Why Soludo (Part 1)

Some time ago, while sharing ideas with colleagues on the possibilities of Soludo’s candidacy in the forthcoming Anambra gubernatorial election, I expressed reservations over his ambition because I felt he had such a profile that fits exclusively for top jobs at the national, continental and global space. 
I believed that Soludo had such capacity to reflect on Nigeria, such transformational and developmental qualities possessed by men like Lee Kuan Yew, former Prime Minister and founding father of Singapore and Mahathir Mohamad, the fourth and seventh Prime Minister of Malaysia. Both men, intellectuals and professionals, the former a lawyer and the latter, a medical doctor, transformed their countries – Singapore, the smallest country in  southeast Asia with little or no natural resources and few chances of survival, then, and Malaysia, a country tottering on the fringes of underdevelopment due to misgovernance – from the third world to first world economies with rapid infrastructural development and astronomical per capita income growth. But for some undemocratic traits, these men presented the best model for anyone seeking the top job in Nigeria which to my mind, measures commensurately with  Soludo’s profundity, integrity, intellectual capacity and sagacity. 

A glimpse at Soludo’s outstanding profile, presents a man with proven efficacy and capabilities, who has provided solutions and built economies all over the world. The strength of many developed nations and institutions rely on his masterful strategies and more developing nations, on his articulate developmental blueprints. His reputation and popularity serve as a testament to the integrity that has earned him respect and friendship across Party, Ethnic, National and Continental divide, yet he remains humble choosing above many titles to be addressed simply as Charly nwa Mgbafọ. 

My high regards and expectations of Soludo blinded me from his innate desire to serve his people as the Governor of his home state – an inclination, borne out of a deep commitment to contribute to the development of Anambra – a commitment he has expressed actively in many advisory capacities, including his chairmanship of the Anambra vision 2070 committee. Another was the personal conviction that his services, after series of meritorious national and international stewardship, in several high profile positions, should tilt homewards. 

I was eventually converted, so I accepted his candidacy when the leadership of the State Government and the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, elected him as the Party’s candidate for the State’s governorship election on November 6, and rightly so because he is, without doubt, the best man for the job. 

Having reached the zenith of professional excellence, earning himself the third-highest national honour and other national and international awards too numerous to mention, I reasoned that he came prepared. After all, he is a citizen of the world and a worthy ambassador of ndi Anambra, ndi Igbo, Nigeria and Africa. 

But it wasn’t easy to let go. My heart remained attached to the belief that Soludo was the real change-catalyst that Nigeria needed for a total overhaul. However, I was eventually convinced by the think-home philosophy of my Governor, Chief Willie Mmaduaburochukwu Obiano and his commitment to bequeathing not only projects of immeasurable value to ndi Anambra, but also a successor, perhaps greater, in whom he has deposed unwavering belief to do better and achieve greater things for ndi Anambra than himself. I was also inclined to the thinking of the erudite Professor of Economics, that it was time for ndi Anambra, nay ndi Igbo, to begin charity at home. 

This is why I think that the current legal gymnastics pervading the political atmosphere in Anambra State and traversing territorial jurisdictions, however rightful, are unnecessary. It is time for ndi Anambra to unite in the choice of a candidate that will guarantee a future for the State. There’s no better time to harmonize discordant voices to support the candidacy of Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, than now. 

Ikenna Aniagboso 
afachukwugbalu@gmail.com