On Tuesday, 1st October, 2019, former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Prof. Chukwuma Soludo joined the convener of ‘The Platform Nigeria’ Pastor Poju Oyemade, the CEO, Financial Derivatives Limited, Bismarck Rewane and former Anambra state Governor Mr. Peter Obi to discuss the way forward for Nigeria’s economy. Soludo and Rewane are both members of President Muhammadu Buhari’s new seven-man Presidential Economic Advisory Council, PEAC, which Prof. Doyin Salami is the Chairman.
At the prestigious event, in which Soludo, Obi and Rewane delivered high-quality lectures and raised issues that would continue to be topics of debates for months to come, something interesting happened.
A group of men, women and young people numbering about 150, sat close to one another in one corner of hall wearing mufflers of Green-White-Green colours with ‘Soludo Support Group (SSG)’ inscriptions in the middle. At the end of the programme, they trooped outside to meet and greet an obviously surprised Soludo and told him they were his fans and supporters from Lagos State.
It is true that the actual contest for who would succeed Chief Willy Obiano as Governor of Anambra state is nearly two years away, indications have emerged that stakeholders are already meeting and strategizing on how to face the political challenge.
A few days ago, former Governor of the state and current Labour Minister, Dr. Chris Ngige boasted that his party, All Progressives Congress (APC) would do everything possible to take over the state in the next election, the same position that a former Health Minister, Dr. ABC Nwosu took when he said in September this year that the PDP must occupy Anambra State Government House after Willy Obiano.
Apart from Ngige and Nwosu, other politicians believed to be positioning themselves to become the next governor of the state include Senator Uche Ekwunife, former Aviation Minister Osita Chidoka, Senator Ifeanyi Uba and Senator Andy Uba, among many others, some of who are eminently qualified to serve the state as governor.