writes that the candidate of the African Democratic Congress for the November 8, 2025 gubernatorial poll in Anambra State, John Nwosu, stands out among the four leading candidates itching to govern the state.

Weeks after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) released the final list of candidates for the November 8, 2025 Anambra governorship election, the serious political parties participating in the contest have rolled out their campaign machineries.

Although the incumbent All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), is yet to hit the towns and communities in the state, the popular sentiment is that six contenders, including All Progressives Congress (APC), Labour Party (LP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), Young Progressives Party and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will define the race.

Among these six top contenders, residents maintain that they are looking forward to a three horse race, giving the challenges in some of the frontline parties, particularly PDP and LP which are embroiled in leadership crisis at the national leadership levels.

Then, two others, namely APGA and APC, are contending with internal contradictions, including accusations and high-handedness and poor reputation outlook. This observed scenario has put some shine on the remaining two political platforms, which are parading fresh faces in the governorship contest of the state.

The initial permutation, which placed APGA, APC and LP as frontrunners has been significantly altered by the emergence of John Chuma Nwosu (JCN) as the candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

Anambra voters are saying that Nwosu shares a lot in common with Mr Peter Obi, the LP presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, remarking that apart from parading the same charming looks, charismatic posture and trajectory in Anambra politics, Nwosu insists on transparency and accountability in leadership.

For instance, like Obi did in 2003, Nwosu appeared as a little known figure in Anambra politics about four years ago, only to make himself relevant within a very short period, by earning an appointment into the LP presidential campaign council. He was one of the favourites for the LP governorship ticket, but later pulled out of the primary election, when factionalisation broke out in the national leadership of the party.

In his determined resolve to pursue his ambition to govern Anambra State and change the narratives of governance, Nwosu resigned from the crisis-ridden LP and joined the ADC, a party that has been gaining prominence as the preferred choice of the emerging opposition coalition in the country. Incidentally, Obi is also associated with the coalition talks.

And, following the voluntary withdrawal of Patrick Obianyo as the party’s governorship candidate, ADC conducted a fresh congress, where the members, through a voice vote, unanimously adopted Nwosu as the standard bearer in line with Section 33 of the Electoral Act 2022. That legal position empowered political parties to replace candidates who voluntarily withdrew from further participation after their emergence.

To keen observers of political events in Anambra State, Nwosu’s emergence as the ADC candidate marked a milestone in the quest for a generational shift from the old to the new breed in the governance of the state. So, unlike the three other frontrunners who are veterans, Nwosu contested for the first time in 2021, when he vied for the APGA ticket, but lost to Soludo.

Recall that Soludo contested for the first time in 2010 under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), but came a distant third behind the eventual winner, Peter Obi, then of APGA and the first runner-up, Chris Ngige of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

Also, after his failed governorship bid in 2010, Soludo defected from PDP to APGA, where he competed for governorship ticket in 2013, but lost to Willie Obiano, who eventually won the main election. Obiano later supported Soludo to succeed him in 2021.

Similarly, Ukachukwu contested the governorship for the first time in 2010 as the candidate of the Hope Democratic Party (HDP) and lost. Being one of the most mobile politicians in Anambra State, Ukachukwu later moved to APGA. And, after a futile senatorial bid, he revamped his governorship ambition in APGA last year, sponsoring a faction of the party led by Edozie Njoku to pull the rug off the feet of Soludo. But, when the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the Governor Soludo faction led by Sly Ezeokenwa, Prince Ukachukwu defected to APC in January this year and eventually grabbed the party’s ticket for the November 8 governorship election.

Again, like Soludo and Ukachukwu, Muoghalu, who is a former Managing Director of the Nigerian Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), also has a long history in the Anambra State governorship race. He contested and lost in 2003 as the governorship candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), one of the three parties that later merged into the APC in 2013.  

Prior to his appointment as the MD of NIWA, Muoghalu served as the National Auditor of APC.  But, following his sack as the MD of NIWA by President Tinubu, he dumped APC and joined LP to pursue his governorship ambition. He later won the party’s controversial primary election.

Given this background, the governorship election in Anambra State may have metamorphosed beyond a three horse race. The four frontrunners-Soludo, Ukachukwu, Muoghalu and Nwosu- are from the same Anambra South senatorial zone. While Muoghalu and Nwosu are from Nnewi North LGA, Ukachukwu hails from Nnewi South LGA and Soludo from Aguata LGA. This development might not be unconnected with efforts by stakeholders to retain the zoning convention in the state, which produced both Obiano and Soludo. 

Consequently, come November 8, the decision of voters may be least affected by parochial sentiments or party affiliation. More sophisticated arguments, such as the quest for generational shift in governance, from the old generation to the new generation, may determine the outcome of the election. The youths in Anambra State are insisting on having the last say on who becomes the governor of the state.

The youths are worried that under normal circumstances, the election which ought to be a referendum on the incumbent’s performance, has exposed Professor Soludo’s disconnect from the real issues. They claim that they are piqued by the incumbent governor’s desperation to gain political advantage from President Bola Tinubu’s recent visit to Anambra State.

 “It suggests that Soludo is not even convinced that his performance is enough to make the people to return him for a second term. Besides the completion of the new Government House, started 34 years ago and the construction of an amusement park, christened Fun City, Soludo’s achievements are scanty,” said a youth activist, Emeka Udeokeke.

For watchers of Anambra politics, Soludo’s inability to secure lives and property within his domain, may count against him in the election. Residents of the state have become conversant with Section 14 (2) b of the constitution as they readily declared that the “security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.”

“Regrettably, in the first three years of an administration, which promised to transform Anambra to Dubai-Taiwan standards, insecurity rocked the state like volcanic eruption, whilst Governor Soludo, who is the Chief Security Officer, collects billions of Naira from state coffers as security vote.

“Among the fatalities were two members of the Anambra State House of Assembly, a Catholic priest, many security operatives and three crew members of the Supersports.

“Several public properties, including police stations and local government secretariats were razed down by hoodlums. Presently, the insecurity in Anambra state remains unabated, regardless of the introduction of the Agunaechemba security outfit and the operation Udo ga Achi by the Soludo government.

“While some people may argue that security is a national malaise, one does not need a magnifying lens to know that the Soludo-led administration has performed abysmally in this regard,” Ezeokeke stated.

About Ukachukwu and Muoghalu, intra-party disagreement may prove as their greatest undoing. There has been a mass exodus of party members from APC since the controversial primary election that produced Ukachukwu. Those who left the party included a governorship aspirant, Paul Chukwuma and a member of the Board of Trustees, Ralph Okeke.  Chukwuma is now the candidate of YPP, while Okeke has become a member of the YPP BOT. 

Similarly, the LP in Anambra State has lost Oseloka H. Obaze (OHO), a former Secretary to Anambra State Government (SSG) and a key ally of its former presidential candidate, Peter Obi. Obaze quit LP in protest against the controversial primary election, which produced Muoghalu. Also, long before Obaze’s exit, another lieutenant of Obi, Valentine Ozigbo defected from the LP to the APC.

On the other hand, ADC maintains its cohesion and poised to go into the contest as a united front, with no intra-party disputes or post-primary election allegations. Perhaps that may explain why the ADC candidate has radiated so much energy, drive and vigour in his quest to win the governorship contest.