Seven days to the Anambra State governorship election, concern has been raised about the absence of President Bola Tinubu at the All Progressives Congress (APC) grand rally held on Friday at the All Saints Anglican Church Cathedral field in Onitsha.
The President was represented by Senate President Godswill Akpabio
The President’s absence came against the background of the state governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo promoting a ‘progressives working together’ concept, which appears to have blurred traditional party lines and emphasised his 22-year friendship between Tinubu and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate, who is seeking a second term in office.
During a state visit to Anambra State last May, the President expressed satisfaction with the performance of the governor, saying he has transformed the state into a destination where economic and business activities thrive, through laudable reforms in vital sectors of the state’s economy.
During that visit, President Tinubu declared Soludo as his ‘good friend, a progressive, with a clear vision for credible leadership’.
Two months earlier while flagging-off the Second Niger Bridge access road at Ogbunike, the Minister for Works, Senator Dave Umahi commended Soludo for his visionary leadership and style of governance that had the interest of the people at heart, with an avalanche of infrastructural and transformational projects across the state.
Umahi said to the governor: ‘I don’t see anyone that can challenge you in the election’.
The President’s absence coincides with intense political manoeuvring in the state where Soludo has been promoting ‘progressives working together” concept that has blurred traditional party lines.
The timing of the APC campaign launch has drawn sharp criticism. ‘The APC flagging off their campaign just one week before the election, with Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu as the governorship candidate, is evidence the party was not serious about the contest’, in a state where APGA has held power since 2023.
A political analyst, Dr Chijoke Obatosu described Soludo’s brand of politics as developmental focused. ‘It is politics that de-emphasises political affiliation, while embracing developmental alignment. He’s indeed a socio-political economist who is ingeniously leveraging all skills to ensure Anambra is not shortchanged and he appears to be winning from all angles’, Obatosu said.
