Soludo is doing exceptionally well but here is why a tiny minority has refused to accept this fact

A few weeks ago, the Pentecostal Bishops’ Association of Anambra State (PBAAS) passed a vote of confidence on Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s achievements in the last 2 years. The bishops commended the ‘’multi-sectoral development-oriented governance’’ being experienced in Anambra. The bishops’ views are also shared by many in Anambra. The ongoing transformation in the state is visible to all.

But there is a tiny minority who have refused to accept this fact. These set of people are bent on deceiving people on social media, especially those people who know little about Anambra.

A few days ago, one X (formerly Twitter) user who goes by the name Martins_ukeje tweeted the mindset of this minority. Here is what he tweeted: ‘’Even if Soludo turns Anambra into heaven…he will never be forgiven for speaking against Obi. That’s why his negative reviews…. drive traffic’’. This sentiment is shared by the minority who are hell bent on talking down the massive transformation going on in Anambra. Here is what another commentator in this category also tweeted in pidgin English: ‘’Na those who criticize OBI we dey give wotowoto…’’ Surprisingly, some have even tried to mock Governor Soludo because of his bold vision for Anambra. In fact, the propagation of hate has taken another dimension.

To be clear: No government can succeed without constructive criticism and it is in the best interest of the Chukwuma Soludo-led administration to be inundated with constructive criticism. But this is currently not the case. By deliberately lying to those who do not live or know much about Anambra, these set of people are doing a great disservice to the 8.5 million inhabitants of Anambra who look up to Governor Soludo to change their lives. (Today, Anambra is constructing a long span prestressed flyover bridge which would change the economy of one of its major cities forever – a type of bridge no subnational government in the south east have had the courage to venture into. But these set of people prefer to downplay this kind of achievement because of some ulterior motives).

But there is still honor amongst some of these people. A few days ago, Valentine Obienyem, Peter Obi’s media adviser and confidant, wrote a piece which he titled ‘’Anambra Road Construction: Let’s speak the truth’’. Here is what Valentine Obienyem had to say: ‘’The ongoing road construction in various parts of Anambra is truly commendable. Regardless of who is overseeing these projects, it is evident that this is being done within Anambra State and is significantly spread across the region. However, as a party member [LP], I believe that our own Val would do even better’’.

Mr. Valentine Obienyem had to listen to his conscience and speak the truth. Probably in order not to be accused of ‘anti-party activities’, he ended by saying his party’s prospective candidate could do better.

At this juncture some points need to be made. Governor Soludo was a professor of economics before he became a political leader and the opinions of professors of economics and political science on major elections are well sought for. The opinions of leading economists such as Daniel Kahneman, Joseph Stiglitz and Paul Krugman are sought in US presidential elections and sometimes their well-informed analyses might not be pleasant.

Governor Soludo has been offering informed analysis on Nigeria’s presidential elections. In fact, his January 2015 article titled: ‘’Buhari vs Jonathan: Beyond the Election’’ was one of the most read analyses on the 2015 presidential elections. One of Nigeria’s major national newspapers had this article on its website for over 6 months.

But this point needs to be made: the wellbeing of the millions of people who seek good governance in Anambra is what matters at the moment and nothing else. There should be no space for hate speeches in the politics of the south east.

It is extremely important that all those who have made it a duty to spill all kinds of falsehood and propagate hate on social media are called to order. The Labour Party’s gubernatorial candidate for the upcoming Edo State election, Mr. Olumide Akpata, showed a good example by disassociating himself from the wagon of social media warriors who decided to haul insults on the revered Oba of Benin after the monarch corrected Mr. Akpata, after he erroneously claimed to be a son of the palace, last week at the Oba’s palace. Those social media warriors, who thought they were doing Mr. Akpata a favor, had started pouring all kinds of insults on the revered monarch for correcting Mr. Akpata. But Mr. Akpata’s letter dissociating himself from these social media hate speeches put paid to such unnecessary outburst by these social media warriors.

That well-meaning politicians – irrespective of political inclinations – in Anambra want the state to succeed cannot be disputed. Pasts governors of the state – from Governors Chris Ngige through Peter Obi to Willie Obiano – have done well in laying good foundations for their successors. It is in the interest of Ndi Anambra to support Governor Soludo who is laying a strong foundation for the future of Anambra.

Nwankwo is the special adviser to Soludo on Special Projects