“APGA must now compete on its own merit about what it can exclusively offer.” —Ebuka Onyekwelu
So far, no fewer than seven aspirants have picked their Nomination and Expression of Interest forms from the National Secretariat of the All Progressives Congress – APC, ahead of the party’s primary on April 6th, and the General Election on November 8, 2025. According to the party’s timetable, the sale of forms to aspirants for the coming Anambra governorship election ends on Tuesday, February 25th, 2025.
The APC now has aspirants from every part of Anambra State. Sir Paul Chukwuma is the party’s only aspirant from the Anambra North zone, while Professor Obiora Okonkwo is the party’s sole aspirant from Anambra Central. Five of the seven aspirants of the APC are from Anambra South senatorial zone. They are; Engr. Jonbosco Onunkwo, Hon. Chukwuma Umeoji, Chief Edozie Madu, Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu, and Mr. Valentine Ozigbo, the latest entrant into the party.
For the Labour Party, only two aspirants have picked the party’s Nomination and Expression of Interest forms and both are from Nnewi North local government in Anambra South zone. They are; Mr. John Nwosu and Dr. George Muoghalu, a former APC chieftain. However, for the ruling APGA, it is not easily clear if anyone else is interested in the contest to challenge the incumbent. Interestingly, for the PDP which was once the ruling party in the State, just a few days ago, they announced March 7 for the commencement of the purchase of forms by aspirants. But indeed, nothing suggests that the party will be a factor in the coming governorship election in the state. Some of its members have moved to APC and APGA, while others have moved to YPP.
In a general sense, it does appear that the APC has just so much going on with the November governorship election in Anambra State. Only about three weeks ago, the APC received its National Chairman, Dr. Ganduje Abudullahi Umar, who visited to commission the new State Secretariat of the party. The party’s National Chairman was well received, along with some members of the National Working Committee of the party, in a highly successful event with a massive turnout. Beyond that, the APC aspirants have been remarkably engaging both at the grassroots, state, and at national levels through national television appearances. Effectively, the aspirants of the APC are shaping up the conversations ahead of the November election in Anambra State.
In a recent television outing, Sir Paul Chukwuma said that the APGA government led by Prof. Soludo has been abysmal in performance. He also accused APGA of blackmailing the APC by playing APC in Abuja but castigating the party back in Anambra State. According to Sir Paul, “APGA pledge allegiance to APC in Abuja and come back to Anambra to label APC as Boko Haram party.” By this, Chukwuma shot a direct arrow at APGA’s strategy of retaining power in Anambra State. The truth is that APGA’s biggest advantage in any Anambra governorship election is the nod they (APGA) get from the presidency. The achieve this, APGA plays a double standard of sorts claiming to be with the government at the centre in Abuja, but in Anambra, they attack the president’s party and claim it doesn’t exist and that the federal government is the problem of Nigeria and why the state can’t do much for the people. This pattern is consistent with all APGA governments in Anambra State. Former Anambra State Governor, Mr. Peter Obi was the one who initiated this with former President Goodluck Jonathan. Peter Obi made President Jonathan of the PDP the candidate of APGA in the 2011 General Election. This approach must have been informed after he nearly lost his seat during President Obasanjo’s era. In those days, after President Obasanjo’s visit, Obi was impeached by the Anambra Assembly dominated by the PDP, the president’s party. Subsequently, Obi embraced the government at the centre and used that as a shield for the seat of Government in Anambra and it worked. When he left, Governor Obiano fully embraced President Buhari who came to power in 2015, and did the same thing his predecessor did and it worked. President Buhari was the main APGA candidate in 2019, under the cover of Gen. Gbor, whom APGA used as a facade presidential candidate. Today, similar moves have been identified to be what the current Governor, Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo, is trying to do. Yet, Soludo’s appointees engage in all manner of name-calling against the president and the APC on media spaces, but the same party goes to Abuja to struggle for presidential partnership. This is what is happening now and it is the same strategy APGA has always used. They deliberately attack the APC with the preconception to de-market the party among Anambra voters, but they go to Abuja and parley with the same President and the same APC.
Given the trajectory the November 8 governorship contest appears to have taken, apparently, APGA must now compete on its own merit as a political party in terms of what it can offer that other political parties cannot offer. The APC in Anambra State might have aimed at shooting down the APGA’s alliance with the federal government, which has been a major election winning strategy for APGA since inception.
Many days later, APGA is yet to respond to the posers from Chukwuma and the APC, meanwhile, they are all out with absolutely no breaks on Rev. Emmanuel Obimma who accused Governor Soludo of sundry leadership failures and more specifically, protecting the identities of those that murdered the deceased Anambra lawmaker, Hon. Justice Azuka.
From all indications, if all that is happening so far is anything fit to be regarded as the November gubernatorial buildup in Anambra State, then, this might be shaping up as a major governorship contest in recent memory.
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