From Aloysius Attah, Onitsha
Hon. Chinedu Obidigwe represented Anambra East and West Federal Constituency in the National Assembly from 2019 to 2023. A grassroots politician who has been involved in Anambra politics for over two decades now, Odidigwe, in this interview, speaks about the politics of the next governorship election in the state and declared that the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and Governor Chukwuma Soludo remain unbeatable.
As political gladiators warm up towards November 8, 2025 Governorship election in Anambra State, opinions are divided on whether or not Governor Soludo deserve a re-election, with some clamouring for a new occupant. What’s your take on this?
I laugh at those pretending to be in the contest for the position of Anambra Governor for this year’s governorship election. This is because even the pretenders are very much conscious of the fact that Governor Chukwuma Soludo has graciously kept all his electioneering campaign promises in the overall interest of Ndi Anambra and I wonder what anybody who is trying to unseat him is going to do differently. It should be emphasised that Governor Soludo has proven to be tested and trusted in all ramifications without any iota of equivocation and the summary is that there is absolutely no need for better when best is possible.
Soludo is the best so far and he remains more focused in impacting positively on the lives of Ndi Anambra, hence, there is no need to look further when the best is here with us. He can be described as a true democrat, a statesman and an agent of desirable development who is building a smart city homeland and turning Anambra State from a point of departure to a destination point in the Sub-Saharan Africa.
You are praising the governor but the critics are of the view that the governor just like the everyday politician has failed to deliver in his African Dubai Taiwan promise?
Governor Soludo is not your everyday politician. He is a statesman instead. There are huge disparities between a politician and a statesman. Some politicians cut the picture of those who would do anything to get elected or to gain power while a statesman is one who strive to work for the common good of the people he or she is serving. For one to be addressed as a statesman is a mark of high regard and honour for that person’s integrity, and this is actually what Governor Soludo represents. He looks beyond the present, considers the future and welfare of the society and makes comprehensive and futuristic plans in the interest of the people and this paints a vivid picture of what the Soludo administration is to the people of Anambra State.
No society can achieve democratic sustainability without the presence of law and order and it was an American lawyer, Clarence Darrow (1857-1938) who posited thus; “As long as the world shall last, there will be wrongs, and if no man objected and if no man rebelled, those wrongs would last forever.” Going by the above, it is obviously important to reiterate that Soludo remains the liberator with the strong political will to utilise the instruments of state power towards the restoration of security, law and order and above all initiated pragmatic laws to ensure the true sanitisation of our society.
That takes me to the issue of security in the state. The Soludo administration has been criticised for acting late in tackling various security breaches in the state. The launch of Operation -Udo –ga – Achi has also attracted criticisms and praises too. What is your reaction to this?
Since the launch of Operation Udo Ga Chi Security Operations, the ranting of fifth columnists have become a thing of history, hence, it has put a stop to those falsehood and innuendos of our state being unsafe as investors are now coming in droves to partner with Ndi Anambra. In the words of Martin Luther King, Jr; “An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.” This particular quote indeed exemplifies the mindset of Governor Chukwuma Soludo when he stepped into office and this is made manifest in his choice of a team devoid of sectional, parochial and primordial sentiments of the past.
Governor Soludo chose not to be marooned by the waters of nepotism, hence, choosing the best irrespective of where they come from and this also reflected in the employment scheme that drew all the six geopolitical zones into the good governance of Anambra State by seeking simply the best. His footprints in office cuts across all sectors and this has laid credence to the turning of Anambra State into a huge construction site and virtually all the 21 Local Government Areas are currently receiving attention as it concerns road infrastructure. Similarly, Youths empowerment, job creation, security, agricultural revolution, and improved welfarism has been part of the hallmark of his administration. For an administration that is doing all these, criticism is surely drowned and swallowed.
Some politicians are saying that there is no zoning in place in Anambra and that the next governor can come from anywhere. Do you share the same view?
Zoning is very much in place in Anambra and it has come to stay in the governorship political arrangement. Governor Soludo is of Anambra South Senatorial District of Anambra State whose first term in office is expected to end by March, 17th 2026, hence, in line with the zoning principles in the state which has been maintained for over two decades, he should be supported to complete his eight years term counting from March 2026. There is no controversy over this. The zoning principle is in the interest of equity, justice and fairness, but besides zoning, he (Soludo) has performed creditably well beyond the expectations of Ndi Anambra in less than three years in office and still counting; hence he deserves an uninterrupted second term in office. Besides, if any candidate other than Governor Soludo from Anambra South Senatorial District emerges the winner of the November 2025 gubernatorial election, he or she would distort the zoning arrangements by attempting to serve for eight years. This unlikely development would end up ruining the turn of both Anambra Central and North thereby destroying the established arrangement. This, no doubt, reinforces my earlier assertion that there is no need for better when best is possible in Soludo. The good people of Anambra State irrespective of political party affiliations should just do the needful on November 8, 2025 by supporting and voting for the APGA government, led by Prof Charles Chukwuma Soludo, CFR, to continue and complete his second term because he is competent, credible and reliable in the business of administration and governance.
How would you describe Governor Soludo’s administration in Anambra within the last three years he has been in office?
Governor Soludo’s three years in office has not only been impactful in an all -inclusive manner but an era that has turned dreams into reality. He is a visionary leader and transformational administrator whose re-election bid is sacrosanct in the best interest of Ndi Anambra both at home and in diaspora. The administration operates an all- inclusive distribution of democratic dividends. Look at the massive road construction projects across the state, including Odene Aguleri to Aguleri Otu leading to the Orient petroleum and numerous others which is targeted towards giving access to communities that lack access to basic social amenities. I have concrete reasons and evidential arguments to urge ndi Anambra irrespective of political affiliations to stand firm in support of the APGA government in Anambra State which has continued to deliver democratic dividends to the people of the state.
How do you feel about your recent endorsement by your people to return to the green chambers even when 2027 is still far away?
Well, I think it is clear that I know my people and my people also knows me. We know what happened down here during the 2023 General Elections and the rest is history so I wouldn’t want to repeat stating the obvious. We have a bond in Anambra East and West Federal Constituency and representation is about the people. Well, it is heartwarming that my people have endorsed me for the next election, and this would be a continuation of the empowerment of our people, and all those projects that appear abandoned would come on stream again when we return to the National Assembly. By the grace of God, we would further revive the populist representation of the zone which we brought to bear when we first had the opportunity to serve them.