There have been controversies over President Bola Tinubu’s state visit to Anambra State last Thursday and his endorsement for the State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, which has virtually left the APC and its candidate, Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu, out in the cold, Ikeugonna Eleke reports.
President Bola Tinubu, Thursday, May 8, embarked on a state visit to Anambra State where he inaugurated some projects constructed by the Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, describing them as iconic and monumental. But the visit has already become a subject of controversy as it is believed that with very complimentary remarks and flowery accolades on the governor, he may have tacitly endorsed Soludo for a second term in office.
Anambra State will on November 8 this year hold her governorship election, and Soludo is seeking for re-election to the office, just as the president’s party, All Progressives Congress (APC), is also sponsoring a candidate for the same position.
Earlier before the visit, there had been a tough rivalry between the governor’s party, All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), and the APC. Some members of the APC had first flown a kite, signalling that the President would send a representative to avoid making complimentary comments to Soludo that might diminish the efforts of his own party in ensuring its victory.
Some of the supporters of the candidate of the APC for the forthcoming election, Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu, had rejoiced over the news that Tinubu might send a representative instead. Some of them who described President Tinubu as a core party man, said the scenario that had played out in previous years in the state, where APGA governors from Anambra had supported Presidential Candidates from other parties to gain their confidence had led to steady victory for them.
In 2010, then Governor Peter Obi, who was seeking re-election on the platform of same APGA, had enjoyed the confidence of President Goodluck Jonathan and he had gone on to win. Obi subsequently used the same tactics to gain the support of Jonathan again to install a successor in 2013. Chief Willie Obiano, his successor, adopted same strategy by supporting then President Muhammadu Buhari, despite fielding General John Gbor, who the party ignored for Buhari.
In the forthcoming Guber Election, Soludo seems to have adopted the same strategy, and it is already working in his favour, seemingly. He claimed that both APC and APGA were progressive parties and had resolved to work together.
Contrary to speculations, President Tinubu arrived Anambra at about 12:15pm, through Chinua Achebe International Airport, Umueri, from where he moved to Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, to inaugurate Emeka Anyaoku Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy. The story quickly shifted to the fact that the main reason Tinubu accepted to visit was to honour Former Secretary-General of Commonwealth, Dr Emeka Anyaoku, who is a statesman after which the centre was named.
Even though this may be true, the President later arrived Dr Alex Ekwueme Square to the rousing welcome of the people of the state, after he had inaugurated some key projects, including the new Government House, Solution Fun City and the Light of the Nation Tower.
Unlike other presidential visits, President Tinubu was very relaxed in the arms of Governor Soludo that he exceeded the time announced earlier for his stay. Thus his physical presence had fired up the people of the state who saw it as endorsement for their choice of Governor.
Also, Soludo leveraged the visit, to thoroughly mesmerize the President with a rousing speech which has been described by some people as ‘Maradonic’. Soludo lauded Tinubu for his economic policies, insisting that everything that was due to Anambra had been accruing to her because of the pragmatic governance of the President. He pledged to also support the President until 2031 to make sure he got a second term and finished strong.
Part of Soludo’s speech read: ‘Your visit today is historic and consequential. This visit is not just to commission projects because we have over 500 kilometers of roads to be commissioned.
We have schools, water projects, hospitals and others that await commissioning. These projects are mere symbolisms for a new Anambra State. We are in a haste to lay solid foundation and we are determined to change the trajectory of Anambra from a departure lounge to a destination.
‘We are deeply grateful for the several road projects you are doing in the Southeast, and the list is quite a long one, running into hundreds of billions. Part of our master plan in Anambra is to dualize all Trunk A and B roads. We are spending about N170 billion on that. Our partnership with federal government is working well and we benefit from all interventions in roads, scholarship, health and education.
We are benefiting. Whatever is due to us, we are getting. We will however need intervention in some critical areas. Anambra remains the gully erosion capital of Nigeria and they are far beyond what any state government will be able to take on.’
Soludo further added, ‘For the future of Nigeria, Tinubu must succeed and we will support him in every possible way, not only to succeed, but to excel. Before I joined the APGA, we adopted a position to support any government in power, and we have always supported the government in power and that position has not changed.
‘Coincidentally, today, I can say that the government in power, APC, is a progressive government. We in APGA are also progressives, and I can say that the progressives are working together, no matter the party. APC are brothers to us in APGA. I can say that even though we are all progressives, we know who is the leader of the progressives.
It is time for all the progressives and federalists to unite and form a front for the good of Nigeria. Mr President is the leader of the biggest progressive party, while I’m the leader of the oldest progressive party in the country,’ Soludo added.
In reply to this welcome speech, President Tinubu came short of assuring Soludo of a second term, insisting that he had been his friend and close ally for years. Tinubu said, ‘Two years ago, I stood here as a Presidential Candidate of my party to seek for your votes.
