AN OPEN LETTER TO GOVERNOR CHARLES CHUKWUMA SOLUDO
YOUR EXCELLENCY, YOUR VOTE IS ONE VOTE, NOT TWO — ANAMBRA STATE IS NOT YOUR PERSONAL ELECTORAL PROPERTY
To: His Excellency, Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, Governor of Anambra State
Your Excellency,
At the end of the day, your vote is one vote, not two. You may be a professor of economics. You may be the governor of Anambra State. You may enjoy a personal friendship with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. But none of these privileges gives you ownership of the political conscience of Ndi Anambra. You are an elected governor, not an emperor. Your Excellency, your public support for President Tinubu’s re-election is your democratic right. But the people of Anambra also possess the right to disagree with you. You have argued that supporting President Tinubu could serve the long-term political interests of Ndi Igbo. You have urged Southeast voters not to waste their votes on alternative candidates. But who determines what constitutes a wasted vote? Is a vote wasted simply because it is not cast for your preferred candidate? Democracy is not a transaction in which citizens surrender their convictions in exchange for promises of future political recognition. If supporting President Tinubu is truly in the best interests of Anambra State, present the evidence. Demonstrate the benefits. Explain the economic consequences. Allow the people to examine your arguments and reach their own conclusions. Your political calculation is not a commandment to the people of Anambra.
FEDERAL ALLOCATIONS ARE NOT PRESIDENTIAL GIFTS
Your Excellency, as an economist, you understand the distinction between public resources and personal generosity. Federal allocations are not money taken from President Tinubu’s private account. They are public revenues distributed under Nigeria’s constitutional and fiscal arrangements. Every state is entitled to its lawful share. Federal collaboration can certainly produce additional benefits, and a governor may legitimately pursue such cooperation. But those benefits must not be presented as justification for demanding unquestioning electoral loyalty. The responsibility of government is to serve citizens regardless of their political preferences. If Anambra needs federal assistance to address erosion, insecurity, roads, or other developmental challenges, that need should be evaluated on its merits, not on whether the electorate supports a particular presidential candidate. Public resources belong to the people. They are not rewards for political obedience.
TRADITIONAL RULERS AND COMMUNITY LEADERS MUST REMAIN FREE
Your Excellency, I am concerned about allegations and perceptions of political pressure involving traditional rulers, Presidents-General of town unions, local government officials, and other community leaders. These concerns deserve transparent examination. No traditional ruler should be threatened for refusing to support a political candidate. No President-General should be intimidated into delivering votes. No community institution should become an instrument of compulsory political loyalty. If your administration has not engaged in such conduct, it should welcome scrutiny and clearly affirm the independence of these institutions. Political persuasion is legitimate. Coercion is not.
YOUR PROFESSORSHIP DOES NOT MAKE YOUR JUDGMENT INFALLIBLE
Sir, I recognize your academic achievements and your experience in economic policymaking. But intellectual accomplishment does not place anyone above criticism. A professor can make a poor political argument. A distinguished economist can misjudge public sentiment. And a governor can mistake political influence for popular consent. The people of Anambra are not intellectually inferior to you. They include accomplished professionals, scholars, entrepreneurs, and citizens whose judgment deserves respect.
The true test of intelligence in leadership is not the number of academic titles one possesses, but the ability to exercise power with humility, fairness, and wisdom.
PRESIDENT TINUBU MUST EARN SUPPORT THROUGH PERFORMANCE
Your Excellency, if you believe President Tinubu deserves another term, explain why. What measurable improvements have his policies delivered for ordinary Nigerians?How have his economic reforms affected household purchasing power? What progress has been made against insecurity? How effectively has the federal government addressed the infrastructure needs of the Southeast? These questions are not expressions of disloyalty. They are the foundation of democratic accountability. A president’s record should be assessed through results, not through personal friendships, political arrangements, or promises of future access to power.
THE PEOPLE OF ANAMBRA ARE NOT YOUR SUBJECTS
Your Excellency, you have one vote. Your wife has one vote. Each eligible member of your family has one vote. The same principle applies to the market woman in Onitsha, the trader in Nnewi, the farmer in Aguata, the student in Awka, and every other eligible voter in Anambra State. You may campaign. You may persuade. You may endorse. But you cannot cast their ballots for them. The ballot belongs to the individual citizen. The people elected you to administer the affairs of their state, not to surrender their independent political judgment to you.
MY FINAL MESSAGE
Governor Soludo, political office is temporary. Democratic rights endure. Your friendship with President Tinubu is yours to maintain. Your political alliance is yours to defend. Your preferred presidential candidate is yours to support. But the conscience of Ndi Anambra belongs to Ndi Anambra. Do not confuse the authority to govern with the authority to dictate political allegiance. Do not confuse federal cooperation with a debt of electoral gratitude. And do not confuse the respect accorded to your office with unconditional agreement with your political opinions. History will judge your administration not merely by the alliances you cultivated, but by the integrity with which you exercised public power. Your Excellency, your vote is one vote, not two. Anambra State is not your private estate. Its people are citizens, not subjects. Its votes are not your personal property. And its political future must remain in the hands of its people.
Respectfully,
Sir Dr. Raphael Ike (Akaekpuchionwa)
