Southeast Nigeria, particularly Anambra State, has long been a cradle of accomplished leaders with the potential to shape the nation’s destiny. During the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo (1999–2007), Anambra natives held some of the most influential positions in the country, underscoring the region’s capacity for national leadership.

 

Charles Chukwuma Soludo, now the governor of Anambra State, once steered Nigeria’s economy as Governor of the Central Bank. The late Dora Akunyili led a groundbreaking fight against counterfeit drugs as Director-General of NAFDAC. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Obiageli Ezekwesili also held high-profile economic portfolios during the same period. At the time, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was the dominant force in Southeast politics.

 

In 2002, Igbo nationalist and former Biafran leader Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu threw his weight behind a new political movement—the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA)—founded by Chekwas Okorie. Ojukwu ran for president in 2003 under APGA, receiving less than 2% of the national vote. Though the result was modest, his intent was strategic: to create a unified Southeast political base that could negotiate alliances for national power.

 

Ojukwu, keenly aware that no single region could secure the presidency on its own, cited the Southwest’s experience in 1993, 1999, and 2023 as proof that strategic partnerships were essential. His vision was for the Southeast to speak with one voice to strengthen its bargaining power in Nigeria’s power dynamics.

 

While APGA has remained the ruling party in Anambra and once governed Imo State under Rochas Okorocha, the 2023 presidential election exposed cracks in the region’s political unity. Peter Obi, a former APGA governor and prominent figure in the Southeast, left APGA for the PDP in 2019 and later ran for president under the Labour Party in 2023.

 

Obi’s defection was seen by some, particularly Governor Soludo, as a betrayal of Ojukwu’s long-term strategy. Soludo contends that Obi’s presidential bid, though popular among the youth and marked by high enthusiasm, lacked the national coalition-building necessary to win. He argues that had Obi remained within APGA and worked to expand its reach through alliances, the Southeast could have presented a more cohesive and strategic front.

 

“Real political power,” Soludo maintains, “requires unity, planning, and compromise.” He believes Obi’s departure splintered the Igbo political agenda and weakened APGA’s influence at a critical time.

 

As Southeast leaders reflect on the past and chart the path forward, the legacy of political giants like Ojukwu and the lessons of recent elections may serve as guideposts in the ongoing quest for greater regional influence in Nigeria’s leadership.