Anambra 2025: Trouble for Soludo as Edozie Njoku throws APGA’s Guber Ticket Open

Alex Enumah in Abuja

The second term ambition of the incumbent Governor of Anambra State, Prof Charles Soludo, appears to be threatened with a declaration by the National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Edozie Njoku, that the party’s ticket for the 2025 governorship is open to all Anambra citizens.

Besides, Njoku disclosed that the party under his leadership, is set to take crucial decisions towards disciplining members working against the interest and progress of the party.

Chief Njoku made this known yesterday while briefing judiciary correspondents after attending a proceeding at the Federal High Court Abuja, in a suit filed by some persons being sponsored by Governor Soludo against the party.

 When asked if the current division in the party would not affect the chances of APGA in the next year’s governorship poll, the national chairman stressed that as at today APGA “has no sole candidate for the election.”

 According to him,  “Anyone interested in becoming the governor of Anambra State should come forward and go through the process.” 

Meanwhile, the chairman hinting that 80 per cent of the APGA hierarchy has agreed  that    Soludo and others would  be suspended for anti party activities in a bid to sanitise and instill discipline, decorum and orderliness in the party.

“Remember what the Chairman of the APGA BoT said, that we the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party should take action so that we don’t look like toothless bulldogs.

 “One of those people to be suspended is the governor, and I’m saying, are we going to suspend the only governor we have?

“But if the only governor we have is pretending or playing to the gallery, making these honest people to go in and commit anti-party activities, we must nip this in the bud. I don’t know what Soludo is playing at and I don’t know what his problem is, but he must conform himself under the party,” the APGA chairman said.

Speaking on the current litigations, Njoku remarked that, the suit was aimed at securing an interim injunction restraining INEC from recognising him as the authentic National Chairman of APGA, but, “unfortunately for them, the court presided over by Justice James Omotosho, had refused to grant the application, insisting that they must put the National Chairman of APGA and others on notice.”

According to the APGA chairman, Governor Soludo has thwarted every move by the Supreme Court and INEC-recognised NWC to restore peace in the party and has continued with his anti-party activities.

“If you remember, just about a week ago or two weeks ago, we just left the Court of Appeal where a stay was applied at the Court of Appeal to stay me being recognised by INEC despite the fact that the Supreme Court said in their own words that the removal of Chief Edozie Njoku as national chairman of APGA is not justifiable.

 “They went to Awka and filed the suit, suddenly the  judge in Awka was very smart, and he pulled out of it.

 “They came to the Federal High Court again. They filed another one behind our back, they were applying for an interim injunction behind the back of the national chairman of the party, behind the back of APGA, behind the back of the orders of the Court of Appeal, which asked that they should enforce the judgment as pay or affirm the enforcement of the judgment, as per the Bwari High Court.

 “They went behind the back of APGA and INEC, they  were very smart, and INEC have written that everything they said is not true.

 “The local government elections are going to take place in Anambra on the 28th but what we should understand about this is that Charles Soludo, the governor, I don’t know, he should know that it’s a political system he’s not an emperor.

 “He has gone forward to get the House of Assembly to adopt, to make a law whereby the party cannot field their candidates.

 “They went to the field and conducted something behind the back of the party, where they assembled certain people who are conducting anti party activities,” Chief Njoku said.

 He submitted that ”Soludo must know that if there is anything filed in this court, it is going to be filed by APGA. He cannot bring someone not recognised by the law, and who is already facing a contempt charge, which is a man called Sly. He has already been served with Form 48, alongside Oye, who is going to be sentenced soon.

 “In all these things, we must realise that there is law and order in Nigeria. That you are a governor, with so much  resources, does not mean you should waste the resources of people of Anambra State trying to chase shadows,” he said.