If there is a man so full of himself and embellished with poise, pride, confidence and a sense of indestructibility…
If there is a man gifted with oratory, academic intelligence, lack of fear of man uncertainty and the unknown…
If there is a man who would risk all it takes, give everything it takes, woo all it takes, and get all it takes…
Give it to Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State, the man who will stop at nothing to achieve his passion and desire.
He did it as an academician at the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) in Enugu State, where he got first-class honours in economics in 1984.
He went ahead to receive his master’s degree in 1987 and doctorate in 1989.
He would then graduate as the best student at all three levels in the same University, later becoming a professor of economics at the institution.
He also did it civilly and ideally as a federal government appointee, heading Nigeria’s apex bank, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Some of his reforms outlived his performance, an attestation to his sharp wits and cocky guts uncommon among his contemporaries.
Not satisfied with his gladiator-like achievements, where only the victor remains standing even after a duel with the devil, he decided to replicate his prowess in politics.
And yes, succeed he did, becoming the first and only two governors in Nigeria, first as CBN Governor, and secondly as Anambra State Governor.
Surrounding by an array of conquest medals, it seems that this gladiator had put on great airs of invincibility and thus became the proverbial “nwa nza” (a little bird) that challenged the gods to a fight after a sumptuous meal.
The gods, as malevolent as they could be, responded in kind by first making him blind, deaf and dumb, then prepared him for a sacrifice.
If not, how couldn’t Governor Soludo, the epitome of intelligence and sagacity, not see it coming.
How couldn’t he have known that “onya ya na ndi mmuo na-agba ngba, isi na abu ya aja-aja” (he who wrestles with the spirits, comes off with dirt all over his body)?
The Lamentation of Soludo Chapter 1
Soludo shot the first salvo and awakened the spirits of the unknown when he launched an unsuspected, unwarranted and unexpected attack against his predecessor and gentleman par excellence, Mr. Peter Obi, prior to the 2023 presidential election.
Shortly afterwards, he shot a second one, which he evidently hoped would be the last straw to break the camel’s back, endorsing Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over and above his kinsman, Peter Obi.
What many did not know, however, is that prior to those inglorious days, Soludo has been playing the hand of Esau/voice of Jacob in the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) leadership tussle saga.
Soludo nearly fooled APGA chairman himself, Chief Edozie Njoku, with fool-proof covert operation letting all eyes focus on Chief Victor Ike Oye, while actually pulling all strings.
His bubble, however, was busted when the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Court sitting in Bwari slammed a contempt of court verdict on the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu, and the rascal former APGA chairman, Chief Ike Oye.
The verdict was reinforced by the Court of Appeal, on June 28, 2024, in a verdict that empowered the lower court to proceed with execution of the contempt of court judgment.
Both Prof. Yakubu and Chief Oye were in court singing “All Hail King Edozie Njoku” sonorously like canary pledging their allegiance, loyalty and support to the new sheriff in town, thereby throwing Soludo under the bus and leaving him to roast.
Unfortunately, many onlookers were looking but not seeing anything as they are quite bereft of the implications of the appellate court judgment.
For the benefit of those under this doomed category, I’ll elucidate: the implication is that anyone who is a product of the Victor Oye ILLEGAL faction of APGA is an ILLEGAL product and if s/he is elected to any political office, he is holding an ILLEGAL position.
The implication for Mr. Chukwuma Soludo and his cohorts is that they are running an ILLEGAL government, thereby sitting on a blistering keg of gun powder, waiting to explode.
It all depends, however, to the extent Edozie Njoku and his cohorts are willing to enforce the court order.
If he chooses to let him remain, then remain he would; but if he chooses to kick him out, then Soludo is a goner as any court of competent jurisdiction can send him packing without ceremonies.
The Lamentation of Soludo Chapter 2
As Soludo was gathering vitality to recover from this grueling shock, the learned men of the Supreme fired another salvo.
The Supreme Court was considering the rightness of ruling on the local council financial Autonomy suit filed on behalf of President Bola Tinubu and the federal government by the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN.
The apex court ruled on the constitutional provisions of the state and local government Joint Account (Section 162(6) tagged: Joint Account Allocation Committee (JAAC) by virtue of Section 162 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
That section of the law was framed to facilitate rural development of the local communities through effective management of revenues accruing to the local government.
It also demanded that states should conduct elections that will guarantee the independence of the local governments.
While the matter was going on, however, Soludo was busy hand-picking, like cherries, a few men he planned to swear in as pseudo local government officers in the name of Caretaker Committees in flagrance disobedience to a standing court order barring governors in the state from doing so.
Only heaven knows what has become of the pet members of the Caretaker Committees after the deadly Supreme Court blow shattered their political jaws.
Recently, he was seen at an event in Anambra State whining over how he planned to conduct local government election in the state, which he said was captured in his manifesto.
One was tempted to ask why he has yet to do just that since the over two years he has been in the office mopping up local government allocations into his tattered pockets.
The Lamentation of Soludo Chapter 3
In the meantime, it seems that the gods are not done with Governor Soludo just yet.
On Wednesday, July 17, 2024, Soludo will be in a High Court in Awka, the Anambra State capital, alongside other past governors of the state, to explain what happened to local government allocations since the inception of democratic dispensation in the state in 1999.
Each governor is expected to answer for his immediate iniquity while he was the state governor.
If and when the plaintiff, Chief Ifeanyichukwu Okonkwo, wins the matter, which he is sure to, especially with the backing of the recent Supreme Court judgment, then Soludo and the other governors will vomit all local government allocations they swallowed for the period they were in office.
What a time to be alive in Anambra State! And what a time not to be Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo!!
and then