“It is common for an office-seeker to become a lamb just before an election and then transform into a wolf after his victory. ” ―Ebuka Onyekwelu
Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo is a brand name. No matter what reservations anyone may have, the reality is that Soludo is a big name and a brand that has endured for decades. A true example of how the pursuit of knowledge can transform the fortunes of an individual for generations.
Since his exit as CBN Governor, he has desired to govern Anambra state, albeit unsuccessful. Undeterred, he has soldiered on. Over these years, he has also worked on becoming accessible and slowly moving from an elitist professor of economics, to becoming just Chukwuma Soludo from Isuofia, willing to understand how these things work with our people. Sadly, the much he tries, the more the stigma of elitism festers. No one can say for sure if he is merely lurking, awaiting the right time to stir elitism again, by the time he arrives. To be fair, this is common among public office seekers. It is common for an office-seeker to become a lamb just before an election and then transform into a wolf after his victory. Yet, we do know that people genuinely change and become better than they were before. Improve their communication and interpersonal skills, become more humane and humble.
Now back to focus. For Prof. Soludo, I am inclined to predict that this contest is the biggest test not only to his brand but also for him as a person. Somehow, many people believe Soludo will not make it. Hardly any politician you talk to see any future in Soludo’s political life. Most people who support his gubernatorial ambition today are simply doing so because of other people of influence and not because of Soludo. Now, it may appear as if the ship of Soludo’s ambition will capsize before it gets to the shores, but, well, experience teaches that sometimes, what we thought had no chances of pulling through, do pull through. Although for Soludo, the major challenge is not if he loses the election or fails to secure APGA’s ticket, no. The problem might begin if he wins. The high stakes, the current realities. These are severe threats, that pose existential danger to his brand and of which if dissipated, cannot be rebuilt because he will be too old to start afresh.
The big question is, will Soludo be able to, in the coming years as Governor of Anambra state, remain a brand? I make bold to say that Chukwuma Soludo has a lot to lose if he becomes governor of Anambra state and fails to work. And by work I mean not just the regular kind of political performance, but distinguished re-engineering of governance, massive infrastructure development and capacity building. Soludo will not be praised for road construction. He will certainly not be congratulated for streetlights. And definitely, not for salary payments.
So if it happens that Soludo becomes the next Governor, he will be measured against a pedestal that is comprehensively novel, because he is a brand and the fear is if the brand survives our politics, will it survive possible self-annihilation or excuses in the event of failure?
In fairness, some of these are credible demands much as they are politically driven.
Already, there are demands for accountability with a memorial hospital in the name of Soludo’s late mother in his village, Isuofia. There are demands to mention, possibly publish a list of those whom he helped to secure employment as CBN Governor. Or for that matter, anyone he helped at all during his tenure as CBN Governor. In fact, he is also asked to mention just one intervention project anywhere in Anambra state as CBN Governor. In fairness, some of these are credible demands much as they are politically driven. But again, this is common among Igbo elites. Most of them cannot pride themselves on raising anyone. They are comfortably excused from the realities in their villages. They tuck themselves and their families away in Europe, or America, or Abuja, Lagos, or Portharcourt and visit home once in a while. Nothing that bothers their kinsmen affects them. They will not give jobs or mentorship to youngsters, not scholarships, not roads, not lights, not hope, nothing.
Notwithstanding, Soludo is still a brand, and this remains the true position.
Most, if not all Igbo elites are exactly like this. Big names, well-positioned but completely detached from their people, with absolutely no addition, sometimes to their own extended families. And so if Soludo did not use his position in the past to serve our people, he merely did the usual and which can be overlooked. True to it, it has been overlooked all along because it is the norm. The only reason it matters now is that this is politics. Notwithstanding, Soludo is still a brand, and this remains the true position.
However, if he fails to change the narrative of governance upon election as Anambra’s Governor, then Soludo has betrayed his brand, and this will stay with him till the end, even afterlife. Beyond politics, Soludo stands to lose more if he wins. And he will have no time left to redeem himself as he will be nearing his late 70s assuming he governs Anambra state for two terms of eight years.
♦ Ebuka Onyekwelu, strategic governance exponent, is a columnist with the WAP
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