the comparison between Soludo and Otti has a pattern with the full compliments of Biafra colouration, in which instance, those sympathetic to the cause are against Soludo for ending the Monday sit-at-home or being hard on criminal IPOB elements. In contrast, they feel that Governor Otti is soft on them. “He is fighting his brother. But in the North, they are protecting Boko haram,” they say of Governor Soludo. In other words, IPOB’s criminality should have been condoned.
In all of these, there are a few things that are hard to miss. Those who argue against Soludo’s performance are simply arguing for the sake of disagreeing. While I speak authoritatively about projects and programmes on the ground in Anambra State, they are unable to show that those projects did not exist. They are also not able to say that the projects are not impactful or relevant to Ndi Anambra. Their disagreement is therefore totally unfounded in reason and fact. Why this even gave any concern was because many of those I engaged with during the period were not ordinary people, but those who should know how to rate a government’s performance and clearly separate political commentary from governance commentary. So, I concluded that in terms of good governance delivery, there is absolutely no debate that Governor Soludo has outperformed all his predecessors and has set a new mark in governance in Anambra State. This is supported by facts on the ground, and those who disagree really have nothing of substance anchoring their disagreement. They simply say and insist that Soludo is not doing anything, not minding the evidence before them.
After observing this pattern of disagreement, I then noted that, really, there is no debate about Soludo’s performance in governance. However, those who disagree with Governor Soludo disagree with him purely on political grounds. But even in politics, Professor Soludo has distinguished himself and never lost any election post-2023. Is it correct to regard such a man as someone who lacks political credentials?
“He didn’t celebrate this person or that person on their birthday.” “He is supporting APC,” etc. Comments like these easily give people away, confirming my suspicion that Governor Soludo’s governance performance is x-rayed by some people through the lens of politics. There is no good or bad contest; it is just politics, and everyone is playing their card based on how it suits them. There is no “special one” coming to rescue the country, except those driven by their ambitions, elevated and clothed in a tailored narrative. Therefore, Soludo, like the rest of us, is entitled to his politics. The same way one supports NDC is the same way another supports ADC, and yet another supports APC. Politics, by its very nature, is contentious, and people play in accordance with how they calculate the most proximate route to their interests being met. Those in ADC cannot say vote for ADC without implying that you should not vote NDC and APC. To justify this, they must produce reasons hinged on various claims that the government in power has failed. Those in NDC cannot say vote NDC without finding ways to say you should not vote APC or ADC. In the same way, Soludo is in APGA but supporting APC Presidential candidate, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Therefore, he would say, “vote APC for President, and APGA for National and State Assembly seats”. This also means voters should not vote ADC or NDC. This is the nature of politics, and there is nothing new. It is the same thing everyone else does. The only odd thing is that while some people feel that they are entitled to support their own candidate, they also feel that Soludo or others supporting APC are not so entitled. The same right one has to pick a preferred candidate is the same right the other has to pick his own candidate.
On top of that, what is even more profoundly ridiculous is a deliberate denial of Governor Soludo’s sterling governance performance because one disagrees with his politics, to which he is entitled, while holding on to his own politics under the guise of “public interest”. Yet, some ask a performing governor to stay away from exercising his own right to choose in a political contest. There are indeed levels to irrationality.
About Author
