By Ikeugonna Eleke
Women in Anambra State have said they will support the re-election of the Governor of the state, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, because of his free antenatal, delivery and postnatal policy in the state.
The women, over 2, 000 of them, endorsed the Governor during the 2025 Anambra State Women’s Summit, convened by the State Women’s leader of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Lady Esther Onyekesi, March 8, 2025, in Awka.
The women who were drawn from various backgrounds, political parties, tribes, ethnicity and religion, said the endorsement was to enable the Governor to complete what they described as his humanitarian and development projects he had at hand in all the 179 communities in the state.
Their leader, Lady Esther Onyekesi, said: ‘The governor has done tremendously well in all sectors of the economy, particularly in the health and security sectors.
‘Today, every pregnant woman in Anambra State, irrespective of tribe, ethnicity or religion, gets free antenatal in any government hospital of her choice.
‘Our children are going to school free of charge. We now sleep with our two eyes closed. Our youths are being trained and empowered free of charge through the one youth, two skills acquisition programme of the government
‘We, the women in Anambra State, are calling on his co-contestants from other political parties to consider stepping down for him to enable him to actualize his Vision 2070 of making Anambra a clean, green, peaceful, secure, livable and prosperous homeland in Nigeria.’
The women said since the launch of the free hospital services by the Governor, several of their counterparts had received free antenatal, delivery and post natal services in all government hospitals in the state.
One of the women, Mrs Nchedochi Eze, said: ‘My younger sister had her baby through caesarian section, a complicated surgery that would have cost her over N500, 000, but she had it free of charge in Onitsha Government Hospital.
‘How could they have paid if it was not for such a policy? That is why we are asking that the Governor continues in office so that we will continue to enjoy these services.’
Addressing the women, the Governor’s wife, Dr Mrs Nonye Soludo, said what her husband’s administration had been able to achieve in the area of women empowerment so far was phenomenal and had greatly raised the living standard of women in the state to an enviable status.
She thanked the women for endorsing her husband for a second term, assuring that the present government would continue to work towards improving the welfare of women in the state.
