Soludo Rules Out Automatic Anambra Support for Peter Obi, “2027 is Not Going to Be 2023"

• Soludo has explained why he, as an APGA governor, accepted a role in the APC Presidential Campaign Council ahead of 2027
• The Anambra governor's spokesman addressed growing pressure on Soludo to back his predecessor Peter Obi's presidential bid
• Soludo's camp has weighed in on Nnamdi Kanu's continued detention and the future of the Monday sit-at-home order

Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over eight years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues

Anambra State Governor Prof. Chukwuma Soludo has called on the Igbo to set aside internal divisions and build broader political alliances across Nigeria if they are serious about producing a president, pointing to the coalition strategies of both First Republic statesman Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe and incumbent President Bola Tinubu as instructive models.

Soludo argued that the South-East could not realise its presidential ambitions through regional solidarity alone and needed to cultivate strategic relationships with other parts of the country to strengthen its political weight.

The governor also explaied his acceptance of an appointment in the APC Presidential Campaign Council, despite leading a different party.

As reported by Vanguard, he stated this during an exclusive interview ahead of the 2027 elections.

He said APGA's leadership had collectively resolved to back Tinubu's re-election bid in 2027 and would not field its own presidential candidate, describing the decision as consistent with the party's established practice.

He noted that former Anambra governors Peter Obi and Willie Obiano had each backed presidential candidates outside their own parties in previous election cycles.

Soludo said he had already conveyed APGA's position directly to President Tinubu during the latter's visit to Anambra, where the president commissioned several projects including the Government House, Solution Fun City and road infrastructure.

Speaking through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Christian Aburime, the governor addressed widespread expectations that he should back Peter Obi, now the presidential flag bearer of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and his immediate predecessor as governor.

Aburime said the two men belonged to different parties with different ideologies and that shared ethnic identity was insufficient grounds for political alignment.

"Politics shouldn't be based on emotion or sentiment. They have different ideologies," Aburime said.

He added that voters should assess parties on their ability to improve lives, not on ethnic or regional loyalties.

Aburime also pushed back against assumptions that Anambra would deliver the kind of overwhelming support for Obi that it did in 2023.

"2023 is gone. 2027 is not going to be 2023," he said, expressing confidence that APGA members would vote for Tinubu.

On the economy, Aburime said Soludo backed Tinubu's removal of the fuel subsidy and foreign exchange liberalisation, characterising the measures as difficult but unavoidable responses to structural problems that had built up over many years.

Why Soludo Is allegedly attacking Peter Obi

Meanwhile, Legit.ng also reported that Public affairs analyst Donald Okwuosa weighed in on the ongoing dispute between Anambra governor Soludo and Peter Obi over debt claims.

Okwuosa said the timing of Soludo's attack on Obi's financial record points to the 2027 general elections as the real driver.

The analyst noted Soludo might have a valid financial point but said the manner and timing of the claims risk making them look like a deliberate smear campaign.