Soludo’s Appointment: ‘Electorate Will Be Confused’ – APGA Chieftain Warns Party

Some All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) candidates have expressed fears that their national leader and Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, working for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election could weaken their chances in the 2027 legislative elections.

Naija News reports that this comes as the appointment of opposition figures to Tinubu’s Presidential Campaign Council continues to raise disquiet within the All Progressives Congress (APC).

In Anambra, where APGA has long held sway, some party leaders cautioned that Soludo’s involvement in the APC presidential campaign could erode the party’s identity and its electoral strength.

A senior APGA chieftain in Awka, who spoke with Sunday Punch on condition of anonymity, said the alliance could confuse voters and harm the party’s candidates.

He said, “We have laboured to keep APGA as an Igbo identity. If our leader is campaigning for the APC president on the same day our candidates are contesting for Senate under APGA, the electorate will be confused. That is exactly how AD died in 2003.”

An APGA candidate, who also pleaded anonymity for fear of being victimised, said many of the party’s candidates were displeased with the governor’s role in the Tinubu campaign but were afraid to speak out.

“Most APGA candidates are not happy and cannot speak out against what the national leader is doing, but they are crying seriously. There is a possibility that they might all lose, even the good candidates among them,” the candidate said.

The candidate further expressed worry that the rising profile of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in the state could work against APGA, following its alignment with the APC.

Also, an APC chieftain in Anambra, Bunty Onuigbo, questioned the wisdom of the arrangement, alleging that the APGA-led state government could use the alliance to tighten its grip on political activities in the state.

However, the National Publicity Secretary of APGA, Mazi Ejimofor Opara, dismissed the concerns, saying Soludo’s support for the President would not affect the party’s candidates in the National Assembly polls.

He explained that the party had already told its members and supporters the alliance was limited to the presidential election.

“Our national leader’s involvement in President Tinubu’s campaign council will not affect the chances of our candidates in the NASS elections, as we had already made it clear that APGA remains firmly in support of Tinubu’s re-election and had endorsed him.

“So, while we align with Tinubu’s presidency, in Anambra, it is Tinubu for President, APGA for Senate, House of Representatives, and State House of Assembly,” he said.

Opara noted that the party communicated this position at its National Executive Committee meeting and during the President’s working visit to Anambra on May 8, 2025.

He added that APGA did not field a presidential candidate for the 2027 election, expressing confidence that Soludo’s political clout would boost the fortunes of the party’s legislative candidates.

In the same vein, the Anambra State Chairman of APGA, Ifeatu Obi-Okoye, maintained that the party’s understanding with the APC was strictly about Tinubu’s re-election.

He said APGA would field candidates for the three senatorial districts, 11 House of Representatives seats, and 30 State House of Assembly constituencies in the state.

“There will be no confusion of any form or manner,” he said.