Valentine Ozigbo, a former governorship candidate and one of the aspirants in the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election in Anambra State, has alleged that Governor Chukwuma Soludo is afraid of facing him in the November 8, 2025, governorship election.
Ozigbo, who contested in the APC primary held on April 5, lost to Senator Nicholas Ukachukwu, who ultimately emerged as the party’s candidate for the upcoming poll. However, in an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, Ozigbo expressed deep dissatisfaction with the conduct and outcome of the primary.
According to him, the process lacked transparency and legitimacy, leading him to suspect foul play, particularly with the alleged involvement of Governor Soludo.
“If it had been a credible primary, I would have congratulated Nicholas,” Ozigbo said. “But we haven’t spoken since. Why should I congratulate him? That was not a genuine contest.”
Ozigbo further claimed that Governor Soludo, the incumbent who won the 2021 governorship election under the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), is threatened by his potential candidacy and is allegedly backing Ukachukwu to sabotage APC’s chances in the state.
“I beat Soludo in 2021, but I was rigged out. I didn’t go to court; I congratulated him and moved on. But this time, the level of manipulation is alarming. I am consulting with party leaders. I need them to explain why such impunity should stand,” he stated.
Taking it a step further, Ozigbo leveled a fresh allegation: “Soludo is funding Nicholas Ukachukwu to destabilize the APC. I challenge them—invite us on your show, and we’ll swear on the Bible. These things are not easily proven with documents, but they are real.”
He also questioned Ukachukwu’s political track record: “Who exactly is Nicholas Ukachukwu? He hasn’t won any major election since his time in the House of Representatives. He shows up in every election but never succeeds. It’s baffling that the same people I’ve defeated before are now supposedly defeating me.”
As the APC grapples with post-primary fallout in Anambra, these allegations have added fuel to an already heated political landscape ahead of the November 2025 governorship race.
