Anambra currently on lockdown, I want to liberate it –Chukwuma, YPP candidate

From Aloysius Attah, Onitsha

Chief Paul Chukwuma is the Candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) for the November 8, 2025 governorship election. A former Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in this interview, he speaks on his burning passion to make a difference in the governance of Anambra State if elected governor among other issues affecting the state.

Excerpts:

There seems to be fire on the mountain in Anambra State presently following the brickbats and war of words between the incumbent governor and some of the opponents contesting against him. How do you see the whole scenario?

I have made it very clear from the beginning that I’m not interested in gossip talks and in non-issue based campaigns. I am rather paying attention on issues that are at stake in this election.  I am more interested in explaining to ndi Anambra the reason why I’ve offered myself to serve them as their governor. I am more interested in pointing out the areas the Anambra economic and social ecosystem have been broken and how we intend to fix it. I am more interested in letting ndi Anambra know exactly what I want to do, how I want to do it and the source of funding for several disruptive positive changes I intend to bring on board. I am more interested in overall issue-based campaigns and nothing more, nothing less.

The contest is getting hotter and while on the way to your country home, there is a military checkpoint close by. Are you fortifying yourself security- wise in the event of some security breaches across the state or what, especially considering also the reported attack on the APC candidate in Abuja recently?

There is no military tank anywhere around my area and community but I know that I see security agents on strategic places now in Anambra as I go on my campaigns. For me, I have no fear and nothing to worry myself about personal attack because I have no skeleton in my cupboard but I think the insecurity in Anambra State might have pushed the security agencies to do their mapping and to come up with some of the security points you see. I am not worried about my personal safety because I know I have not done anything that would warrant the visit of ungodly visitors.  I am in this race to win and become the governor. I am not in the race to run a comedy show or brag or say uncomplimentary things about anybody including my co-contestants because I know that come March 17 next year, I will be sworn in as the governor and I will be governor for everybody and anybody. I am not interested in throwing jabs but more interested in explaining to ndi Anambra what I intend to do, how I intend to raise the resources to solve the myriads of problems facing us. As far as I am concerned , the insecurity in Anambra is a fact and I hope that with the mandate of Anambra people and the grace of God, within the first six months of taking over governance of the  state, I’m going to deal squarely with the security  issue and make it a thing of the past. Today is a Monday and everyone is at home in Anambra when we are supposed to be working. These are the issues that need to be tackled. I cannot shy away from speaking the truth and I am confident that God is with me on this journey.

You have been described as a meddlesome interloper by the APGA government following your intervention in assisting the victims of the recent shooting at Onitsha Main Market. How do you react to that and what actually happened about the incident?

I am very much clear in my mind that I have the poetic license to the extent that I understand Basic English words and terminologies. When you use the word meddlesome interloper, I’m taken aback when I hear that such word came from the state government.  I am full blooded Anambra man and our aspiration is to serve Anambra people as their governor. We are supposed to be a society governed by the rule of law and we woke up this particular day and heard that about four or five Anambra people have been shot right inside the market by the state militia. We are talking about agencies of the state government that by law are not supposed to bear arms and here in Anambra state we see these characters not only bearing arms but even carrying prohibited arms.  Their activities, illegal as I must say, resulted in the untimely death of those citizens. On hearing that, who else should be more concerned than the next governor of the state who is more interested in the liberation of the Anambra people? I had no option than to turn my convoy to go and see the victims. We went to the market and calmed the situation but before leaving there, we were told that some of the victims are alive and were taken to the Onitsha General Hospital and we had to go there to see how we can help. But on getting there, for political reasons, they started shutting the doors against us but I told them that my interest was on the safety of the victims and nothing more.  We made arrangement for an ambulance to take one of the victims whom they said they don’t have the facility to treat so he can be transferred to a better facility. It was in that situation that the man whom I later got to know that he is the commissioner for youth affairs in the state had the audacity and effrontery to block the gate to deny us exit because they were used to impunity. I have offered myself to liberate Ndi Anambra from the shackles of maladministration   and to return governance to the people.

Imagine a serving Commissioner blocking the entrance gate, stopping the ambulance conveying the gunshot victim from leaving the hospital to get quality healthcare from a better hospital.  It was at that point that I intervened so that the commissioner can give way for us (ambulance, mother of the victim and my team) to pass. The scenario speaks volume about the madness in the current administration in the state and that’s why we must use every legal and democratic means to pass our message of change to the grassroots so that we can have a new government with the mandate of Ndi Anambra presided by my humble self to correct these anomalies.

Before you joined the governorship race, sentiments about zoning were high. Coming from Anambra North zone, have you been able to break that sentiment and how has it affected your acceptability across the state?

I can tell you with verifiable records about the genuine and organic support we have received and continues to receive across the 21 local government areas of the state. The message is quite clear-Anambra people are tired of the primordial sentiments of zoning. They want to have their state back and I’ve committed to that and by the special grace of God, I will change the narrative in such a way that the state presently on lockdown, will be set free and returned back to the people. One of the steps to do that is to make sure that the local government administration is made to work in the state.