Recent remarks by the Minister of Works, Engr. Dave Umahi, which tended to shower praises on Anambra State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, over his infrastructural strides in the state, have unsettled the APC and put APGA at advantage, reports Ikeugonna Eleke.
Recently, former Governor of Ebonyi State and Minister of Works, Engr. Dave Umahi, visited Anambra State on a working visit. His mission was to flag off the construction of a federal road connecting towns in Anambra State, from Ogbunike, through the second Niger Bridge, to join the Asaba end in Delta State which had earlier been flagged off.
However, 2025 is an election year for Anambra, and the State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, who rates his own performance as excellent and proudly shows it off, does not spare any opportunity to take visitors to the state round his projects. Though Umahi’s visit was a working one, the Governor also made arrangements to ensure that his visitor felt at home, including organizing a luncheon as part of his welcome.
Soludo also personally took Umahi on a visit to his projects where he showed him some of what he has been able to achieve in three years as Governor.
Umahi visited several road projects, the Solution Fun City in Awka, the new state-of-the-art Government House and Governor’s Lodge and several others. During a press interview afterwards, a highly elated and visibly impressed Umahi could not hold back his praises for the Governor.
He bluntly declared, ‘I’m elated by what I have seen. The quality of your roads; and you know I was a Governor for eight years and registered significant achievements in road construction, but I’m impressed by the quality of your roads.’
Umahi praised the Governor for his humility and the way he carried himself without any air of importance, which, he noted, made him accessible to all. Speaking about the Governorship Election which comes up in November this year, Umahi declared that Soludo had no opposition for the election.
‘I don’t see anyone that can challenge you in the election. No one. Who is that? I don’t see any,’ Umahi concluded.
This comment by Umahi, a high ranking member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), a party which has remained in opposition in Anambra since its formation in 2014 and never had the opportunity of calling the shots, despite having been in power at the federal level, infuriated members of the party. They saw it as sabotage, insisting that such comments were capable of derailing the efforts of the party to take over Anambra State.
But while the party members were lampooning Umahi for such utterances, a higher number of Anambra people praised him for the courage to speak the truth. These commendations and condemnations dominated discussions in the Anambra political space for the whole week.
In reaction to this, the South East APC Young Progressives Forum, has demanded that Umahi clarify his comments. The group said he must explicitly state whether he stood with APC’s Vision in Anambra or had chosen to align with APGA.
‘If he fails to provide a satisfactory explanation, party members will find it difficult to see him as a genuine APC leader in the region.
‘Furthermore, President Bola Tinubu must be wary of APGA’s sudden praise for his administration. History has shown that once elections are over, APGA quickly reverts to its old tactics of attacking the APC and its leadership. If Governor Soludo and his party align with Tinubu’s vision, they should formally collapse into APC rather than engage in opportunistic flattery.
‘Despite Umahi’s misstep, the APC in Anambra remains strong and focused on the upcoming November 8 Governorship Election. The ongoing process to select a credible candidate will further consolidate the party’s momentum. Umahi’s ill-advised comments cannot derail the determination of party members committed to ensuring that Anambra finally aligns with the APC-led Federal Government. APC members in Anambra must ignore distractions and remain steadfast. The ultimate goal remains clear – dislodging APGA and installing an APC-led Government to bring actual development to the state.
‘The era of political betrayals and external interference is over. Anambra APC is ready to take its rightful place at the forefront of governance. Dave Umahi’s remarks were reckless, insensitive, and harmful to APC’s Mission in Anambra State. As a high-ranking party leader, he should be fortifying the party’s chances, not demoralising its members. His statement must not go unchallenged. The APC leadership must call him to order and ensure that such political sabotage does not repeat itself. Anambra APC remains on course for victory, and no amount of internal or external distractions will change that,’ the group said.
Meanwhile, the party has also frowned at Umahi’s comments. The Anambra State Chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) condemned the Works Minister, Engr. Umahi, for openly praising the Governor of Anambra State, Professor Soludo, for his strides in infrastructural development in the state, even though he was aware this was an election year which his party was hoping to use to capture power.
