By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

The Governor of Anambra State, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, has declared that he has no competition in his re-election bid, saying that candidates of other parties contesting against him in the November 2025 ballot are in it to line their pockets.

Soludo made the declaration at an endorsement rally organised for him on Saturday by stakeholders of Anambra Central Senatorial Zone at the Ekwueme Square in Awka, the state capital.

The rally is the second endorsement for Soludo after the one held in Otuocha, Anambra East Local Government Area few weeks back, at which stakeholders of Anambra North Senatorial Zone declared the Soludo governorship ticket as a consensus for the state.

Addressing the teeming supporters during yesterday’s rally, the governor noted that Anambra enjoys an unbroken zoning formula, and that he would hand over to a candidate from Central Zone after eight years.

His words: "Anyone opposed to my second term will just be disrupting the seamless zoning in the state, and delaying the turn of the Central Zone to take the governorship seat.

“A few weeks ago a rally like this happened in the North Senatorial Zone, and all the stakeholders, community leaders, traditional rulers, youths, students, all declared that our ticket is a consensus for Anambra.Today too, you (Anambra Central) are here to declare that this ticket is the consensus ticket for the 2025 election.

“On behalf of myself, my wife and running mate, we are happy and we are grateful to all the stakeholders. We have listened to your kind words, words of solidarity and all.

“I want to remind you people that we have zoning system in Anambra. It started with Central Zone with Peter Obi. When he finished, everyone agreed that for there to be order, fairness and equity that zoning be institutionalized.

"After then it went to the North and for eight years Obiano was governor and after that it went to South (where Soludo hails from) and South is going to have it for eight years, after that it would be central again.

“I don’t know who else is contesting in this election, but we heard that some people are contesting but we don’t know who they are. But I want to assure you that after South, power will shift to Central. Any one coming from South to contest against me wants power to stay in the South for 12 years."

While observing that if anyone else from South gets to power, he will stay for eight years Soludo explained that such will delay the turn of the central.

He added that four more years for Soludo is better than eight years by anyone else so that the central zone can take their turn.

"Some of the people in the race against me were merely scouting for funds, using the guise of being contestants. They are not contesting, they are doing fund raisings.

"I hear they have been going around begging top politicians, ministers that “you know I’m contesting for governor, please support me.

"We have not started our campaign and have not constituted a campaign council. We are not contesting the election with anyone. Anambra is APGA and APGA is Anambra. All Progressives contesting against me know what they are contesting for and not for governor, and they know. In Anambra, progressives are working together.

“We are targeting to win at least 90 percent of all the electoral wards in the Central Senatorial Zone,.

“We will continue to work for Anambra people. Let me announce to you that I have officially moved into the Anambra Light House City (New Government House). I moved there officially yesterday and I slept there last night, woke up this morning and simply strolled to this venue. You have not seen anything yet, we have more in line for Anambra people", Soludo stated.

Other speakers at the event include, Osita Chidoka, Okey Muo-Aroh, student leaders, market and community leaders among others, who all endorsed the governor.

The Deputy Speaker of the Anambra State House of Assembly, Hon Chukwuma Okoye, read a communique from the entire zone and pledged their support and endorsement for Governor Chukwuma Soludo.