Soludo Mocks Tinubu’s Opponents, Warns Anambra Against Voting APC President Out

Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, has mocked opponents of President Bola Tinubu, urging voters in the state to support the president’s re-election bid ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Soludo warned that rejecting Tinubu could have consequences for Anambra’s development, particularly its ability to secure federal government support for major infrastructure projects.

The governor, who spoke in Igbo while addressing his supporters, said voters who intended to support opposition candidates despite anticipating electoral defeat should reconsider their position.

“If we fail to vote for President Tinubu, there will be consequences for failure,” Soludo warned.

He argued that Anambra needed federal intervention to tackle its erosion challenges, which he said were beyond the capacity of the state government.

“The erosion happening in Anambra is beyond the state’s capacity. It requires federal intervention, and that is why we need to vote for Tinubu. Dike, ‘Tinubu’ whom you couldn’t take power away from when he was not yet president, how do you think he will look at you now that he is the president and you take power away from him?”

“Some people are saying, ‘We know that we will fail but let’s vote and fail’. If we fail, there are consequences for failure,” the governor said.

Soludo, a member of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), reiterated that cooperation with the Federal Government was necessary to address the state’s infrastructure and environmental challenges.

“Erosion in Anambra is bigger than what any state government can deal with. You need the cooperation and support of the federal government,” he said.

The governor also used an analogy involving a strong man and his cutlass to argue that defeating Tinubu would be more difficult now that he occupies the presidency.

“You couldn’t snatch a cutlass from a strong man when he was on the ground, is it when he is standing up? A strong man laid down on the ground and you couldn’t take away from him what makes him a strong man, is it when he is standing so strong that he will stand and watch you snatch his cutlass,” Soludo said.

Addressing Igbo voters, he criticised those advocating support for opposition candidates despite the possibility of losing the election.

“Igbos, a fool does not know when a plan was made. ‘Let’s fail, let’s fail’, we can’t fail with you because there are consequences if we fail,” he said.

To support his argument for backing Tinubu, Soludo highlighted proposed federal road projects expected to improve connectivity across Anambra and neighbouring communities.

Among the projects he mentioned was a planned dual-carriageway superhighway linking several communities in the South-East.

“Look at the road from Oba to Nnewi, through Nnewi South to Ugah, then to Aro Ndizogu to Ibugbe Junction in Okigwe. It is going to be designed to be a dual carriage superhighway. It is the federal government that will do it. The state government cannot do it,” he said.

According to the governor, the road project was already at the design stage, while another proposed route connecting Anambra East to Abaji was also being designed and discussed.

“It is already in design now. The one that will connect from Anambra East to Abaji is being designed and there is discussion about it. When it is submitted, it is the work of the people we sent to Abuja, that is what they will do. We have started it and the President himself has approved it,” Soludo said.

He warned that voters who rejected Tinubu could later struggle to secure federal support for projects needed by the state.

“Later, when money is put into it and work starts in the first year, you will go and vote for ‘let’s fail’, and when you fail, later you will go back to the President and tell him that the roads are still there,” he said.

Soludo further cautioned voters against making electoral decisions based solely on emotions, stressing that losing an election could have consequences for the state.

“Go to the person you voted for, whom you joined in failing. I don’t know if you people understood me? It is not just about failing. It is not what can be done with emotions. Failure has consequences. You will lose something. There is no prize for second or third positions. If you fail, you have failed,” he added.

Despite belonging to APGA, an opposition party, Soludo has publicly expressed support for Tinubu and maintained an alliance with the president.