The Labour Party candidate in the upcoming November 8, 2025 Anambra State governorship election, Chief George Moghalu, has accused the incumbent state governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, of intimidating his female running-mate, Mrs Ifeoma Veronica Okaro.
In a statement issued on Sunday by the director of media and publicity of his campaign organisation, George Moghalu/Ify Okaro Campaign Organisation (GMCO), Dr. Ikenna Agu, Muoghalu accused the commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs Ify Obinabo, of sponsoring the “vote of no confidence” passed on her running-mate (Mrs Ifeoma Okaro) as “president-general of the Anambra state Association of Town Unions (ASATU) Women Wing” on June 5, just two days after the latter was unveiled as LP’s governorship running-mate on June 2.
Moghalu described the action against his running-mate as shameful and politically-motivated to intimidate her out of the contest.
He further charged Soludo, who is the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), to prove he was ready for a free and fair contest by distancing himself from the action of the commissioner for Women Affairs.
The LP governorship campaign organisation argued that the ASATU women leader has the fundamental right of freedom of association and even belonging to any political party her position as the association’s leader notwithstanding.
It accused Soludo of employing his incumbency powers to intimidate opponents out of the governorship contest and warned that such action would be detrimental to democratic culture and guaranteeing a free and fair contest of the governorship election.
The LP’s governorship campaign organisation described the vote of no confidence as “panic-driven political witch-hunt, motivated by the undeniable rise and growing popularity of the Labour Party’s joint governorship ticket of Chief Dr. George Moghalu and Mrs. Ifeoma Veronica Okaro in the run-up to the November 8, 2025, governorship election.
“We wish to state without equivocation that this action, driven by malice, envy, fear, and desperation, is an assault not only on Mrs. Okaro but on Anambra womanhood, the principles of democracy, and the freedom of association and political choice.
“That a sitting Commissioner for Women Affairs—entrusted with the noble duty of protecting and promoting the rights and dignity of women in Anambra—would descend so low as to lead a politically-induced lynch mob against one of the most outstanding female leaders in the state, exposes the moral bankruptcy and political collapse within the APGA-led government of Prof. Charles Soludo.
“Let us be clear: Mrs. Ifeoma Veronica Okaro, the authentic and undisputed President of ASATU Women’s Wing, remains a woman of sterling character, remarkable intellect, and irrefutable credibility,” Muoghalu stated.
Noting that Okaro’s choice would boost the party’s chances of winning the governorship election, the Muoghalu campaign organisation said that the ASATU women leader’s commitment to grassroots empowerment, rural development, and gender equity has never been in doubt.
“Her leadership has always been based on inclusivity, transparency, and service. Her only “offence” was accepting the call of duty to serve Ndi Anambra as the running mate of Chief Dr. George Moghalu on the platform of the Labour Party—a decision welcomed and celebrated across the state by market women, teachers, professionals, traditional rulers, youth, and elder statesmen alike.
“The George Moghalu Campaign Organization condemns in the strongest possible terms this shameful attempt to malign a noble woman who has given her life in service to her state.
“What Mrs. Ify Obinabo and her political paymasters have done is a betrayal of Anambra women—a gross misuse of public office for partisan political vendetta. It is also a dangerous precedent that the office of the Commissioner for Women Affairs is now being weaponized as a political bulldog against innocent women who refuse to bow to APGA’s whims”, the organisation warned.
Stating that Mrs Obiano lacked any good record of quality leaders particularly for women, the LP governorship campaign organisation queried “where was Mrs. Obinabo when hundreds of women in Anambra North protested over insecurity in their communities? Where was she when women traders in Awka and Onitsha were being extorted and harassed?
“Where was she when widows and single mothers cried out over lack of support for their small businesses? Yet today, she finds her voice only to attack a woman of vision and integrity for daring to align with a credible alternative to Soludo’s rudderless administration. That alone speaks volumes about where her loyalty lies—not with the women she was appointed to protect, but with a collapsing political order gasping for breath”.
The organisation urged the people of the state to view the action against Mrs Okaro as dangerous politics of intimidation, fear, and division.
“Anambra is not a conquered territory, and our women are not pawns on anyone’s political chessboard. We urge our mothers, sisters, and daughters to rise in defence of one of their own.
“The smear campaign against Mrs. Okaro is a smear campaign against every woman who aspires to lead, speak, and stand tall in the face of oppression.
“To Mrs. Ifeoma Veronica Okaro, we say: hold your head high. Your courage in the face of adversity is inspiring. Your resolve has unsettled the enemies of progress, and that is a badge of honor. The mud they throw at you will not stick; instead, it confirms to Ndi Anambra that you are a threat to the status quo of impunity.
“To the people of Anambra, we say: do not be distracted. The November 8election is a referendum on competence, vision, humility, and leadership that serves. The Moghalu-Okaro ticket represents the new dawn Ndi Anambra have yearned for—a ticket built not on political godfatherism or propaganda, but on service, sincerity, and sacrifice.
“We assure Ndi Anambra that the George Moghalu Campaign Organization remains resolute, focused, and unshaken. No amount of propaganda, harassment, or character assassination will derail our mission to restore good governance, dignity, and economic prosperity to our beloved state.
“Finally, we warn all political actors, especially those in the corridors of power, to desist from further attacks on our Deputy Governorship candidate. We shall no longer tolerate the abuse of government structures to suppress opposition voices”, the LP’s governorship campaign organisation warned.
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