By Chiedu Uche Okoye/Amaka Iloanya
Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s electioneering for a second term in office has birthed a new political practice, which is hinged on the voters’ funding of the electioneering of their favourite candidate.
The Anambra State Governor, Prof. Soludo described that unfolding political practice, which is being woven into the Anambra State’s political tapestry, as the people’s movement.
He made the comment on October 15, at St. Alphonsus’s Catholic Church, Nkpor, Anambra state during a political rally.
“What is happening in Anambra State is unprecedented in the state’s history. Communities and organizations are organizing rallies and donating money to my re-election campaign.
“At Obosi, they gave me fifty million naira; Oba gave me fifty million naira, too. And Ogidi gave me fifty million naira.
“When we visited Abatete, they gave me twenty million naira; and, at Oraifite, it was one hundred million naira. I received eighty million naira at Ekwulobia while Umuawulu gave me twenty million naira. And Awka North LGA contributed one hundred and fifty million naira for my campaign,” Soludo said.
More so, he recounted how the Ihiala community gave him fifty million naira when he visited the town to receive completed smart school buildings, which were built by a commercial bank.
He listed his government’s lofty achievements in the education sector, and made allusion to the prizes won by the state in the President’s Teachers’s Award while saying that the evaluation of education in a state is based on the strength of its public schools.
“We will get public education to its pride of place. And we started the revolution in education by recruiting quality teachers for our public schools.
“And our efforts are paying off. The school that did best in the 2024 SSCE is a public school in Idemili North LGA. And the way you evaluate education is by the strength of its public school,” Soludo said.
The climax of the event came when some organizations donated money to sustain the tempo and increase the momentum of the Soludo campaign.
While the Soludo Mega Movement donated ten million naira for Governor Soludo’s re-election campaign, the Omenife Solid Youths’ Movement For Soludo contributed two million naira for the same cause and the Divine Mandate Actualization gave him five million naira for his re-election electioneering.
Some APGA chieftains that graced the occasion were Chief Law Mefor, the commissioner for Information in Anambra State; Chief Stanley Nkwoka, Idemili North LGA chairman; Hon. Ifeanyi Ibezi, former lawmaker in the house of representatives; Chief Ikenna Iyiegbu; and others.
Chiedu and Amaka are of the Ministry of Information, Anambra State
