I was in Anambra over the weekend. Considering the common narrative that Soludo is unpopular online but popular on the streets of Anambra, I undertook a fact-finding mission to determine the current level of support for Soludo. Ladies and gentlemen, without mincing words, Soludo’s second term has ended before it began. He will be a one-term governor just like Mbadinuju.
I couldn’t visit Nnewi, but I went to Onitsha main market, from Bright Street to Mainline to Sokoto Road to Emeka Ofor Plaza. I also visited the Young Shall Grow market located behind Gwongwolo. Throughout the entire market, our people were crammed into every available space. There was no government presence in the market. From there, I went to Ochanja Market and then drove to Neni, Awka. In AWKA, I went to Abakaliki Street and enjoyed Isiewu at Nwoke Udi’s joint. In all these places, I interacted with people, and there is officially a quiet agreement among many that Ndi Anambra has decided to try the next phase. Soludo is not that next phase.
Ladies and gentlemen, you actually do not need to believe me; investigate yourself. Walk through the markets and ask calmly and listen closely. Start the conversation with “Ike Tinubu agwugom”; from there, you dive into “ma Soludo self” and then wait and listen.
The traders will open up and confide in you, but due to intimidation, they are not speaking loudly because they understand the price of truth under a vindictive government. Tyranny is what is happening in Anambra State. The market chairman can’t say much in public, because they understand if they speak now, the agents of government will harass them, and the government will remove and replace them; hence, they keep their heads down and say a little. This government sees every dissenting voice as a threat. So they are all waiting, nodding quietly, observing and enduring the intimidation! However, their minds are made up.
These men and women in the market are not politicians. They are simply individuals involved in trading, and while they may have concentrated on their importation businesses, they also belong to the larger society. They have families, they have friends, and they know how many people call them daily for financial assistance compared to past administrations. They watched a governor who promised so much deliver so little to others and a lot more to his hometown axis using the collective local government funds. They have seen the insecurity, they have seen skewed appointments, and they have felt the sting of a leadership that does not unite but divides Ndi Anambra. They have seen 100 million worth of contracts awarded to companies not registered in CAC. So, there’s nobody to hold responsible if they fail to execute.
Based on the fact that these traders witnessed the previous administration, they knew that Soludo’s brand of betrayal cuts deeper, especially what he did to Ogboowgu traders, whom he unapologetically accused of selling fake drugs. Exactly how he accused Igbos of being 99.9% of the kidnappers in Anambra. This picture shows a governor who is unquestionably brilliant but breeds ignorance, neglect, and resentment.
Gladly, our message is sinking. The people are deciding while others have decided. The traders, the youths, and the elders know their voices are being watched, so to avoid getting killed or damaging their spines and disguise it as defaulting on tax, they are waiting until their votes cannot be bought or bullied. They will speak clearly through the ballot.
Let me even make this clear: Soludo’s failure to get his second term is not because of any politician’s ambition, but because he shot himself in the foot. He took nepotism to the highest level; he embraced selective development not with state allocation but with local government funds. How can he take Anaocha, Onitsha South and North, Ogbaru, Awka North and South, Idemili, and 20 other local government areas to develop only Aguata? We are not idiots. Our local government’s funds are not his family inheritance.
And this Anambra story must not end in Anambra; it will echo across Igboland. No leader will get rewarded for taking people for granted. Anambra will lead the change that Igboland is earnestly yearning for. We will prove that our collective votes are far bigger than any governor; we will prove that our silence today is only the calm before the people’s verdict.
Umunnem, remember to select any candidate that excites you and vote for the person. It doesn’t matter if you are standing alone. This is how we will start resetting our politics, which must be anchored on leadership fairness, loyalty assured. However, if you lead by robbing Peter to pay Paul, remain unapologetic about it, and fail to explain to the local governments why their money is being used for Aguata, we will show you the door.
(c) J Duke Anago
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