A prominent member of the All Progressives Grand Alliance APGA in Anambra State, and foremost Board of Trustees member of the party, Chief Rommy Ezeonwuka has again reaffirmed his conviction that Governor Charles Soludo is the man to beat in the 2025 governorship election.
Ezeonwuka, who spoke with journalists in an interview, stated that he is even more strongly convinced now than ever that Soludo has no rival in the coming elections. In his argument, the business mogul argued that no one is better qualified to rule the state than the former Central Bank governor.
He stated, “When in an earlier interview I said that Soludo is a silent magician on projects, many people said he is doing nothing, arguing that Dr Alex Otti is better. But you can see for yourself that Soludo has all these while, been working without making a sound.
Otti is working, but one can’t honestly compare the projects at all. Look at the humongous achievements of Soludo and tell me if there is any vacancy in Agu Awka.
On the issue of security, he also argued that the issue remains the fault of those who have refused to bury their dead by abandoning them in mortuaries and allowing their spirits to wander and cause mayhem.
Hear him “I have said Soludo must complete his eight years. These are the words of an elder and words of wisdom. Is there anyone with a better manifesto? Bring it out. I have already explained why we are having insecurity in the state. It is those people who have refused to heed my call and carry their corpses and bury them that are responsible for the unending insecurity.
They are the ones causing the trouble. I am pleading with the church to liberate the dead to go to heaven. Piling them up in the mortuaries and bringing them home for celebration is a very dangerous abomination before the angels and heaven. God does not want the demised souls to stay more than 24 hours on earth. This Igbo dead body celebration is a bad omen for our people. This has made the angels desert our people and we are all exposed to dangers.
We are blaming Soludo for insecurity, but we are the cause. Whoever enjoys the celebration of corpses is a contributor to insurgency in Igboland. Even if other people are keeping corpses, Igbos are not meant to keep corpses. We learnt from our forefathers that this is a forbidden act. The Bible also forbids it.
The spiritual leader of the Igbo nation, Ogilisi Igbo, also warned the young generation who use their dead parents to make money by keeping them in the mortuary and creating platforms to raise money to stop the odious tradition.
According to him, “Whoever does not have the funds to bury the father or mother should go straight and bury the dead. It has become clear that people are now happy that their relatives or parents died because it offers them an avenue to raise funds.
They now hire agencies to run these platforms for them. Those things has to stop. I the am talking to Igbos at home and in the Diaspora. Whoever the relative dies, they should bury that person as soon as possible. On the day of celebration of the dead, their friends can come and celebrate with them because they are already celebrating their lived one who has arrived safely in the spiritual world. You should know that the celebration of the dead (ikwa ozu) the is different from the burial ceremony (Ini Ozu). Both are performed at different times, but the Ini Ozu is done immediately after the person dies. He or she can be celebrated on a later date.
To trap the person in the body, so that the church will find a forum to raise money for themselves, or the bereaved using their dead to raise money should stop. Any money made through that way is an abomination before the angels. If there are people that are highly provoked by the culture of keeping dead bodies, it is the angels. We exist in a world of angels, God and angels. We are fallen angels. We are trying to return to heaven to join them. Angels don’t dwell where there are corpses. If you enter where there are Corpses, your guardian angel (Chi) will desert you. It takes time for the angel to return to you. That’s why a lot of people are moving corpses, without their Chi. If you are always fearful, then your Chi has deserted you.
Enumerating the various road projects of Prof Soludo, he stated
“Anyone who thinks he is better should come and show us his pedigree. If you think you are the more qualified than our Solution, what is your pedigree? Where is your proof? Go around Anambra State today and see the marvels of works Soludo is doing. You can hardly find any road across the state that is not tarred. The most daunting is the massive dualization of diverse roads in the state. Indeed, our state has been turned into a giant construction site and anywhere you turn, you will see truly that the governor is extremely busy to make the state what he pledged in his campaigns, an African Dubai of sorts.
