The senator representing Anambra South senatorial zone, Ifeanyi Ubah, has hinted that Governor Charles Soludo is jittery about his growing popularity ahead of the 2025 governorship election in the state.
Ubah’s declaration followed the controversies that greeted the suspension of the traditional ruler of Neni in Anaocha Local Government Area, HRM Igwe Damian Ezeani, over the conferment of chieftaincy title on the senator.
Recall that the monarch during the yuletide, conferred the title of Odenjinji of Neni on Senator Ubah, a title which is similar to the title Soludo also holds in his Isuofia community.
Consequently, the traditional ruler was suspended via a letter issued by Anambra State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Tony Collins Nwabunwanne.
In the letter, HRM Ezeani was accused of not seeking clearance from the state government before bestowing titles on people, including ‘persons with questionable character.’
But in his reaction to the development, Ubah said “The entire game is all about politics. Soludo is frustrated by my rising popularity. I’m not the only person to receive a chieftaincy title. Former Chief of Army Staff Buratai was honoured within the same period; Vice President Kashim Shettima was also honoured; Mr President was honoured in absentia. Why is my own different?”
Ubah, in a phone interview, added: “The governor is frustrated by my acceptance and popularity; he is jittery about the next governorship election, but I leave him to his conscience.”
It would be recalled that Ubah, in October 2023, defected from the Young Progressives Party (YPP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and was later received into the party in December alongside another popular grassroots politician, Senator Uche Ekwunife.
It is believed that the development has set off an alarm among members of the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the state government about a possible alliance between the two to unseat Soludo in the 2025 governorship election.
. TheWitness