“How has the current administration utilized Anambra’s comparative advantage in commerce and industry?” —Ebuka Onyekwelu
In a few months, the 2025 Anambra State governorship election would take full shape. Only two days ago, there were reports that the senator representing Anambra South senatorial zone, Dr. Ifeanyi Ubah, has expressed an interest to contest the number one political office in Anambra State. Sen. Ubah is expected to mount his bid on the stables of the All Progressives Congress – APC. Meanwhile, Governor Chukwuma Soludo, the incumbent Anambra State governor, would also bid for his second term in office on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance – APGA, the party that has been in power in the state for nearly two decades.
By its current reputation, APGA, it would appear to kin observers, has lost enormous goodwill for so many reasons. First, the governor does not seem to be particularly at home with the toga of APGA as “Igbo people’s party.” Interestingly, so far, he has not revealed the alternative direction that the party must follow. Secondly, the governor does not seem to agree with the ethos or political choices of Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, APGA’s eternal leader. To put this differently, it would appear that Governor Soludo does not agree with an APGA that is wrapped around Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu. This can be seen in how Dim’s portrait disappeared from APGA’s uniform since Soludo took over. Furthermore, earlier, during Soludo’s swearing-in two years and a month ago, somehow, Ojukwu failed to make it to his list of statesmen and former political leaders from the Southeast, whom he paid glowing tribute to at different times in his first speech as governor. Since he emerged as the governor of Anambra State and the third APGA governor in the state, it is unclear if Professor Chukwuma Soludo has attended any public function in APGA’s uniform. Many party members also claim that the governor is not sponsoring the party. This might be complex, but what is certain is that APGA no longer has regular rallies. The implication is that it is hardly in doubt if APGA is having a remarkable downtime, to the extent that the party’s leaders might now be unsure of their membership. Even the governor might also not be sure of who is still in APGA and who is not. This is a political suicide in waiting, to put it mildly. Worst still, this is happening only about eighteen months before the governorship election. As disturbing as this may be, it is still just only a part of the story.
Soludo’s performance hovers around routine feat by regular Nigerian state governors.
Beyond the apparent weak position of the incumbent’s political party, there is a more distressing concern that the governor has not performed as expected by many. Despite the high hope, the governor’s performance hovers around routine feat by regular Nigerian state governors. When the governor marked his two years in office about a month ago, the major achievements of the government in two years are; road construction, many of which are still undergoing different levels of work. The second is the employment of teachers and medical personnel, and finally, the free antenatal and delivery at government hospitals. Then in terms of infrastructure, what the government has to show is the new Government House and Governor’s lodge under construction. None of these achievements dressed in beautiful apparel during presentation at the commemoration of the two years in office, are worth their while in real terms. Anambra’s comparative advantage is commerce and industry. The big question is, in what tangible and realistic ways has the current administration commenced deliberate efforts towards taking full benefit of Anambra’s comparative advantage in commerce and industry? Many of the roads constructed by the government have no immediate economic relevance. The commercial town of Nnewi has been nearly abandoned in the past two years. Every road directly leading to any Nnewi market is completely dilapidated. All major markets in Anambra state are still fundamentally chaotic, dirty, and in utter disarray. Nothing new is happening. There is no significant and intentional effort to cultivate the huge commercial potential in Anambra State as one of the State’s natural route to advancement. Instead, there have been allegations of scramble for shops that would be sold at high costs by politicians to traders in various markets. The summary is that Prof. Soludo’s government has not impressed people based on work on the ground, so far. There are also security concerns that have severely affected commercial activities in the state and there is no clarity on how the government intends to restore confidence.
It is patent that money would play a key role
And so, as the gubernatorial election draws even closer, it is patent that money would play a key role. There is little doubt that the incumbent governor may not have money problems for obvious reasons. However, the election would be heavily contested. It is going to be an open contest. Aside from preparations by challengers who are working hard to change eighteen years of APGA dominance of gubernatorial election in Anambra State, an uneasy feat; the people of Anambra State might, as it is looking, decide to try their luck somewhere else.
Anambra voters must be decisive in ensuring that whoever emerges winner of next year’s governorship election, emerges through a well-contested election in which contenders are given a fair hearing based on what they have done or can do, especially in harnessing Anambra’s commercial and industrial potentials.