The party, at a press conference addressed by the State Publicity Secretary, Dr. Valentine Oliobi, said the words used by the Minister undermined the efforts of the party he was serving, which was also fielding a candidate for the Governorship contest coming in November. He described Umahi’s comments as mere flattery meant to placate the governor, insisting that in the real sense of governance, Soludo had failed the people of Anambra State.
He said, ‘Ndi Anambra are not carried away by Minister Umahi’s sugar coated words for Soludo. In-between the lines of those so-called praises are nothing but a diplomatic way of expressing disappointment, especially as the governor’s newly constructed roads are already washing away. What he saw in Anambra is not impressive but underwhelming. His remarks were not a validation of success, but a subtle reminder that Anambra is not where it should be. It is amusing that Soludo and his cohorts are yet to get to read the handwriting on the wall.’
The party added that such words by Umahi, even though not meant to be true, reeked of lack of discretion by the Minister, who, it said, knew that he worked for an APC Government, and that his party was in a Governorship Election with the same man he was praising.
Oliobi stated, ‘Minister Dave Umahi’s unguided utterances were in support of his business ally, Prof. Soludo. Umahi and Soludo have a joint interest on most of the federal road construction in Anambra. But unfortunately for Soludo, the days of empty promises are over, as Anambra cannot reinforce failure by renewing unfulfilled contracts through another tenure in office.’
Meanwhile, former Chief of Staff to ex-Governor Willie Obiano, Chief Primus Odili, has backed the endorsement of Anambra State Governor, Prof Soludo, for re-election by Umahi. Odili echoed Umahi’s sentiments, emphasizing that in just three years, Soludo had delivered impressive results that should earn him overwhelming support from Anambra voters.
He said: ‘The endorsement from Umahi, whose tenure as Ebonyi State governor was tansformational, carries significant weight. Governor Soludo has completed major projects without borrowing. If he is given another term, the chances of completing ongoing developments are even greater. The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) is not in a hurry to relinquish power in Anambra. Instead, we are strengthening our bond with the people through visible performance that no amount of rhetoric can discredit.
‘Anambra residents know that the APGA-led government under Soludo is committed to building a safe, viable, and prosperous state. Umahi’s advice to the opposition should be taken seriously in the interest of the people. With the decline in abductions, murder, and robbery, Soludo’s Government, now enjoys greater public support. The people appreciate his efforts to transform Anambra into a livable, smart megacity. Umahi’s words may be difficult for the opposition to accept, but they reflect reality. A simple drive around Anambra is enough to convince anyone that Soludo’s solutions are working and that the people have fully embraced his vision,’ Odili concluded.
As the election date draws near, there are indications that the remarks by Umahi have already given Soludo and his party, APGA, a moral victory over every other party that is in the race. An indigene of the state, Mr Josiah Ezendu, who claims to be apolitical, told Fides that even though it was hard for the opposition politicians to agree that Soludo had done well, it still did not detract from the fact that Soludo had done so well in the state and may most likely be reelected as Governor.
‘As for me, I’m politically aware enough to be able to choose for myself what I want for our state, and I will vote Soludo for a second term over all the other people. Some of them who are rooting to remove Soludo do not even have practical plans about how to do better,’ he said.
Before now, the appointment by President Bola Tinubu of Bianca, the wife of former Biafra leader, Odumegwu Ojukwu, as an ambassador, rather than any member of APC, had drawn the ire of the APC faithful in the state, who saw the development as a snub. Bianca is an APGA member.
This was followed by the appointment of Mr Mark Okoye, another APGA member, as the Chairman of the South East Development Commission by President Tinubu, over other eminently qualified APC members in Anambra State.
Indeed, at some point it was rumoured that Soludo was secretly flirting with APC and was on the verge of joining the party, but nothing of such had happened. Then it was said that Soludo was afraid of being rigged out. But he has since been appointed as a member of Tinubu’s Economic Team, a similar thing that happened when Peter Obi, as Anambra Governor, was appointed Economic Adviser to former President Goodluck Jonathan, as well as being a member of his Economic Team too.
But later developments have tended to suggest that Soludo need not worry about any rigging plans as he seems to be in the good books of the Presidency.
Political watchers see these developments as a possible red flag for members of APC in the state and a clear indication that the Federal Government would not interfere with the coming Guber Election in the state as feared in some quarters.
