2027: AA Fires Warning Shot, Accuses Soludo of Pocketing Anambra Legislators

AA Chairman Blasts Anambra Lawmakers, Says Soludo Has Turned Assembly into Rubber Stamp

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The Chairman of the Action Alliance (AA) in Anambra State, Chief Zulyke Chinwuba, has delivered a scathing assessment of the performance of lawmakers in the state, accusing members of the Anambra State House of Assembly of abandoning their oversight responsibilities and acting as loyalists of Governor Chukwuma Soludo.

Speaking in Awka after the party’s state congress, Chinwuba said the current legislature had failed to provide the checks and balances expected in a democratic system, alleging that the governor was exercising excessive influence over the legislative arm of government.

According to him, the absence of visible opposition or disagreement between the executive and legislature in the state is a sign that the lawmakers are no longer acting independently.

“There has to be a clear separation of powers in a democracy, but what we are seeing in Anambra is a situation where the legislature appears completely aligned with the executive. The governor does what he wants, and the lawmakers simply endorse it. That is not how democracy should work,” he said.

Chinwuba did not spare members of the National Assembly from the state either, saying many elected representatives had failed to live up to expectations and had not done enough to speak for the people.

The AA chairman also used the occasion to declare his party’s readiness for the 2027 general elections, describing the recently concluded state congress as a major milestone for the party in Anambra. He said the exercise attracted wide participation from party faithful, political stakeholders and electoral officials, and reflected growing confidence in Action Alliance as an alternative political platform in the state.

He expressed optimism that the party would make a strong showing in the next round of elections, insisting that AA was positioning itself as a credible force capable of challenging the dominance of existing parties in Anambra politics.

“Our congress was a huge success and it has strengthened our resolve ahead of 2027. We are building a credible platform and preparing candidates who can offer the people of Anambra a real alternative,” Chinwuba said.

On the forthcoming National and State Assembly elections, Chinwuba said his greatest concern remains vote-buying and the monetisation of the electoral process, which he described as one of the biggest threats to democracy in Nigeria.

He lamented that many voters had become conditioned to expect financial inducements before participating in political activities, warning that such a trend weakens the democratic process and allows unqualified leaders to emerge.

“That is one of the greatest problems in our society today. Many people now believe politics must revolve around money. If that mentality continues, the wrong people will keep getting elected,” he stated.

Chinwuba maintained that if elections were conducted fairly and without manipulation, candidates of the Action Alliance would perform strongly at the polls. He, however, expressed fears that the influence of money and political intimidation could undermine the credibility of the process.

On Governor Soludo’s overall performance, the AA chairman gave a mixed verdict, acknowledging that while some aspects of the administration may have recorded progress, he remained dissatisfied with the general direction of governance in the state.

He argued that the state’s democratic institutions, particularly the legislature, had not done enough to hold the executive accountable, thereby creating an environment where decisions are taken without sufficient scrutiny.

“I am not satisfied, because governance should not be about one man determining everything. The legislature is supposed to act as a check, but what we have now is a system where the governor appears to have the final say on virtually everything,” he said.

Chinwuba further blamed the electorate for contributing to the problem through vote trading, saying citizens must begin to vote based on competence and conscience rather than financial inducement if democracy is to thrive in the state.

He called on Ndi Anambra to support credible alternatives in future elections and to resist any attempt to mortgage their votes for short-term gains.