Last week’s state visit by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to Anambra state has thrown up several interpretations, with some political analysts insisting that the event was aimed at consolidating the bright prospects of Governor Charles Soludo’s re-election, slated to hold on November 8, 2025. Considering the tight schedules of the president while in the state, it is undeniable that, taking into cognisance the encomiums showered on him by his host, Tinubu found in Soludo an amiable and dependable ally.
The president who arrived at Dr. Alex Ekwueme Centre to a heart-warming reception, after inaugurating the Emeka Anyaoku Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy, also commissioned some key projects that included the new Government House, Solution Fun City and the Light of the Nation Tower. The complimentary remarks showered on the governor by Tinubu were instantly interpreted as a tacit endorsement for Soludo’s comeback bid.
Though Anambra state has for most times, since the inauguration of the Fourth Republic, been under the control of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), governors elected on the party’s platform have always demonstrated support and loyalty to the federal government. When Mr. Peter Obi threw away the former Special Assistant on Domestic Affairs, Mr Andy Uba, from the corridors of power in 2007, through a court verdict, Obi, throughout his years in power, had to curry favours from the centre in order to ward off any attempt to undermine his administration through the deployment of federal might. The former governor would continue on the same trajectory when he relied on President Goodluck Jonathan in sweeping to victory his candidate, Willie Obiano, as governor.
While on the saddle, Obiano, too, determined to install his candidate, reached out to former President Muhammadu Buhari to facilitate the emergence of his preferred successor. With the president from a different party identifying with his candidate, it was expectedly easy for Obiano to be protected from the federal might that could have crippled his efforts. Not wanting to be left out, Soludo has also adopted strategies in winning the heart of President Tinubu through seeking presidential endorsement, few months before the governorship contest. Ahead of the presidential visit, news had filtered to the state that President Tinubu had concluded arrangements to send a representative for the trip in order to avoid making statements that would be interpreted as endorsing Governor Soludo, while diminishing the prospects of the All Progressives Congress (APC) winning the governorship election.
Some supporters of the APC governorship candidate, Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu, who believed that Tinubu was a core party man, were shocked as they lamented what played out last week during the state visit by the president. It was in line with what had always played out in previous years where sitting APGA governors, seeking re-election, were strongly endorsed and supported by the central government.
Welcoming the President Tinubu to Anambra state, Governor Soludo described the visit as “historic and consequential”. Apart from some of the projects to be commissioned, the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) enthused his visitor that there were over 500 kilometers of roads for commissioning. Soludo said: “We have schools, water projects, hospitals and others that await commissioning. These projects are mere symbolism for a new Anambra state. We are in a haste to lay a solid foundation and we are determined to change the trajectory of Anambra from a departure lounge to a destination”.
Appreciating President Tinubu for the many road projects in the South-east, the governor said part of the master plan of the state under his leadership was the injection of N170 billion for the dualisation of all trunk A and B roads. Commending the partnership between the state and the federal government as working well in the areas of interventions in roads, scholarship, health and education, Soludo lamented that Anambra has continued to remain “the gully erosion capital in Nigeria and they are far beyond what any state government will be able to take on.”
On his part, President Tinubu described Soludo as a worthy friend and expressed happiness for being invited to commission various legacy projects constructed by the Soludo administration. According to the president: “Soludo your son is my friend and still remains my friend. He is a brilliant man, he has the brain and he knows the way and we will work together. We will work together to bring prosperity back and ensure 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”.
Without a doubt, President Tinubu’s visit to Anambra state provided a platform where dividends of democracy were showcased and celebrated in a state controlled by an opposition party. For Nigeria, described by some political analysts as tilting towards a one-party state, the Anambra visit by President Tinubu countered such notions. We commend Tinubu for such a visit and encourage him to honour invitations to other non-APC states to dispel rumours of the country becoming a one-party state.