In 2023, a few of figures and occurrences influenced Anambra’s political scene.
Many prominent figures and events were involved in this, including the general elections of 2023, Mr. Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, the governor of Anambra State, and many more.
Things aren’t the same as they were, and signs of this are popping up even as the year winds down.
Peter Obi and the general election
Prof. Chukwuma Soludo was elected governor of Anambra State in the 2021 election. In the end, Soludo was sworn in on March 29, 2022.
Given the current administration and the fact that state chief executive elections are often the most important in Nigeria, it might be argued that Anambra was not a priority state.
But a lot changed for Anambra’s participation in the 2023 national elections when Mr. Peter Obi, the former governor of the state, ran as a Labour Party candidate.
Even though Anambra was not really electing a governor, the level of politicking in the state was high enough to garner attention due to Obi’s reputation as one of the state’s most effective leaders. His placid demeanor, bravery, and candor won over many.
Many in Anambra were worried that Obi, riding on his popularity, would unseat Soludo in the National Assembly and the state assembly and use that momentum to win over the constituency’s votes for the president. Although not everything was accomplished, almost 50% of the goal was met.
Soludo, who had been sleeping on the possibility that Anambra was an APGA state, became interested in the permutations. Realizing at the last minute that LP legislators may dominate the state assembly if he waited, Soludo acted swiftly and secured 17 seats out of 30 state constituencies.
Out of the 30 seats in the legislature, 17 were won by the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and 8 by the Labour Party (LP). The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) received two seats and the YPP three in the state assembly. Two of the three Senate seats were won by APGA as well.
Nevertheless, this came after allegations surfaced that Soludo had spent an astounding N3.5 billion on the state’s House of Assembly election.
Claims surfaced that the state administration used the funds to buy votes, giving the APGA a legislative majority.
In the run-up to the gubernatorial and House of Assembly elections, INTERSOCIETY claimed that twenty states will spend approximately N50 billion on vote-buying.
Anambra was predicted to spend between N2 billion and N2.5 billion lavishly, according to the organization’s statement by Board Chairman Emeka Umeagbalasi and others. The three states with the highest projected spending amounts were Lagos (N10 billion), Rivers (N6 billion to N10 billion), and Delta (N5 billion to N6 billion).
The Factor of Soludo
When it came to Anambra politics in 2023, Soludo was a major player. Even though he was born into the APGA, many were perplexed by his opposition to Mr. Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party. Soludo was more closely linked to the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, than to his party’s nominee, Prof. Peter Umeadi.
The 2022 open letter written by Soludo with the heading “History Beckons, I won’t be silent” One factor that many used to gauge the governor’s thoughts was November. Despite his well-known alliance with Obi, he faced accusations of displaying excessive animosity in the letter. Many were criticizing Soludo for being so harsh on Obi, but the governor’s supporters were smart; they knew where their principal stood, so they defended him and took measures. The state polity was already heated and polarized before anything happened.
Losses and Gains for APC
All Progressives Congress (APC) will be one Anambra party that can look back on 2023 with a sense of accomplishment as the year comes to a close and politics takes a bow. Coming from a long-standing political faction in Anambra State known as the “Fulani party,” this new faction is slowly but surely becoming accepted.
Despite the APC’s long history of involvement in Anambra politics, the party has never made a dent in the state assembly, the governorship races, or the national assembly elections. The party and her candidates did not win a single seat in the previous election.
Even though they lost the popular vote, they are making up ground through defections. Senators Ifeanyi Ubah and Uche Ekwunife are the most recent to leave the party; rumors have it that they are planning to form an alliance to run for governor of Anambra in 2025. Given their cohesiveness and the quality of politicians who have joined them, the APC members in Anambra are currently in a high state of spirit and have a strong belief that they would depose Soludo in 2025.
The Anambra PDP’s demise
When discussing politics in Anambra, it is impossible to avoid mentioning the near extinction of the PDP, the once-largest party in Black Africa. A number of lawsuits have rendered the party’s leadership in the state ineffective at this time. Plus, members of the once-powerful party in the state are quickly defecting to other factions, making it impossible to identify them.
Mismob Media