Instead of haranguing opponents through sophistry, Soludo and his party should be busy telling ndi Anambra what their scorecard reads, to warrant a second term in office.”
By Deborah Hassan
365Daily – The lawmaker representing Ogbaru Federal Constituency and newly appointed Director of Media and Publicity for the Labour Party (LP) in Anambra State, Hon. Afam Victor Ogene, has taken a swipe at Governor Chukwuma Soludo over his recent comments dismissing the one-term pledge made by some governorship aspirants ahead of the November 2025 election.
Speaking in Awka on Tuesday following the formal unveiling of the LP campaign council, Ogene said the decision of some candidates to commit to a single term in office was rooted in respect for the state’s informal zoning arrangement, a principle he accused Governor Soludo of disregarding.
“Unlike Soludo, who was a serial governorship aspirant, including against an incumbent, until he was elected governor in 2021, our candidates are showing respect for Anambra’s power rotation formula,” he said.
He insisted that the November 8 election would be a referendum on Soludo’s record, and not a discussion about political promises made by his opponents.
“A second term is not an entitlement. It must be earned and only after the people have objectively assessed the first four years in office,” Ogene said.
He accused the Soludo administration of failing across key governance areas, from security and investment to inclusion and leadership style.
“Instead of haranguing opponents through sophistry, Soludo and his party should be busy telling ndi Anambra what their scorecard reads, to warrant a second term in office,” he said.
According to him, “The next election will be a referendum on such key issues as security of lives and property; attraction of investments, foreign and indigenous; emotional intelligence in governance; and equity in government appointments and infrastructure spread.”
Ogene claimed the governor, who “gleefully promised to turn Anambra into Africa’s Dubai and Taiwan,” had failed on all fronts.
“On security, after sleep-walking for three years, the Soludo administration woke up one morning to announce the creation of the Udo-ga-chi security outfit. Devoid of any formal training, the hoopla lasted barely two months before the state relapsed into a killing field.
“Banditry, kidnapping, and assassinations have taken full rein. The thugs he hired to fight insecurity have brazenly become terrors to the very people they were supposed to protect, unleashing unimaginable cruelty with their ‘Aka Odo’ — weapon of impunity, pain and blood,” he said.
Citing past and recent cases of political violence in the state, the lawmaker recalled the killings of two state legislators — Hon. Justice Azuka and Hon. Okechukwu Okoye, a former Aguata II lawmaker — who were abducted in 2022 and later found murdered.
“The latest incident was the killing of the son of the state woman leader of Governor Soludo’s party. In fact, the grim crime statistics of Anambra are so horrendous that no day passes without one incident of kidnapping, banditry, or killing,” he added.
Ogene challenged the governor to publish a list of investments attracted to Anambra since assuming office.
“Security is foundational to investment. We are calling on Governor Soludo to tell ndi Anambra what new investments he has attracted in the last three years,” he said.
He also faulted the governor’s leadership style, describing it as abrasive.
“Concerning emotional intelligence, the condescending manner of our governor’s public utterances can only be equated with the crude deployment of ndi Aka Odo to Anambra’s streets and parks,” he stated.
The lawmaker, who also chairs the House of Representatives Committee on Renewable Energy and is a veteran journalist, was named as part of a broad-based campaign team for the LP governorship candidate, Dr. George Moghalu, and his running mate, Mrs. Ifeoma Okaro.
Announcing the team on Monday in Awka, Director-General of the Moghalu Campaign Organisation, Arch. Okey Chukwuogo, described it as “a people-centered, issue-driven council comprising some of Anambra’s best minds in law, media, strategy, grassroots mobilisation and governance.”
Among those appointed are Barr. CJ Okoli Akirika, who will lead the Administration Directorate; Prof. Oby Orogbu, who takes charge as Deputy Director in the Contact and Mobilisation unit; Hon. Uchenna ‘Wiper’ Okafor as Director of Parks and Markets; Prof. Patrick Nky Obi as Director of Support Groups and Persons with Disabilities; Barr. Jude Umennajiego and Dr. Obinna Ngonadi in charge of Operations; and CP Mike Okoli (Rtd) as Director of Security.
Chukwuogo said the campaign will focus strictly on issues. “We are assembling not just a campaign team, but a team of transformation,” he said.