Soludo has completed the 10.3km road from Isuaniocha-Urum-Amanuke-Achalla-Oye Nando, making it easier for the people of Awka North to access their Local Government headquarters, which was hitherto accessed through Igbariam — a journey that crisscrossed five other local government areas.
In Awka North LGA, Governor Soludo has constructed over 40km of roads, connecting hard-to-reach areas and reducing travel time significantly. The Amansea-Ebenebe-Ugbene-Ugbenu-Awbaofemili road, which was once impassable for commuters who travelled a minimum of 2hours, now takes only 20 minutes to travel from Awbaofemili to Awka.
In Okpoko, he has tarred over 15km of inner city roads, provided pipe-borne water, and built the first General Hospital for a community of over 1.5 million people.
The Ekwulobia flyover, roads dualization and conversion into a modern city have almost been completed. It has been tarred and asphalted. an
Soludo has reached the advanced stage of the landscaping of the Anambra State Government House and Lodge. This is a project that was started 30 years ago, but we will see it completed by Solution.
A 12.5 km, erosion-prone Ezira-Umuomaku-Enugwu-Umuonyia Achina road has also been done and dusted, saving the communities from dust and erosion.
There is the ongoing Solution Innovation District, which is the Anambra version of Silicon Valley. Governor Soludo started this project and he is poised on its completion so that our engineers and scientists may work from home and won’t have to go abroad in order to succeed.
The Awka mall is currently under construction.
Also ongoing is the first ever government owned hospital in Onitsha, Anambra’s number one commercial city. This is the Specialist Hospital, Fegge Onitsha, and the project has neared advanced stage.
Work is progressing on the Nise section of the ongoing dualization project of Amawbia – Nise – Agulu – Nanka – Ekwulobia – Nkpologwu – Uga boulevard, which connects Anambra and Imo State.
The stamp is there – APGA. Obiano had legacy projects, the stamp is there, when you talk about the airport. Now, Solution is coming up with so many legacy projects.
“He is dualising Agulu to Nnobi, to Nnewi, dualising Ekwulobia, Ozubulu, Okija. Also, the Government Village that is nearing completion, and the transformation of Okpoko are other legacy projects. It’s not possible that any party would defeat APGA in Anambra State. These are pure legacy projects that APGA leadership is bringing.
At the National Primary Healthcare Leadership Challenge organised by the Nigeria Governor’s Forum; Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; Aliko Dangote Foundation; Federal Ministry of Health; and UNICEF, Anambra State won in two categories —
Best State in the Southeast zone,
and Overall Best State in Nigeria.
For winning the best state in the southeast zone, Anambra State was presented with a cheque of $500,000 (five hundred thousand dollars). And as the overall best state in the country in the Primary Healthcare Leadership challenge, the State was presented with a cheque of $700,000 (Seven hundred thousand dollars), making it $1,200,000 (One million two hundred thousand dollars).
Anambra State has also recently emergedas the “Most Creative Cultural Troupe” during the National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST) held in Abuja from 22nd to 30th November, 2024.
“I, as a supreme BOT member of APGA, and spiritual leader is saying that it will be very difficult for anyone to deceive Ndi Anambra in 2025. and Everyone should hold their peace, let Anambra enjoy quality development for these eight years, until the Solution concludes his eight year tenure. This is my stand.
He continued, “I always tell people that APGA as a party is a DEITY. When Peter Obi and Willie Obiano governed Anambra, there was open knowledge that no other states matched the tremendous progress in Anambra. Obiano did wonderfully well by performing the Ozoemena ceremony that rested most of the wandering unsettled spirits to diat sappear which launched 100% security that time.
Our predicament today is how Igbos found joy in trapping the souls of the dead by dumping their corpses in every nooks and corners of Igbo land, subjecting their spirits to possess the jobless, idle youth into kidnapping and all evil vices which is ONUMA”, he said.