Anambra Deserves Better Than a Governor at War With Its Own Son, by Charles A. Agbakwu

When a governor spends more energy arguing with a former governor than fixing his own state, voters should ask why. Governor Chukwuma Soludo has made Peter Obi, the Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate, a frequent target. His government disputes Obi’s claim to have left more than ₦75 billion in savings, and says Obi’s administration took eight external loans worth $123.7 million, with $92.35 million still outstanding. Obi rejects that. Meanwhile, Soludo backs President Bola Tinubu’s re-election. This is a politics of anti-Nigeria perspective, dressed up as economics.

A Feud With a Long Memory

APGA founder Chekwas Okorie says Soludo’s hostility to Obi traces to Obi’s 2010 victory over him, Soludo’s disqualification from the 2013 APGA governorship primary, and the 2023 Anambra Central Senate contest, which Victor Umeh went on to win on the Labour Party platform.

Soludo has confirmed the 2013 disqualification himself. The motives are Okorie’s account, but Okorie has publicly called Soludo’s conduct a vendetta that “must stop.” Obi, for his part, says he would embrace Soludo if they met. Governing is about schools, roads and safety, not old scores.

Choosing Stagnation

Supporting Tinubu is not a neutral choice. It means backing an administration that critics say has presided over rising hardship, murky finances and the elite recycling that has held Nigeria back for decades.

When a governor asks Ndigbo to line up behind that, he asks them to accept stagnation as normal. Igbo progress has always come from industry, honesty and building from the ground up.

Drains, Gullies and Grief

On Tuesday, September 22, a bus carrying schoolchildren was trapped and overturned in floodwater at Isiagu, Awka South. Nine people were rescued, but six-year-old Success Ezenwafor was swept away. His body was recovered the next morning.

Soludo mourned him and urged residents to clear drains, control runoff and plant trees. Personal responsibility matters, but it cannot replace public drainage. Critics are right to ask what the state’s plan is for roads and channels where a child can be lost on the way to school.

Erosion tells the same story. In Awka, Senator Victor Umeh says homes have collapsed into widening gullies, and he has asked the federal government to declare Anambra Central an ecological disaster zone.

In July, at least six buildings were destroyed in Oraifite, and a rights group says erosion in Ugo has killed at least 10 people over a decade.

The state says it is inspecting sites and seeking federal and NEWMAP funding. But residents say the gullies grow with every rainfall. Erosion is an old problem, but Soludo has governed since 2022. Four years is long enough to show a plan.

Insecurity Still Stalks Anambra

In mid-September, police reported that over one month they had rescued three kidnap victims and arrested 57 suspects for kidnapping, armed robbery, cult violence, murder and other crimes. That shows active policing, and it shows how much crime remains.

In one recent case, police say a victim was held for three days while ₦7 million was withdrawn from his accounts.

Then came Aguleri and Umuoba-Anam. A dispute over a signpost and security cameras near the Otuocha market boundary left five people dead, homes and rice mills burnt, and the Aguleri traditional ruler’s palace destroyed. Residents fled.

The government closed the market, imposed security measures and, this week, brokered a ceasefire and announced a judicial commission of inquiry. That deserves credit.

But these steps came after funerals. The real test is whether the commission produces enforceable boundary decisions, and whether the perpetrators are prosecuted. Prevention is the first job of security.

Priorities: Fun City or Safe Streets?

Contracts worth ₦2.43 billion were approved for Solution Fun City, an amusement and water park opened in June 2025 and commissioned by President Tinubu himself.

The government calls it a flagship project to attract private investment and tourism. Critics ask why a state with failing drainage and eroding communities spent on leisure first, and why a second airport has also been a priority.

Residents should decide whether leisure or lifesaving infrastructure should come first.

The Case for Integrity

Nigeria needs leaders whose records invite scrutiny rather than fearing it.

Obi says he left more than $150 million in savings and no burden of debt. He says the loans were concessionary, World Bank-linked support, and records from the Debt Management Office show $30.32 million in external debt at the end of 2013.

His critics dispute his figures. Fine: both governments should publish audited records and let Nigerians judge. What Nigeria cannot afford is a choice based on who has the loudest press office.

Anambra Has Already Spoken

In 2023, Anambra voters handed Obi an overwhelming presidential victory, even though Soludo’s own party, APGA, had a candidate in the race.

That tells us who the people trust to speak for them nationally. Holding office is not the same as owning the people’s hearts.

Our Traditional Rulers and the Honor of Anambra

Anambra’s traditional institutions are guardians of Igbo dignity, and no governor speaks for them by default.

Soludo’s alliance with a federal government that many Ndigbo feel has sidelined the South-East is his political decision, not a collective Igbo one.

Our royal fathers, now working to calm Aguleri and Umuoba-Anam, deserve honor and support, not use as props in a campaign.

The Choice

Respect in Anambra is earned, not decreed. Peter Obi still draws trust and warmth across the state because people see consistency in him.

Nigeria’s next chapter should be decided by competence and character. Will we cheer for a politics of resentment, or stand for integrity?

Charles A. Agbakwu, Sr., JD, is a lawyer, registered nurse, systems engineer, estate agent and developer, and chairman of The Victoria Foundation. The views expressed are his own.