Why Soludo has no challenger for APGA ticket
AS the various political parties prepare for their primaries in April ahead of the November 8, 2025 Anambra governorship election, the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, appears to have settled for the incumbent governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, as no member of the party has indicated interest to challenge him.
With the issue of Chief Edozie Njoku, who, for years, laid claim to the leadership of the party now settled, Soludo is in a world of his own and he does not seem to be distracted by internal opposition any longer.
While Njoku kept moving from court to court until the Supreme Court finally ended his ambition, the camp of Soludo was indeed worried, especially as stories were making the rounds that Njoku was an agent of the opposition whose aim was to weaken APGA before the 2025 election.
During one of his outings in Abuja while he enjoyed the court-declared chairmanship of the party, Njoku declared that APGA had no sole candidate for the 2025 election, a statement that jolted the Soludo – led camp of the party.
“Anyone interested in becoming the governor of Anambra State should come forward and go through the process,” Njoku was quoted as saying. In fact, at one stage, he threatened to suspend Soludo from APGA if he did not recognise him as the national chairman of the party.
At the time he made that statement, it was in the public domain that he already had someone he preferred to take over from Soludo as the party’s governorship candidate because of the governor’s alleged refusal to recognise him as the national chairman.
After shoving Njoku aside following the Supreme Court ruling, opposition from the All Progressives Congress, APC, became more intense in the state, as some of the politicians that were with him in APGA moved to APC. Among them were Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu and Chief Chukwuma Umeoji. Both are now governorship aspirants in APC.
APC’s threat
Although Soludo could be said to be in the good books of the APC- led Federal Government, the recent comment by the National Chairman of APC, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, that his party would use the same template that secured victories for the party in Edo and Ondo states, to win election in Anambra in November, caused some disquiet in APGA.
However, the National Chairman of APGA, Mr. Sly Ezeokenwa dismissed Ganduje’s threat, describing the APC’s ambitions in Anambra as unrealistic. To him, APC is not on ground in the state to pose a threat to APGA in any election.
Similarly, the National Publicity Secretary of APGA, Mazi Ejimofor Opara, while dismissing Ganduje’s threat, insisted that Governor Soludo has no credible opposition in the November 2025 governorship election in the state.
According to him,Soludo has silenced the opposition with his developmental works in the state, noting that APGA would go into the electoral process as a stable entity.
Going into primaries as a stable entity
Opara said: “As a party, APGA is immensely proud of the governor’s outstanding achievements in three years and one good turn should be the case of Soludo’s administration. As we approach the conduct of political party primary elections for the 2025 Anambra governorship elections, only APGA is going into this process as a stable entity. Every other political party is in the intensive care unit, paying for oxygen to even survive.
“What they planned for APGA is happening to them. The negative actions or schemes that a group of people intended to inflict on APGA are now being experienced by them instead, essentially suggesting a form of karma or a situation where the perpetrators are now facing the consequences of their own actions.”
Insecurity as campaign tool
Anambra State chairman of APGA, Chief Ifeatu Obi-Okoye had, in a recent interview, boasted that what would determine Soludo’s emergence as the candidate and ensure his reelection, are his performance. Indeed, Soludo’s recent performance in many sectors is silencing some of his opponents.
Although there was the security issue during the greater period of his almost three years in office, during which some local government areas in Anambra South Senatorial Zone were taken over by non-state actors, the recent launch of Operation Udo-ga-achi security outfit, has boosted the image of his administration.
In the past two weeks, many fake native doctors and pastors allegedly encouraging the youths to go into get-rich quick and money ritual activities, have taken to their heels and have ran away from the state following the implementation of the state’s new homeland security law passed by the state House of Assembly.
APGA is, therefore, now using it as campaign tool, particularly with the reduction of the rate of kidnapping and cult activities in parts of the state.
Also, the massive road construction in many parts of the state is giving the governor positive commentary, and the expectation is that many of the roads under construction will be commissioned during the campaign period.
APGA faces poor revenue from sale of forms
However, one thing that is making APGA members unhappy is that money is not flowing in their party ahead of the primaries, as in other political parties that have many aspirants.
One member of the party described their plight thus: “It is not good that there are no aspirants to challenge Governor Soludo. While we are happy that his performance can win the election for the party, most of us are looking like orphans as money is not exchanging hands in our party like in other parties.
“Some of our members have been trying to infiltrate the gatherings of other political parties to partake in sharing money, but those parties are mocking us and telling us to go and meet Soludo for our welfare.
“While aspirants in other political parties are lobbying their members and enticing them with mouth-watering amounts and palliatives to vote for them at the primaries, those of us who will be delegates at the APGA primary will only be paid transport allowances to affirm the candidature of Governor Soludo for the second tenure.”
APGA deepens grassroots mobilisation with kindred structure
Meanwhile, APGA has adopted a grassroots approach known as Solution Kindred Initiative, SKI, to deepen its electioneering ahead of the governorship poll.
Anambra State Chairman of the party, Chief Ifeatu Obi-Okoye, said this at the opening of a stakeholders’ retreat for Local Government and Ward Party Chairmen in Awka, last Sunday.
Obi-Okoye said that the party was remodelling its strategy to ensure the party presented a common front at the governorship election and beyond.
He said: “SKI, which was inaugurated on April 6, 2024, is our greatest achievement. It is about taking the APGA message, not just to the local governments and wards, but to every kindred known as the Umunna.
“We are making sure the party is rooted in traditional governance to promote inclusivity of the grassroots in the governance process.
“We recognise that the kindreds are the original grassroots and the majority of voters, so having APGA structure in over 12,000 kindreds in the state is very crucial as we prepare for the election.”
Obi-Okoye said that the retreat was to build the capacity of local government and ward party chairmen to ensure synergy in the implementation of the grassroots mobilisation strategy.
“Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s massive infrastructure development and reforms has garnered widespread support among the people, signaling that he has done 50 per cent of the mobilisation and campaign already. The remaining 50 per cent is left for us as party stakeholders.
“Let us put APGA on the lips of all in Anambra – every village, every kindred and every household, so that our party will maintain its dominance and emerge victorious,” he said.
Also speaking, National Chairman, APGA, Mr Sylvester Ezeokenwa, commended Obi-Okoye for the initiative to drive mobilisation and galvanise support for the party; and Governor Soludo for making APGA proud by making significant progress in fulfilling his campaign promises and bringing value to the people.
He urged local government chairmen to emulate the governor by carrying out tangible projects that would positively change the lives of the people.
“The success of APGA depends on mobilisation at the grassroots. The positive agenda of our LG chairmen will make people join and vote for our party in the coming election,” he said, and urged party faithful to be passionate about taking APGA message to the nooks and crannies of the state
