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Having won the November 6 Anambra gubernatorial election, Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo is the toast of the town now. Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) polled 112,229 votes to defeat his closest rival, the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Mr. Valentine Ozigbo, who got 53,807 votes. Senator Andy Uba of the All Progressives Congress (APC) came third with 43,285 votes while Senator Ifeanyi Ubah of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) came a distant fourth with 21,261 votes. Soludo won in 19 out of the 21 local governments in the state.
He is the man of the moment. He represents the new face of Anambra politics, the emergence of intellectuals and technocrats in politics and being at the seat of power. Soludo’s resounding victory at the poll has justified the axiom that if at first you don’t succeed, try, try, and try again. From the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Soludo has transited to being the governor of a state, though now officially designated governor-elect until sworn in early next year, when Chief Willie Obiano will take a final bow after ruling the state for eight years. Soludo’s journey to Agu-Awka was not so rosy or straight forward as some people may think. It was tortuous, full of thorns and intrigues. He saw fire and crossed many rivers, forests and mountains before hitting the coveted trophy. That journey was not a tea party. Nigeria’s political turf is so rough that some intellectuals have distanced themselves from what they regard as a dirty game played by saints, sinners and demons. To many intellectuals and technocrats, our politics is not for decent people. Soludo, a former professor of economics at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, came into national limelight when he was appointed economic adviser to President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2003. Later, Obasanjo appointed him the governor of the CBN in 2004.
As the CBN boss, Soludo carried out the most ambitious but successful banking consolidation or restructuring in the history of the country. By his timely intervention, he saved many Nigerian banks from collapsing. His term at the CBN expired in 2009 and he was not reappointed. Having tasted power at the federal level, Soludo joined politics and picked the PDP governorship nomination form in 2010. He came third in the election of that year which Peter Obi of APGA won and Dr. Chris Ngige of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) came second. After some period in the PDP, Soludo joined APGA as a vehicle of realizing his political ambition.
His first attempt was vehemently opposed by those who may consider him as a threat, an outsider. Notwithstanding that he was denied APGA ticket, he persevered and with assurances from Governor Willie Obiano, the rest, as we say in this part of the world, is now history. Soludo is having the last laugh having demonstrated patience and resilience. He waited for his turn and campaigned vigorously and fought the electoral battle valiantly and now victory is his. Soludo’s victory is for Ndi Anambra and even Ndigbo, who see him as a rising star in the horizon. They see him as a new moon in their firmament. The outcome of the November 6 poll represents the wishes of the Anambra electorate, including that woman who refused the gift of N5,000 offered by a certain political party and voted according to her conscience. It is commendable that the votes of the people counted and were made to count.
We commend the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agents who provided adequate security during and after the exercise. Although the poll witnessed minor glitches and infractions such as vote buying, we hope these lapses will be addressed in future elections. For the electoral umpire, the upcoming off-season polls in Ekiti and Osun states will offer it ample opportunity to rectify the lapses of Anambra poll.
Soludo won because of so many factors. There is divine hand in his victory. Besides, he was the best candidate among the candidates. The APGA platform also helped his cause tremendously as well as the overwhelming support from the incumbent governor, Chief Willie Obiano, the Akpokuodike of Aguleri.
No doubt, Obiano has implicit confidence in Soludo and sold him to the people. Despite initial hiccups and sundry court cases, Obiano didn’t waver. He campaigned for him and put everything into the battle until victory came. The atmosphere and other elements, including the gods of the land favoured Soludo.
For everyman under the heaven, there is time for everything. There is time for defeat and time for victory. For Soludo, this is his time for victory songs. This is time for victory dance. It is good that the best candidate won. That can explain why his major opponents conceded defeat and congratulated him. President Muhammadu Buhari and Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, have congratulated the winner.
There are some contestants who may want to challenge the outcome of the election in court. For such people, they are free to do so. It is within their constitutional powers to do so. Going to the electoral tribunal is even part of the electoral process. However, they should bear in mind that going to court in a poll that was generally adjudged to be free, fair, transparent and credible by observers is sheer waste of time and dissipation of energy and it will amount to nothing at the end of the day.
Moreover, our politicians must learn to accept defeat and congratulate the winner. There can be only a winner in any election. If you didn’t win in this season, you might be lucky next time. Our politics should be devoid of rancor and bitterness. Anambra politics has been stable since APGA took over the state through Peter Obi from Chris Ngige through the courts. Before, Anambra politics was turbulent and dominated by rent seekers and fortune diggers. Its politics was transactional and the return on investment was so high at the detriment of the people.
For Soludo, there are lots of work ahead based on his promise of making Anambra another Dubai and the Japan of Africa. Just as he has declared, he must therefore hit the ground running considering the enormity of the tasks ahead. He must remodel Onitsha, Awka and Nnewi and make them resemble modern cities with high rise buildings. Since Anambra is one of the least endowed states in terms of land mass, effective management of available land has become imperative.
The Soludo administration must holistically address poverty and unemployment, the major two triggers of violence and insecurity in the state, the South East and the entire country. He needs a crack team that will key into his vision of a new Anambra, which will serve as a model for Nigeria. His government should not distance itself from the people that gave him the power to preside over them. In other words, his government should be people-centred.
While ensuring continuity, especially in the execution of ongoing projects, he should take the state to the next level. He should take some developmental lessons from Lagos, Rivers and some other states. There are many lessons other South East states must learn from Anambra politics. One lesson is the quality of candidates for the election. Another is the peoples approach to electing their preferred candidate and voting for the right person.
