By Maduabuchi Dukor
Anambra State consociational democracy rooted in power-sharing among the three senatorial zones has stabilized the polity with the incumbent Governor, Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo, in the middle of his consociational democratic tenure, leading the state to the sublime socio-economic transformation ever witnessed before in the history of the state. As the headwinds of political greed, inordinate ambition of politicians and party politics threaten the shared and peaceful tradition of Gubernatorial rotational cycle among the people of Anambra state, the balance of power, people’s general will, the development trajectory, equity and peace are all about to be rubbished.
Since 2014, the people of Anambra state have navigated the political logjam of sectional inhibition in the body politics by agreeing to the rotational power-sharing pact among the three senatorial zones (North, Central, South). Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo as the incumbent governor, representing the the south senatorial zone is a product of this arrangement. Anambra State’s democratic balance and enduring polity, built on the unwritten but widely respected principle of rotational leadership, have delivered relative peace, inclusion, and remarkable progress. At the helm of this balance today is Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, from Anambra south senatorial zone, whose administration has become synonymous with developmental clarity and people-centered governance. However, the steady winds of equitable progress now face turbulence from those who prioritize ambition over agreement, and politics over peace. Incidentally,
A society with structural differences in terms climatology, demography, vocations, history and culture like Anambra state would always be conscious of their differences and allow these impinge on their political desserts, aggregation and ballot boxes. For peace, inclusion and equity, Governor Peter Obi, on the threshold of the end of his 8 year tenure factored consociational democracy as a safety valve against political marginalization of the disadvantaged in any form. This model was designed for three zones in three turns for peace and equity. Hence, in real politics, as historical records have shown, previous governors are the brides of this consociationalism, namely; Chinwoke Mbadinuju (South), Chris Ngige/Peter Obi (Central), Willie Obiano (North), Soludo (South). While not legally codified, the power rotation agreement in Anambra acts as a social contract, ensuring that no region feels permanently excluded from governance. It has helped avoid destabilizing rivalry, kept elections largely peaceful, and built a political culture of fairness. It is in this climate that Soludo emerged—not as a fluke, but as a product of structured consensus.
For three year now, the society and polity of Anambra state has been the flashpoint of good governance and blueprint and model of progressive state in Nigeria. This, driven by Soludo’s signature policies, namely, Infrastructure expansion, E-governance and digital economy, education reform, Youth empowerment and job creation, environmental initiatives (urban regeneration, flood control), backed with vision, data, and discipline, in contrast to transactional politics, represents what we call Soludo humanism. It’s an archetype of moral philosophy of governance and development and service to humanity, inclusion, fiscal responsibility, long-term planning. Soludo Humanism is not mere rhetoric. It is a grounded, reformist approach to governance that prioritizes the human capital of Ndi Anambra and for future generations. It is governance with moral clarity in an age of political opportunism.
In the face of what one can rationally surmise as a progressive state in the mist of other states in Nigeria still wobbly in infrastructural innovations, should truncation of Soludo’s eight(8) tenure be justified on any ground? Certainly, not on the basis of any legitimate consent of the same people that brokered power-sharing pact. The de facto coup, as the early scheming and campaigns to replace Soludo before his zonal tenure is completed suggests, creates unsuspecting doubts about the credibility of all institutions of law, justice and elections in the country. The sudden appetite to truncate Soludo’s tenure is not just a political miscalculation it is an assault on Anambra’s collective intelligence.
If the power-sharing equilibrium collapses, what comes next may be not just disorder, breakdown of trust between zones, return of instability, truncation of reforms and projects, undermining of democratic will, but the erosion of democratic legitimacy
The body polity of Anambra state now is an elixir for the preservation of the consociational model of democracy and Soludo’s mandate. Devoid of personal appetite and sectional or religious prebendal politics, here lies the moral high ground for continuity in governance to realize long-term plans and maintain peace and legitimacy. It’s a tempting, but is a moral test for political actors to honor the pact or betray the people. This moment calls for wisdom over warfare, consensus over conspiracy. The political elite must rise above petty calculations and preserve the fragile gains of inclusive democracy. To derail or undermine Soludo is to derail or undermine Anambra’s future.
True to operation of principles of moral duty to civility or responsibility and moral duty to natural duty of justice in a plural society like Anambra state, conscientious and actionable modalities driven by the people in the protection of their destiny demands a sense of urgency.
Citizens, civil society, traditional rulers and political actors have it as a duty to democracy. Anambra has shown Nigeria that democracy can work when justice leads and equity governs. Soludo represents the best of that promise. Let us not allow short-term ambition to destroy a legacy that could shape generations. Consociational democracy matters. Soludo humanism matters. The future of Anambra depends on it.
• Prof. Dukor is president/Editor-in-Chief of ESSENCE LIBRARY (Cultural and Scientific Dev Centre), Department of Philosophy, UNIZIK