By Nwabueze Okonkwo
ONITSHA — Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo has described the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, as a political platform through which many Igbo politicians rose to prominence.
Soludo said it was unfortunate that some politicians who benefited from the party had later defected to other political platforms while questioning APGA’s relevance.
The governor spoke at the Ekwusigo Local Government Area headquarters in Ozubulu on Saturday after commissioning projects executed by the outgoing council mayor, Chimezie Obi.
He also urged Ndigbo to seek stronger engagement with the Federal Government rather than concentrating their political support in one direction and subsequently complaining of marginalisation at the centre.
Soludo said APGA’s position was to work with the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the 2027 presidential election while seeking to retain all National Assembly and state assembly seats in Anambra.
The governor said APGA’s mantra of “Progressives working together” informed the position.
He said, “APGA has been a visa through which many Igbo politicians rode to stardom. It is unfortunate that some of those who used the APGA visa to rise to stardom have lost focus and cross-carpeted to other mushroom political parties and are now jumping up and down with the wishful thinking that APGA is no longer relevant.”
Soludo added that some Igbo politicians were attempting to convince their followers that another political party could displace APC and APGA ahead of the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections.
He said APGA would support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid while concentrating on securing legislative seats in Anambra.
The governor’s position is consistent with his previously stated support for cooperation between APGA and the APC-led Federal Government ahead of 2027. In May 2025, Soludo announced that APGA had adopted Tinubu as its preferred presidential candidate, citing what he described as ideological alignment between the two parties.
However, APC leaders in the South-East have disputed Soludo’s description of the two parties as working together, with APC South-East officials saying the party would campaign for its own candidates at all levels in the 2027 elections.
Soludo also commended Obi for his management of Ekwusigo council resources and the execution of projects, including roads, CCTV cameras and skills acquisition centres.
He said the projects demonstrated that local governments could execute capital projects when resources were properly managed.
The governor pledged to reward Obi for his performance in office and expressed optimism that the incoming mayor, Ifeanyi Onuchukwu, would surpass his predecessor’s achievements.
Earlier, Obi commended Soludo for his leadership and said his administration had leveraged the governor’s policies and support to execute the projects commissioned.
“What you saw here today is a testament of my vision,” Obi said.
Onuchukwu, the incoming mayor, said he had prepared an action plan for his administration and would begin implementing it after his inauguration in line with his manifesto.
The event also featured the presentation of Community Service Awards to Obi and Onuchukwu by the youth wing of the Anambra State Town Union Council, ASTUC, led by its President-General, Ken Okoli.
The projects commissioned included a three-kilometre road constructed by the Ekwusigo council, while other reported projects included a legislative building and skills acquisition initiatives.
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