Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has urged the Igbo individuals to prioritise political reasoning over feelings within the 2027 presidential election, arguing that supporting President Bola Tinubu’s re-election would serve the area’s long-term political pursuits.
Soludo made the remarks in Awka throughout a stakeholders’ assembly involving members of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Accord Party, which he convened as Anambra State Coordinator of the APC Presidential Campaign Committee.
He was referring to the help amongst many Igbo individuals for the presidential ambition of former Labour Party candidate, Peter Obi, who’s from the South-East, saying the area wanted political partnerships to safe future alternatives.
Speaking on the assembly, Soludo argued that those that couldn’t defeat Tinubu in 2023 when he was not but president shouldn’t count on to defeat him in 2027 whereas he’s an incumbent.
He additionally warned that the South-East might face political penalties if it did not help Tinubu’s re-election.
“This is a grand coalition for the progress, prosperity, security, and welfare of Nigeria and of course, Anambra. This is a battle for the soul of Ndigbo and Anambra, a battle between emotion and reason. Emotion will always dominate, but reason will eventually triumph,” he stated.
Soludo stated the Igbo had sought the presidency since 1978 however wanted political partnerships to attain the ambition.
“We have clamoured for the presidency since 1978, we have held many positions in Nigeria except president. So, how do we get there? We need partnerships. Politics is about interest, we are not doing Tinubu any favour by supporting him, rather we are doing ourselves a favour. We did not vote for him in 2023, yet he won, and some people want us to repeat the same mistake?” he stated.
The governor expressed confidence in Tinubu’s possibilities within the subsequent election, insisting that the president can be tough to defeat.
“A warrior who you couldn’t beat when he was sleeping in 2023, is it now that he is fully awake that you think you can defeat him? It can’t happen. Show me anywhere in the world that anyone has taken power from a powerful incumbent president?” he stated.
He described Obi as an in depth good friend however maintained that their political variations wouldn’t have an effect on their private relationship.
“Ndigbo have been playing politics of protest and it is not in our own favour. Our brother who is running for president (Peter Obi) is my friend. We are close, our families are close and we will remain close. The only place where we disagree with each other is in politics. We can not keep deceiving our people,” Soludo stated.
He added that supporting Tinubu for a second time period might strengthen the South-East’s probabilities of negotiating for the presidency when energy returns to the South.
“In politics, there is not prize for second position, that is why I say we should not throw away our votes. We must remember there is consequences for running and failing, so for Ndigbo, this is a battle between temporary emotion and reason. If we back Tinubu for a second term, after his tenure, power will move to the north, and when it comes to the South again, we will be able to negotiate with other regions in the South to support us because we supported them when they needed us,” he stated.
Soludo additionally dismissed ideas that his help for Tinubu was motivated by private advantages, saying he didn’t intend to contest one other election after finishing his second time period as governor.
He recalled predicting Obi’s defeat within the 2023 presidential election, including {that a} fragmented opposition would battle towards an incumbent president.
“I’m saying this truth because I care for Igbo. I’m no longer contesting any election after my second term, so I can retire to my village and be enjoying fresh palm wine, but it is the future of Ndigbo that we are fighting for. That is why I’m shouting because I know that contesting and failing has serious consequences,” he stated.
The governor urged members of the 4 political events to undertake door-to-door campaigns to safe votes for Tinubu in Anambra, notably amongst undecided voters.
He additionally stated supporting the president’s re-election would strengthen the state’s place in searching for federal help for infrastructure initiatives.
“Tinubu is doing many projects in Anambra State. We want to support him to ensure that he returns to complete them. There are numerous other projects that we would want him to do, but you can only ask for them if you are a member of the inner chamber,” he stated.
Soludo cited street building, a fuel pipeline venture, rail improvement and erosion management as areas requiring collaboration between the state and federal governments.
“We need to partner with federal government for some projects. Our roads need to be motorable, there is the gas pipeline project, rail project, erosion menace. Some of these are not things a state can take on with just FAAC, and the only way the federal government can come to our aid is if we are partners,” he stated.
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