Anambra 2025: Why Soludo’s Self-Congratulatory Tour Deserves a Verdict of Failure at the Polls -By Jeff Okoroafor

As the campaign for the November 8, 2025, Anambra governorship election draws to a close, Governor Chukwuma Soludo has embarked on a victory lap through Njikoka, Idemili, and Nnewi, basking in the adulation of rented crowds and party faithful. His rhetoric, as reported, is one of divine entitlement and a “massive movement.” He boasts of a campaign powered by the people, for the people. However, behind this carefully orchestrated spectacle of popularity lies a starkly different reality—one of monumental underachievement, a profound disconnect from the suffering of the masses, and a administration that has been a colossal failure on the very issues it promised to fix.

To return Professor Soludo for a second term would be to reward failure and condemn Anambra State to four more years of grandiose promises and dismal delivery.

Chukwuma Soludo

Governor Soludo’s claim that his campaign is a spontaneous, people-funded movement is not a testament to his popularity, but rather an indictment of his governance. When a sitting governor, with all the resources and machinery of the state at his disposal, proudly declares that his supporters are funding their own rallies, it reveals a chilling truth: this is not a campaign of gratitude for work done, but one of desperate investment by a political class terrified of losing its grip on power. The “crowds” are likely a mixture of party contractors, civil servants compelled to attend, and hopeful citizens who have been sold a lie. This is not a movement; it is a mirage, designed to obscure a record of failure.

Perhaps the most damning indictment of the Soludo administration is its catastrophic failure to secure the lives and property of Ndi Anambra. When he assumed office in 2022, the state was already grappling with a severe insecurity crisis fueled by separatist agitations and criminal elements. Instead of quelling the flames, Soludo’s tenure has seen the inferno spread.

The once peaceful commercial cities of Onitsha, Nnewi, and Ekwulobia have become hotspots for kidnappings, assassinations, and armed robberies. The infamous “Unknown Gunmen” continue to operate with brazen impunity, enforcing illegal sit-at-home orders that have crippled the economy and instilled fear in the populace. Businesses have shut down, investors have fled, and families live in perpetual anxiety. Soludo’s much-touted “security strategy” has been exposed as a paper tiger, long on rhetoric and woefully short on results. His administration has not only failed to tackle insecurity; it has normalized it, leaving the people to fend for themselves in a state of nature where life is, in the words of Thomas Hobbes, “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.”

Governor Soludo loves to talk about his “achievements in infrastructure development and economic growth.” But what is the reality on the ground? His administration is renowned for commissioning the same projects multiple times. A handful of roads constructed in select local governments are paraded as an infrastructural revolution, while the vast majority of the state’s road network remains a death trap of gullies and craters.

His economic policies have been elitist and out of touch. While he touts “one youth, two skills,” this initiative, however well-intentioned, is a drop in the ocean of youth unemployment. It fails to address the systemic collapse of industry and the lack of an enabling environment for businesses to thrive. The claim of “eliminating touting and illegal taxation” by a market woman at his rally is laughable to any trader who still navigates a labyrinth of levies and harassments daily in major markets like Onitsha. The Soludo economy has meant increased hardship, a higher cost of living, and a widening gap between the rich and the poor.

The governor’s free education policy is another populist policy that collapses under scrutiny. While it may have eased financial burdens for some, the quality of education has not seen a commensurate improvement. Schools remain underfunded, classrooms are overcrowded and dilapidated, and teachers are demoralized. Throwing the school gates open without a concurrent, massive investment in educational infrastructure and teacher welfare is not a policy; it is a political gimmick that devalues the very education it claims to promote.

The healthcare sector is in an even more dire state. State-owned hospitals lack basic equipment and drugs, and medical personnel are in constant brain drain. For a former Central Bank Governor who understands the critical role of human capital development, Soludo’s neglect of these foundational sectors is not just a failure; it is a betrayal.

Governor Soludo asks Ndi Anambra to “break the jinx” and give him an “appreciable percentage of votes.” The real jinx that needs breaking is the cycle of underperformance and broken promises by those entrusted with power. His campaign is a masterclass in self-deception, attempting to repackage failure as success.

The enthusiasm at his rallies is not a reflection of his performance but a testament to a well-oiled political machine. On November 8, the true voice of the people must be heard—not in rented crowds, but in the quiet sanctity of the voting booth. Anambra State cannot afford four more years of insecurity, deceptive infrastructure, and economic stagnation. Professor Chukwuma Soludo has had his chance. He has been a huge disappointment. For the sake of our children, our businesses, and our very lives, he does not deserve another. It is time for Anambra to demand better, to vote for a leader who will provide security, foster genuine economic growth, and restore the pride and dignity of our great state. The future of Anambra depends on it.

Jeff Okoroafor is a social accountability advocate and a political commentator focused on governance, accountability, and social justice in West Africa.