The All Progressives Congress (APC) Anambra State branch twice failed to produce a governor for Anambra State during the eight-year term of former President Muhammadu Buhari. Senator Tony Nwoye was the first to fly the party’s banner as a candidate in 2017. Many people hoped that the APC would have installed an APC governor in the state using its current level of popularity at the federal level, its available resources, and the state apparatus, which includes security.
When Buhari, who is a staunch conservative, visited Anambra in the lead-up to the 2017 election, he grudgingly raised the candidate’s hand and declared, “Young man, I wish you what you wish yourself’.” Many believe that the then-president’s statement demonstrated his lack of interest in endorsing his party’s candidate. Former Governor Chief Willie Obiano, who was then running for reelection, intended to subsequently floor Nwoye along with other candidates from various political parties.
The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) was the party of outgoing Governor Chief Willie Obiano in 2021, who nominated former Central Bank Governor Prof. Chukwuma Soludo as his successor. Former Senator Andy Uba campaigned on the APC platform. Every effort to persuade Buhari to support the APC in Anambra for the governorship, according to party loyalists, failed because he stayed distant and instead cooperated with the Obiano-led administration.
On multiple occasions, Obiano was sabotaged by members of the presidency, including by an illegal order that deprived him of his personal security. However, in typical Aguleri warrior fashion, Obiano stormed the villa, won Buhari’s sympathy, and had the decision reversed. Since the APC reciprocates by excluding Anambra from the states it wants to seize, many may have concluded that the central government may have made a deal with the APGA to support it there.
Nonetheless, APC members in Anambra might have found new optimism with the arrival of President Bola Tinubu. “Tinubu is not like Buhari, who was more conservative and even selfish and cunning,” stated Hon. Ejike Okafor, a state APC member, in support of this. Anyone who believes that Tinubu would act like Buhari, particularly in showing indifference towards the party’s business, is misguided. Tinubu is a perfect politician. The APC in Anambra would undoubtedly benefit from having a true politician in the White House for the first time in 2025.
Additionally, the state party chairman, Hon. Basil Ejidike, spoke to party members at the state party secretariat in Awka in the early days of Tinubu’s ascent to the presidency and voiced optimism for the party in the state. He declared: “As you are all aware, our new president is an excellent politician. He is a person who values loyalty and diligence. He has kept his loyal men from his days as a governor many years ago, as some of you may have noticed. You all need to return to your local government districts and try to make our party stronger. Regarding compensation, he stated, “We are confident that individuals who have put in a lot of effort will receive it under the administration of President Tinubu.”
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The aforementioned opinions of Tinubu appear to have been refuted by recent appointments, nevertheless. President Tinubu appointed Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu, the late Igbo leader Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu’s widow, as the minister of foreign affairs (state) on Wednesday, October 23, 2024. The wife of the party’s founder, Mrs. Ojukwu is a well-known APGA member and a BOT member. In order to fill the Anambra position left vacant by the dismissal of Uju Kennedy Ohanenye, she was appointed.
Some APC members didn’t think the choice was the greatest, even though it was widely praised—especially given her exposure—and even called a fitting one.
In a news release, Chief Bunty Onuigbo and other party elders denounced the appointment, saying it favored a rival party above his own. He claimed that party allegiance is not increased by the president’s actions.
“This is merely an anti-party act, and it is harmful,” he said. Mr. President does not encourage party loyalty by giving members of other political parties more influence in Anambra State at the expense of the APC. Does the president want the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) to gain a large number of APC members in Anambra? Is he indirectly employed by the Anambra State APGA? People in this group hate the APC and don’t want to interact with us. He said, “By making these appointments, Mr. President is encouraging them.”
APC stakeholders have chosen to formally submit their complaints against the appointment to Chief Basil Ejidike, the state chairman, for submission to the National Working Committee and the National Executive Committee, according to Onuigbo.
As the dust settled on the appointment, President Tinubu appointed new members to the board of the South East Development Commission (SEDC). For Anambra’s seat, Mr. Mark Okoye, a well-known APGA member who had previously worked for the Soludo-led Anambra State government, was appointed as the commission’s managing director and chief executive officer.
President Tinubu’s sincerity in supporting the APC’s expansion in Anambra State and overseeing the upcoming November 2025 Anambra governorship election has been called into question by this. Many have suggested that the federal government may have struck a deal with the Anambra State government to support the reelection of Prof. Soludo, the current governor, over the candidates who have lined up to run on the APC platform. This is because Soludo is a member of Tinubu’s economic team and will also be running for governor again.
According to Mr. Paul Chukwuma, an APC frontline candidate for governor of Anambra, this is not the case. When Chukwuma responded to the nominations, he rejected criticism of the president’s two choices.
He declared, “The president still has the last say on appointments. Keep in mind that Nigeria is still one country. Mr. President was solely seeking competent individuals, and there was no question about the qualifications of those chosen.
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One of our best, Mrs. Ojukwu, deserves the job, just as does Mark Okoye, a young guy who is well-known for being exceptionally intelligent. You shouldn’t be upset about their appointment because these individuals are from Anambra. The APC government has long been accused of not liking the people of Anambra, but the president has disproved this claim today. In my opinion as a candidate, there is nothing wrong with the appointment.
It is untrue, despite what I’ve heard, that the APGA is boasting about having nominated such individuals. Let’s see the proof they used to support their nomination. The people of Anambra are aware that the president actually made the appointments. Therefore, the president deserves praise for selecting members of other parties in addition to the APC.
The APC government has been urged to make appointments by the APGA. They claim to be APC supporters when they travel to Abuja, and when they return to Anambra, they assert that the APC does not exist. I view Mr. President’s appointment as a calculated move. Instead, he is converting APGA members to APC. You are somewhat affiliated with the APC if you are employed by the party. They have noticed that the APC government is performing well; out of the more than fifty APGA members who have applied for posts, only a select few people who are reputable have been chosen. You can decline the appointment if you believe that APC is not doing adequately.
“APGA officials need to quit targeting us in Anambra and traveling to Abuja to say they back the APC. The APGA government has taken down the majority of the billboards that we recently put up throughout the state. What is the reason behind their portrayal of their passion for the president’s party? Time will tell. As for now, we want our land to be developed, and we will fight to make sure that individuals who love Anambra retake the state and put it on a path of growth. When the time comes, we will know where people stand. Anambra is slowly turning into a failed state under Soludo.
