Anambra 2025: 5 Reasons Soludo May Lose Second Term Bid
- As time inches close to the end of Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo’s first term as governor of Anambra state, various intrigues and power plays have become visible
- In 2025, the people of Anambra will be returning to the polls to either re-elect incumbent Governor Soludo whose tenure will end this year (2025) or elect a new helmsman
- Ahead of the governorship election, many salient political issues have come to the front burner with the various challenges and obstacles staring the governor in the face
TheTalk.NG journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering politics and elections in Nigeria.
Awka, Anambra state – Although supporters of Charles Soludo, governor of Anambra, posit that he has no contender in the 2025 election in the state, anything is possible in politics.
In this report, TheTalk.NG highlights some factors that may contribute to a possible Soludo loss.
Governor Charles Soludo is anticipating the victory of his party, APGA, in the 2025 Anambra state governorship election.Source: Facebook
1) Religious politics
Religious politics has remained dominant in Anambra, and this plays a major role in who becomes governor of the state. Since the return of democracy in 1999, the church in Anambra has played roles in the emergence of governors.
And in this, the Catholic Church has always had an upper hand. Save for Chinwoke Mbadinuju who was elected in 1999, every other Anambra governor has either been a Catholic or Anglican.
These two have remained the dominant religious bodies in the state, and they are not unaware of their own powers. They deploy them to make kings.
Soludo (centre) with some clerics in November 2024.
Photo credit: @CCSoludoSource: Twitter
Soludo, the incumbent, was himself elected on the basis of his being a Catholic, and it was not by mistake that he chose an Anglican, Onyekachi Ibezim, as his running mate.
But in early 2024, Governor Soludo had a spat with priests of the Catholic Church.
The burial law prohibiting the staging of flamboyant funeral ceremonies in Anambra state pitched the Catholic church against Governor Soludo. Soludo threatened to impose a fine on the Obimma family for ‘flamboyantly’ celebrating the funeral ceremonies of Ezinne Grace Obimma, mother of Reverend Father Emmanuel Obimma. Rev. Fr. Obimma is the spiritual director of the Holy Ghost Adoration Ministry, Uke, in Ndemili South Council area of the state.
TheTalk.NG recalls that there is an existing law against lavish burial ceremonies in Anambra, enacted during the administration of the immediate past governor of the state, Willie Obiano.
Soludo had during the requiem Mass for the late Ezinne Obimma, blamed the family, particularly Charles Obimma, who was a member of the legislature that passed the state burial law in 2019, for an over-shooting limit of burial expenses prescribed by the law.
Countering the governor, the priest flayed Soludo for stepping into an area he allegedly had no jurisdiction, asking him to respect the boundaries or principles of separation of jurisdiction.
Though the matter had been managed amicably, it is still believed that Soludo’s temerity to speak to priests in such a manner may not be something to go away so easily. If the Catholic Church which Soludo is also a part of decides to fight him, his chances of survival may be slim.
2) Disillusionment over 2024 Anambra LG polls
Members of the opposition condemned the 2024 Anambra local government (LG) election as APGA swept all 21 chairmanship and councillorship seats.
Critics said by blessing the election, Soludo is guilty of undemocratic tactics aimed at frustrating opposition parties in Anambra state.
3) Alleged attempt to ‘circumvent’ LG autonomy
In October 2024, the Labour Party (LP) caucus in the national assembly accused Governor Soludo of trying to “circumvent” the Supreme Court’s ruling on local government (LG) autonomy. This is despite the governor insisting he is not trying to undermine the LG’s autonomy.
The caucus, led by LP senator Tony Nwoye from Anambra, made the allegation against Soludo at a press conference in Abuja.
Nwoye expressed displeasure over moves by the governor to enact state and local government joint account law. According to him, such a move was aimed at circumventing the landmark Supreme Court judgment on financial autonomy for local government.
4) Dwindling political fortune of APGA
Many political analysts believe that the political fortune of APGA has dwindled in Anambra state and her chances of a smooth or massive rise to power are now greatly depleted.
Time has passed since 2006 when APGA first governed Anambra state and many events have taken place. The foundation of the party has been shaken, giving way to lots of bickering among stakeholders within the party.
5) APC and LP threats
As Soludo swims through the turbulent waters, his woes seem to have been compounded by the seeming scheming of two major political parties in Anambra state ahead of his possible return to the Government House in 2025.
The recent defection of a strong politician, Uche Ekwunife, from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), has further fueled speculations that the party (APC) at the national level may have concluded plans to wrest power from Soludo and his APGA.
Though APC in Anambra state has been grappling with an internal crisis, Ekwunife’s entrance has been viewed by many as a turning point in the party.
With Peter Obi’s image still looming large in the political landscape of Anambra, many believe that Valentine Ozigbo, who gave Soludo a run in the last election on the platform of the PDP, may be coming back for a serious fight now on a new platform (LP) having resigned his membership of PDP.
Anambra 2025: Former Abuja LG chairman joins APC
Earlier, TheTalk.NG reported that the former Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) chairman, Nicholas Ukachukwu (Ikukuoma), joined the APC in Anambra state ahead of the 2025 governorship election.
Ukachukwu declared his ambition to contest for the November 8, 2025, governorship election in the state.
Source: TheTalk.NG
