Victor EzejaAn All Progressives Congress (APC), governorship aspirant in the Anambra State 2025 election, Valentine Ozigbo, has criticised the state governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, over his style of governance.
Ozigbo said that inviting President Bola Tinubu to come and commission some projects done by Soludo’s administration does not mask his failure.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelOzigbo’s critique comes as President Bola Tinubu visited Anambra State on Thursday, 8 May 2025.
During the working visit, the president commissioned some projects done by Soludo’s administration. Among them were a new Government House, the amusement park, and the Emeka Anyaoku Institute for International Studies and Diplomacy at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka.
In a statement on Thursday, Ozigbo welcomed President Tinubu to the State, adding that they honour his presence “as a sign of national unity and shared purpose.”
He, however, questioned the wisdom in showcasing projects Soludo styled as “landmark” projects such as an amusement park dubbed Solution FunCity, while essential public needs remain ignored.
To Ozigbo, these are monuments to image management rather than substantive development.
He remarked that “what should have been an opportunity to showcase bold, transformative governance has instead become a glaring theatre of missed priorities, misplaced ambitions, and media optics masquerading as progress.
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“Governance is not a film trick. Governance is not about cutting ribbons on facades while the foundation rots.”
He said for over three years that Soludo has been in office, he has failed to address issues of public housing, real investment inflow, and structural transformation of the state’s economy.
He further stated that instead of addressing the escalating cost of living, housing crisis in Awka, the infrastructural challenges, and the deepening insecurity across the state, the Governor chose to showcase an amusement park. According to him, the amusement park should have been left to private investors in a healthy economic climate. “What critical social problem does this park solve? Hunger? Unemployment? Fear?” Ozigbo, the immediate past president of Transcorp Group asked.
He went further, describing the commissioning as an “act of political cowardice” after reports emerged that APGA members were instructed not to wear party-branded clothing to the event — allegedly to avoid negative optics before the President.
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“What a betrayal,” he stated. “If your policies are strong and your house is in order, why hide your colours?”
“We deserve a government that builds lives, not just lodges,” he declared.
“A leadership that puts people before propaganda. A Governor whose work speaks louder than his PR.”
Ozigbo also drew attention to Anambra’s persistent economic and social woes, especially the housing crisis, lack of transport infrastructure, and unaddressed insecurity.
“Just to be clear, most civil servants in Awka — the same people whose taxes fund this carnival — cannot afford to live in the city. A two-bedroom flat goes for ₦1.3 million a year. Transportation is unreliable. Social services are patchy. And public trust in the APGA-led government is rapidly eroding,” he stated.
The former governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party in the 2021 election said the people of the state “deserve a government that builds lives, not just lodges. A leadership that puts people before propaganda. A Governor whose work speaks louder than his PR.”
“Bringing the President to commission a handful of overhyped projects does not mask your failure. It doesn’t put food on the table. It doesn’t create jobs. And it certainly doesn’t fool Ndi Anambra.”
He maintained that Anambra has abundance of human resources to develop the state but lacks leadership that puts the people first.
“I do not believe in politics as performance art. I believe in politics as service — rooted in compassion, driven by vision, and measured by real change in people’s lives.
“As Anambra 2025 draws near, our message must be loud and clear: we do not want more ribbon-cutting distractions; we want a future worth living for. And that future must begin now,” he added.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with seven years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication.
