Second Term: Has Soludo Anything Special for Ndi Anambra?

David-Chyddy Eleke reports that Governor Chukwuma Soludo on Tuesday began a fresh four-year tenure in Anambra state and asks if he’ll be able to consolidate on the achievements recorded during his first term in office.

On Tuesday, March 17, 2026, the Governor of Anambra State, Prof Chukwuma Soludo was sworn in for a second term in office. The exercise kick starts a fresh journey for further transformation of Anambra State as the governor has always desired.

Long before he achieved his goal of becoming governor, Soludo had first given the position a shot in 2010, when he had just left office as the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Then, Soludo had first wooed the citizens of the state with the promise of making Anambra Africa’s Dubai-Taiwan. Though the dream of that period had been truncated with the re-election of incumbent governor, Mr Peter Obi, 11 years after in 2021, Soludo got his chance after another failed attempt that ended at the primary election stage.

He was in November, 2021 elected as governor and sworn in, on March 17, 2022. His ascension to office was an opportunity to show Anambra people what he has for years craved to deliver, and within the last four years, Soludo believes he has delivered.

As the celebration of the second tenure swearing in held at the Alex Ekwueme Square in Awka on Tuesday went on, THISDAY  found it was a huge contrast to the ceremony that held in 2022, when only a few persons witnessed the event in front of the governor’s office in the old government house. But convinced that his government has rolled out a solid foundation for Anambra in the last four years, Soludo rolled out the drums and celebrated his second coming with an elaborate event that was witnessed by a wide range of dignitaries from Anambra and beyond.

The arena was colourfully decorated, with huge inscriptions that echoed the believe of both the governor and citizens. Among the many billboards in the state were some with inscriptions like: Anambra is on the rise, a solid foundation has been laid for Anambra, we can now consolidate, solution continues for another four years, among others.

Many of the citizens of the state who turned up for the ceremony praised the governor for his work so far, with many paying glowing tributes, but the governor is not also unmindful of his own achievements in the state as he took time to give account of what he has achieved so far within four years.

In a very lengthy speech, the governor said: “Four years ago, my deputy (Dr. Onyekachukwu Ibezim), and I took the oath of office before you at the old Governor’s Office in Agu Awka. It was a quiet ceremony attended by fewer than fifty guests, and immediately afterward we went straight to work.

“We were clear that the moment did not call for celebration. On that very day, we worked for eight hours and 45 minutes—no fanfare, no parade, no celebrations of any kind—just work. We declared a state of emergency.

The very next day, we began at Okpoko, the largest urban slum in the Southeast. That visit symbolized our priorities: to start where the need was greatest and to focus on the people who had long been left behind. We made a solemn promise to you then—to work 24/7 to rescue our state and make you proud.

“As a technocrat in politics, our administration set out to test a simple but profound hypothesis: can the politics of transformation and development (rather than the politics of transactions) translate into political capital and popular support? Barely three years in office, after delivering more than 90% of the promises we made for our first term, it was you, Ndi Anambra who proudly proclaimed that Anambra is back and rapidly rising.”

The governor insisted that within three years, he had already delivered more that 90 percent of his campaign promise to Anambra people, and that most of his works were not captured as promises he made to Anambra people. “Indeed, several of the major projects we delivered were not in our Manifesto (e.g. new Ekwulobia, Fun City, Light House, etc.). In affirmation, all the senatorial zones bestowed on us the title “Oluatuegwu Anambra” (the one who does not fear work or the one who relishes the challenge of difficult tasks).

“Then came the governorship election in November last year: Umunne m Ndi Anambra, what you did was unprecedented in Nigeria’s political history. You organized rallies at your own expense, knocked on doors across communities, and donated massively to support our campaign. It was a spontaneous movement of the people, an extraordinary demonstration of ownership of the “project Anambra”. The unprecedented 73% of the votes cast at the polls was therefore more than an electoral victory; it was a near-unanimous affirmation of the path we have chosen together and a resounding call to do even more. I am certain that political scientists will one day write volumes about what many now call the Anambra phenomenon.

“Today, we stand in awesome gratitude to the Almighty God and to you, the special people of Anambra. We are gathered here at the remodeled and massively expanded Ekwueme Square not merely to mark the inauguration of a Second Term, but above all to celebrate you, Ndi Anambra—for  your love, your patriotism, and your partnership in the journey of rebuilding our homeland (albeit that the “celebration” is muted with only Made in Anambra/Nigeria foods/drinks). Be assured that we will never take your historic support for granted. And as the Americans would say and as we promised during the campaigns: “you ain’t seen nothing yet”!”

True to most of the comments captured in his address, Soludo has actually wooed Anambra people with his works, but many others believe he lauded himself more than his works. But among some of Soludo’s most noticeable project is his fight against insecurity in the state. Soludo ascended the governorship seat at a time when eight out of the 21 local government areas of the state was under siege. Gunmen masquerading as freedom fighters for the independent state of Biafra had seized towns within these local government areas, building camps within them and practically annexing them as their colony, and running them as they wished, including levying indigenes for social activities and asking for donations for the procurement of arms and ammunition.

In fact, the election that brought Soludo to power, which was in 2021 was during the very thick of the agitation, making it difficult for all the candidates to be able to campaign  but worse in areas like Ihiala, Nnewi South Local Government Areas. In fact, one candidate who entered the area to campaign was not lucky as he was abducted and declared missing and has not been found, five years after. Soludo himself was a victim as he was attacked during an event in his community, Isuofia, Aguata Local Government Area, and three police escorts within his convoy killed.

Upon swearing in, Soludo went to work and today, all local government areas previously held have been liberated. The return of security in the state helped the governor to move into other areas and also achieve, especially in the area of infrastructure, where the governor prides himself as having built thousands of kilometers of roads across all the 21 local governments in the state.

As another four-year term begins, Soludo believes that the foundation for success has been laid, and that the state is set to attain cruising height. He said after chairing Anambra Vision 2070 committee, he’s left with no option than to visualize the condition of the state decades to come, and this spurred him to work.

He said: “So far, every step, every project, program, law, or policy is intentional and with one question in mind: how does it align with the long-term vision? Where will it leave Anambra not only in the immediate and medium term but more fundamentally over the next 50- 100 years? Inter-generational sustainability and alignment to the destination drive our thinking and actions. This is a new chapter on how we do business in Anambra. Our aspirational alternative future is possible but must begin with disruptive but sure-footed steps founded on existing realities.”