I’m thankful for your support and I am happy to be here to commission some legacy projects. Soludo, your son, is my friend and still remains my friend. He is a brilliant man, he has the brains and he knows the way and we will work together. We will work together to bring prosperity back and Anambra is on the rise.
‘I have just commissioned several landmark projects today, these are bold statements and they point to his ability as a leader. I remember when he (Soludo) wanted to consolidate banks and many people said it was impossible, but he did it and today we are benefiting from that action.
We will continue to partner with the states and the Southeast to protect our people. I have taken note of the appeals, especially about Anambra being the gully erosion capital of the Southeast; we will assist through the ecological fund and that will be rectified. I feel very happy about the conferment of traditional chieftaincy title and I feel humbled.
‘Going forward, I’m not just friends with Soludo, but I’m now one of you. I want to ask Soludo to look for a land for me where I will build my retirement home,’ Tinubu added jokingly.
Earlier, some prominent indigenes of the state who spoke pointedly, told Tinubu that the state was in safe hands with Soludo as Governor. They insisted that Soludo was performing well and needed all the support of President Tinubu to achieve a second term in office so as to continue his good work.
The indigenes included the Southeast Chairman of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Mrs Ada Chukwudozie; prominent businessman, Sir Emeka Offor; former Secretary-General, Commonwealth of Nations, Dr Emeka Anyaoku; and Secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Mr Emeka Sibeudu.
Meanwhile, following the success of the event, the Anambra State Government has thanked its citizens for coming out en-masse to show solidarity to the President. In a press statement, the state Commissioner for Information, Dr Law Mefor, said the visit served its purpose.
Mefor said: ‘Anambra State Government wishes to express gratitude to Ndi Anambra for the rousing welcome given to the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, Dike-Si-Mba Anambra, on his historic state visit to Anambra State. The state visit was executed as planned and yielded several results, which would shortly benefit the state and its citizens.
‘In response to Governor Soludo’s requests on behalf of the state, among others, the President promised to assist the state in addressing the erosion threat, reintegration into the National Railway System, and restoring the state to the nation’s gas master plan. The President also promised to finish the federal roads linking Anambra and Kogi that were abandoned, to facilitate access and shorten travel time from Anambra State to the South-South and Abuja.’
Many have said that the excitement of the State Government stemmed not only from the success of the event, but the ability to secure the endorsement of President Tinubu. An indigene of the state, Mr John Ugwumba, told Fides that nothing could be farther than an endorsement for Soludo.
‘Soludo did not hold back in assuring the President of the support of the people of Anambra, so I do not see why Tinubu should not also endorse him in return,’ he said.
Also, many APGA adherents have started making snide comments targeted at the candidate of the APC, Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu, who, they claimed, did not as little as come close to the President during the visit. Mr Ejimofor Opara, the APGA Publicity Secretary said, ‘Truth is, what the Abuja security guys did to Nicholas Ukachukwu today is something I can’t write here.
Worse is when he went to introduce himself to Gov. Dapo Abiodun. The man didn’t even know him. Ukachukwu was seen begging for photo ops, he couldn’t even get a handshake from Mr President. This is a huge concern that should signal to the man whose only manifesto is “I will connect Anambra to the centre”, that the centre is not aware of him. The centre he claims he wants to connect Anambra to, does not even know him,’ Ejimofor claimed.
Indeed, the fears expressed before the President’s visit were that the Presidency might engineer an APC victory, the way it was believed to have done in states like Imo and Edo, even when the actual winners were obvious; especially in Imo State, where one who came fourth was eventually declared the winner by the courts.
In Nigeria, just as in many third world countries, the party in power at the centre usually wields much powers which it abuses. Coming shortly after what happened in the 2023 Presidential Elections generally believed to have been won by Mr Peter Obi of Labour Party, after which nothing happened, the fears of Anambra being taken by APC were therefore real. Such fears were also fuelled by Ukachukwu’s body language which was suggestive of a secret master plan to annex Anambra State.
But with what panned out at the President’s visit, many feel that the morale of APC in Anambra has been dampened, especially when it is realised that the party cannot win any election conducted credibly. This is even as Ukachukwu’s open denominational campaign against the Catholic Church is seen as not just a faux pas, but very fatal to his aspiration.
Understandably, Ukachukwu and the body of APC in the state have remained silent since the visit.
Added to what played out during the President’s visit and his comments on Soludo, many believe that Tinubu may have dealt a knockout blow to the aspirations of his party’s Guber Candidate in the upcoming Guber Poll in November. It is also believed that it would take a humongous turn of events to make Tinubu do a volte face against Soludo. But then, this is Nigeria where the most bizarre things happen in politics.
Additional report from Jude Atupulazi
