Soludo Declares No Opponent in Anambra Guber Race, Receives Traders’ Endorsement
Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has declared that the forthcoming November 8 governorship election in the state will be taken seriously, even though he insists he has no real opponents in the contest.
Speaking on Saturday at the Chuba Ikpeazu Sports Complex, Onitsha, during a political rally organised by the Anambra State Market Amalgamated Traders Association (ASMATA), Soludo, who is seeking re-election on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), maintained that those claiming to contest against him were merely seeking appointments and cheap popularity.
“The journey to the November 8 election is still far. We are not going to take it for granted.
Although we have no contestants, we are going into the election with all seriousness. Every other contestant is looking for an appointment, but instead of them to come and tell us what they are looking for, they are claiming to be contesting for the election,” Soludo said.
He dismissed his opponents as lacking credibility and vision, stressing that Anambra could not be ruled by what he described as “charlatans.”
“Our opponents don’t have a certificate. Gone are the days when charlatans rule Anambra; this is the state of the great Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chinua Achebe, Alex Ekwueme; no unknown character will be allowed to rule Anambra again,” he declared.
The governor also took a swipe at what he called “nomadic politicians” who switch parties every election year. “Last time, it was Labour Party everywhere, they were making noise. I call them nomadic politicians; every election year, they enter into another party. But for us, we are APGA, and we are saying APGA is Anambra and Anambra is APGA,” he said.
Highlighting his administration’s achievements, Soludo noted that his government had not borrowed a kobo in the last three years, despite embarking on numerous projects across the state. He urged traders to keep their markets clean, safe, and open for business on Mondays, rejecting the sit-at-home directive.
On taxation, the governor assured traders that a new system would soon take effect, eliminating cash payments and harmonising levies.
He stressed that petty traders would no longer be charged, describing anyone demanding money from them as “a thief.”
“The complaints I received from traders are that there were too many charges and levies. We are going to harmonise all these charges. Petty traders will not be charged in Anambra anymore. Anybody demanding charges from any petty trader is a thief; such money doesn’t come into the coffers of the government,” he said.
Soludo recalled that during his 2021 campaign, Onitsha traders had asked him to rid the state of touts. He said his administration responded by establishing the State Anti-Tout Agency, which successfully chased away “agberos,” restoring order to the markets and roads.
The rally climaxed with the presentation of a ₦10 million cheque to the governor by the President-General of ASMATA, Chief Humphrey Anuna, on behalf of traders, in support of Soludo’s second-term bid.
Describing the endorsement as a partnership with Ndi Anambra, Soludo thanked the traders for their confidence, promising to consolidate on his achievements. “Between now and November, you will be seeing new projects we are embarking on across the state,” he assured.
