As the governorship election in Anambra State is drawing near, the former Governor of the Central Bank, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, appears to be the candidate to beat.

Though he is yet to make his intention about contesting the November 2021 election known, his body language and the clamour from different quarters which he has not stopped, speaks volumes of what may be going on in his mind.

Speaking in an interview, the Coordinator, Soludo Support Group (SSP) Lagos State Chapter, Chief Tony Okeke, said the call for Soludo to contest the forthcoming election is reverberating in all the nooks and crannies of the world because everybody has seen that he is the only one that has the capacity to continue from where the incumbent Willy Obiano would stop.

Chief Okeke who is also the president of Mandilas International Trade Center, Lagos International Trade Fair Complex said that the people of Anambra are mostly business men and women, adding that it was the banking reforms that Soludo brought is the reason why most of them are still in business.

In this interview, he also spoke on the clamour for zoning and other issues. Excerpts:

Why are you leading the clamour for Prof Soludo to contest the forthcoming governorship election?

The reason why I am leading the pack for Prof Chukwuma Soludo to contest the governorship election and win is because I believe in his capacity and capability to take Anambra State to a greater height. He demonstrated capacity and competence when he was the CBN Governor. As a Central Bank Governor, he performed excellently well and made our people proud. Those of us in business should not forget that it was his banking reform that we still in business because if he had not done the consolidation, most of the banks that we have now would have gone under during the last recession. Furthermore, I want to say that it is his template on COVID-19 that most of the western nations are using today to run their economies.

What is your view on zoning?

Well, I want say that I am in support of zoning but not because of that it favours the zone where Prof Soludo hails from. I am supporting it because it has been working in the state. They said that zoning brings about mediocrity. I want to say that it is not in a state like Anambra because there are intellectuals in all the zones in the state. There is no zone in Anambra State that cannot boast of people with competences to take the state to the next level of development. But the reason why I am supporting zone is because it brings about peace and harmony among the zones. You know that if there is no peace, there cannot be development, so, zoning brings about equity and justice which are the forerunners of development. However, whether the governorship is zoned or not, Prof Soludo remains the best that we have at this point in time. Bill Gates said that the success that one attains before running for public office is a testimony of his leadership skill.

When he was the Governor of Central Bank, he showed that if given a state like Anambra to run, he would not fail. Even as a renowned Economist, he is best fitted in this era of dwindling economic resources. That is why the clamour for him to contest is becoming louder by the day.

But what difference do you think he can make if he runs and wins?

Prof Soludo is a solution provider. He provided solution to Nigerian banks when he came up with the banking reforms which included consolidation. That is why we still have strong banks in the country. It was an innovation which those before him never thought about. So, he is always thinking not only ahead but also out of the box. Like I told earlier, it was his template on Covid-19 that the world has adopted to save global economy. So, if he becomes the governor of Anambra State, Iam confident that there would quantum leap in development in the state. Anambra would not only be a frontline state but it would be a pace setter state because it would pioneered by an innovator.

Why are there so many Soludo groups?

Well, that shows how acceptable he is. Everybody has seen that he is the right person to continue with the progress that Governors Peter Obi and Willy Obiano made. We don’t want an anti-climax in the governance of Anambra State. As far as we are concerned, it should be forward ever and backward never. That is why you are seeing all this groups coming out to root for him to contest the forthcoming governorship election. What you should also know is that all this groups are self funding. Soludo as we all know is not a money bag. So he has not given anybody money to campaign for him. We came out because we believe in his visions. We come out because we have the future of Anambra State in our hearts. We want governor Obiano to hand over to somebody who would move the state forward instead of backward. That is why we come out. I also want you to know that it is not only in Nigeria that this clarion call is going on. It is happening all over the world. Even non-Anambrarians are joining the clamour for Soludo to become the next governor of Anambra State.

What advice do you have for Ndi-Anambra?

My advice to Ndi-Anambra is that we should come together and enthrone the right man for the job. Soludo has been tried. He has been tested and he proved himself. He has proved his mettle both in the national and international stage. There is no way a soldier who has led a battalion successfully would fail if he is given a platoon. So, I am appealing to Ndi-Anambra, let us come together irrespective of our political affiliations and make Soludo our next governor because political parties will come and go but Anambra State will remain.