Stakeholders from Anambra State are divided over the performance of Chukwuma Soludo as he prepares to begin a second term in office, with some praising his long-term development vision and others criticising what they describe as uneven project distribution.
Bartholomew Igwilo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, said in an interview in Abuja on Monday that Soludo had brought an intellectual and forward-looking approach to governance.
“He is not about playing to the gallery. He is looking beyond today and focusing on the future,” Igwilo said.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelHe acknowledged that insecurity had challenged the administration but said efforts were underway to address it.
“It may have taken time, but steps are being taken to tackle insecurity and reset the mindset of the people,” he said.
Igwilo also defended Soludo’s move to shut markets observing the sit-at-home order, describing it as necessary to prevent wider disruption and restore normal economic activity.
“If he were interested in populism, he would allow the decay to continue. Governance requires difficult decisions,” he said.
Despite his support for the administration’s direction, Igwilo said development had not been evenly distributed across communities.
“In my community, there is little one can point to as tangible, which is why some feel attention has been concentrated in certain areas,” he said.
He rejected suggestions that development should follow a zoning pattern, insisting that the governor has a mandate to serve the entire state.
“Anambra voted as one, and governance must reflect that,” he said.
However, another stakeholder, Chief Emeka Mbaagha, a former president-general of the Anambra State Towns Union Abuja chapter, backed the idea of rotational development across the state’s zones.
“Anambra is one, but the rotation introduced by the All Progressives Grand Alliance is helping development,” he said.
He argued that focusing development in a governor’s zone could be justified within a broader cycle of rotation.
“If one zone is developed now, others will follow when it is their turn. In the end, the whole state benefits,” he said.
Mbaagha also dismissed allegations that the administration was concentrating projects in a single area, saying such claims could reflect misperceptions.
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On security, he defended the activities of the local vigilante group, Agunechemba, saying abuses by some members should not define its overall objective.
“Those who act outside their mandate are dealt with. The aim is to protect lives and restore order,” he said.
Soludo, a former central bank governor, won re-election last year and is due to begin his second term on March 17.
Prosper Okoye is a Correspondent and Research Writer at Prime Business Africa, a Nigerian journalist with experience in development reporting, public affairs, and policy-focused storytelling across Africa
