The political atmosphere in Anambra State is heating up as the November 8, 2025, governorship election draws closer, with fresh controversy sparked by Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s recent visit to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Governor Soludo, who is seeking a second term in office under the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), met with the President on Tuesday, reaffirming his unwavering support for Tinubu’s leadership.
According to Soludo, their political alliance is not a new development but a friendship spanning over two decades. He emphasised that his loyalty to the President remains unshaken, noting that Tinubu’s bold economic restructuring measures and governance reforms are steering Nigeria in the right direction.
“I have no apologies for standing with President Tinubu,” Soludo told journalists after the closed-door meeting.
“We have been friends for over 20 years, and true friendship is not something you deny or water down. I am pleased with the courageous steps he has taken in repositioning the economy and improving governance. What Nigeria needs now is consistency in these reforms.”
The cordial relationship between both leaders has been evident in recent months. President Tinubu’s last official visit to Anambra saw him commissioning key infrastructure projects executed by the Soludo administration, further strengthening their political bond.
Reacting to the meeting, the Anambra State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) did not mince words in condemning the governor’s visit. In a strongly worded statement issued by Okechukwu Modebe, spokesperson for the Nicholas Ukachukwu/Uche Ekwunife Campaign Organisation, the APC described the encounter as a desperate attempt to revive Soludo’s fading political capital.
“This photo-op with the President will not erase four years of failed promises, detachment from the grassroots, and repeated political blunders,” the statement read. “Branding such encounters as presidential endorsements is an insult to the intelligence of Anambra’s electorate.”
Modebe further stressed that the APC’s focus remains firmly on two major political battles — the November governorship race and the August 16 Anambra South senatorial re-run election. He praised the party’s senatorial candidate, Chief Azuka Okwuosa, describing him as “a political iron-gate” who will demonstrate APGA’s dwindling popularity in the region. The party also called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct free, credible, and transparent polls, warning that “the days of business-as-usual in Anambra politics are over.”
Meanwhile, President Tinubu, in a social media post on Wednesday, acknowledged Soludo’s visit warmly. “It was a pleasure to welcome my friend of over two decades and the Governor of Anambra State, Governor Charles Soludo, to the Aso Villa yesterday,” he wrote.
“We both believe that all who claim to be progressives must join hands to deepen democracy, strengthen security, and transform the economy. Together, we will continue to place our faith in Nigeria to achieve sustainable and shared prosperity.”
With political alliances shifting and campaign activities intensifying, the battle for Anambra’s top seat is shaping up to be one of the most closely watched contests in Nigeria’s 2025 election cycle.
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