“Nigerians are simply not interested in holding their state governors to the same standards of accountability they hold the president. ” —Ebuka Onyekwelu For some reason, Nigeria’s president is the ultimate and final focus of Nigerians in several efforts to hold government and public officials accountable. It is the norm to have the president of Nigeria thoroughly dissected, with clear evidence of leadership failure. This was the fate of President Olusegun Obasanjo; it became the...

“The worst that will happen if the local government election is boycotted is that the ruling party will simply have a field day .” —Ebuka Onyekwelu As of today, barely a month and six days to the first local government election in Anambra State in over a decade, there are deep concerns that the government of Anambra State is bent on having its way. First of all, the governor had promised to conduct the local...

“Anambra State appears to be on the brink of bidding farewell to APGA after nearly two decades.” —Ebuka Onyekwelu The inauguration of the Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission – ANSIEC, by Governor Chukwuma Soludo, signaled full preparation for the conduct of the Local Government Election in Anambra State for the first time in ten years.  The six-member Commission, with two persons each from the three senatorial zones, now has the mandate to fix a date...

“Your life serves as a source of inspiration for those who dare to dream.” —Ebuka Onyekwelu I weep over the sudden and painful death of Sen. Ifeanyi Ubah; a giant among men. One man who was everywhere and touched everything! I mourn your shocking death, Distinguished. Your death is just impossible to believe. Around the middle of this month, we had a long conversation about the coming governorship election in Anambra State and talked like...

“Soludo might as well be toying with his second-term bid, except he intends to run on another party’s ticket.” —Ebuka Onyekwelu It is now a little more than two weeks since the Independent National Electoral Commission – INEC, recognized Chief Edozie Njoku as APGA’s National Chairman, against Barr. Sly Ezeokenwa, whom the Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, still recognizes as the APGA National Chairman.  Prof. Soludo who doubles as both the only APGA governor...

“As of today, the majority of industries in Nnewi and Onitsha are no longer functional.” —Ebuka Onyekwelu Although a very age-long argument, perhaps, Asaba taking over Onitsha’s commercial advantage is now more real than before.  In the past few years, there has been consistent relocation of residences and businesses from Onitsha to Asaba. Nearly all major business owners in Onitsha and Nnewi have tactically moved a part of their business and residence to Asaba. The...

“In 2025, Anambra governorship election will remain an open competition where candidates from different political parties, regardless of their origins in the state, will compete.” —Ebuka Onyekwelu I have read the report by a colleague and a friend, David Eleke, titled, “Will APC Abide by Existing Zoning Formula in Anambra?“, published by This Day.  Quite frankly, I have more than a dozen reservations given the level of holes in David’s argument. Even more, his deliberate...

“This Supreme Court judgment is a serious blow to the current administration in Anambra State.” —Ebuka Onyekwelu Only on Tuesday, INEC, for the first time, recognized Chief Edozie Njoku as the rightful National Chairman of APGA. This is happening after five years of intense legal battles. In comparison, the argument went on earlier on Tuesday as to the authenticity of Edozie Njoku’s recognition by INEC, later in the evening of that Tuesday, Chief Njoku’s name...

“Any aspirant given a party ticket to stand for an election will run for that election.” —Ebuka Onyekwelu The 2025 Anambra State Governorship Election has remained in the front burner. With more than a year before the election, conversations around who becomes the next governor of Anambra State or if the incumbent will continue has intensified. A major part of this debate is the question of zoning. The clamour for zoning must first be seen,...

“Foreign exchange crises have now made remote learning more attractive and ultimately inevitable” —Ebuka Onyekwelu Patronage for foreign education in Nigeria dates back to pre-independent Nigeria. The country’s founding father, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, was schooled at Howard University in the United States. Similarly, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Nigeria’s founding father, was schooled at the University of London in the United Kingdom. At the time, both founding fathers had no luxury of options. But a few years...