President Bola Tinubu recently met with the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate for the 2025 Anambra election, Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu, and his running mate, Senator Uche Ekwunife. The visit, held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, marked a public display of APC’s commitment to the upcoming Anambra election, with Tinubu handing Ukachukwu the party’s symbolic flag.
Following the meeting, Ukachukwu confidently stated that the APC is fully prepared to defeat the incumbent governor, Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), in the November 8 election. He claimed that his defection from APGA, along with his supporters, had given APC a stronger base in the state.
“When I left APGA, I left with all my supporters. That makes APC stronger,” he said to reporters at the State House.
He also described Anambra as a one-party state under APGA, and promised to change that by bringing in what he called “true democracy” through his planned victory.
However, APGA has fired back, saying that no amount of federal backing will help Ukachukwu win in the state. In a strong-worded statement released on Tuesday, Chinedu Obigwe, the National Coordinator of the APGA Media Warriors Forum, accused Ukachukwu of planning to manipulate the election.
“Ukachukwu is desperately hatching a plot to rig the November 8 governorship election with Presidential might because he knows very well that he is not electable and that there is no gospel that he can preach to Anambra electorates that will make them vote for him,” Obigwe stated.
Obigwe also noted that the efforts by APC’s National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, to present Ukachukwu and Ekwunife before Tinubu as strong contenders would not change the outcome of the election. He described the attempt as mere political theater with no real impact on the voters of Anambra.
He added, “Ganduje packaging of Ukachukwu and his running mate, Senator Uche Ekwunife, like ‘Belgium rats’ for presentation to President Tinubu at the villa, will not save them from defeat. Ukachukwu will lose the forthcoming November 8 governorship election woefully.”
Obigwe further noted that the people of Anambra are seeing visible progress under Governor Soludo, and they are unlikely to abandon that progress for APC’s promises.
“Anambra is now the envy of other states in Nigeria, courtesy of Soludo’s good work in our state. Those supporting Ukachukwu’s mission in our state are enemies of the state,” he said.
He ended by affirming APGA’s confidence in Soludo, saying, “No vacancy in Anambra State government house. It is Governor Soludo for Governor or nothing till March 17, 2030.”
