Anambra State Governor Prof. Chukwuma Soludo has said the Igbo must set aside internal divisions and build broader political alliances across Nigeria to produce a president, citing the coalition strategies of First Republic statesman Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe and President Bola Tinubu as instructive models.
Speaking through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Christian Aburime, Soludo argued that the South-East could not realise its presidential ambitions through regional solidarity alone and needed to cultivate strategic relationships with other parts of the country to strengthen its political weight.
APGA Backs Tinubu for 2027
As reported by Vanguard, Soludo stated during an exclusive interview ahead of the 2027 elections that APGA's leadership had collectively resolved to back Tinubu's re-election bid and would not field its own presidential candidate. He described the decision as consistent with the party's established practice, noting that former Anambra governors Peter Obi and Willie Obiano had each backed presidential candidates outside their own parties in previous election cycles.
Soludo said he had already conveyed APGA's position directly to President Tinubu during the latter's visit to Anambra, where the president commissioned several projects including the Government House, Solution Fun City and road infrastructure.
Why Soludo Won't Back Peter Obi
Addressing widespread expectations that he should back Peter Obi, now the presidential flag bearer of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and his immediate predecessor as governor, Aburime said the two men belonged to different parties with different ideologies and that shared ethnic identity was insufficient grounds for political alignment.
"Politics shouldn't be based on emotion or sentiment. They have different ideologies," Aburime said. He added that voters should assess parties on their ability to improve lives, not on ethnic or regional loyalties.
Aburime also pushed back against assumptions that Anambra would deliver the kind of overwhelming support for Obi that it did in 2023. "2023 is gone. 2027 is not going to be 2023," he said, expressing confidence that APGA members would vote for Tinubu.
Economic Reforms and Debt Dispute
On the economy, Aburime said Soludo backed Tinubu's removal of the fuel subsidy and foreign exchange liberalisation, characterising the measures as difficult but unavoidable responses to structural problems that had built up over many years.
Meanwhile, public affairs analyst Donald Okwuosa weighed in on the ongoing dispute between Soludo and Obi over debt claims. Okwuosa said the timing of Soludo's attack on Obi's financial record points to the 2027 general elections as the real driver. The analyst noted Soludo might have a valid financial point but said the manner and timing of the claims risk making them look like a deliberate smear campaign.
