APC’s Ekwunife Blames National Leadership for Soludo Victory, Declares Tinubu Party’s 2027 Candidate
The deputy governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2025 Anambra governorship election, Senator Uche Ekwunife, has blamed the party’s national leadership for failing to provide the level of backing required to defeat Governor Chukwuma Soludo at the polls.
Ekwunife made the remarks at a stakeholders’ meeting held in Awka, where party leaders and members gathered to review the ongoing APC electronic registration exercise, PulseNets learnt.
Addressing party stakeholders, the former federal lawmaker said the November 8, 2025 governorship election recorded unprecedented commitment from APC members across Anambra State, but that the same dedication was absent at the national level. According to her, minimal intervention from the party leadership would have significantly altered the outcome of the election.
“What we witnessed during the last governorship election in Anambra was extraordinary commitment from our members. That level of sacrifice and belief had never happened before. If the national leadership had supported us with even 20 percent effort, we would have achieved much more,” she said.
“As a party, we let people down — we let our supporters down, we let APC down, and we let the people of Anambra down,” Ekwunife added.
She further reflected on the role of faith and responsibility in politics, stressing that electoral success requires both divine grace and deliberate human effort.
“Power comes from God, and God belongs to everyone — including politicians. But He gives power to those who are prepared to work for it. That is why Scripture teaches us to give Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God,” she stated.
Ekwunife, who spoke passionately about party unity, told PulseNets that she observed, for the first time, APC members in Anambra genuinely determined to win an election for themselves. She noted that what members sought was not handouts, but recognition and institutional support as members of Nigeria’s ruling party.
“Our members were ready. They only asked to be acknowledged and supported as stakeholders in a ruling party. That support never truly came,” she said.
Turning attention to the APC e-registration process, Ekwunife urged party members to take the exercise seriously, explaining that it would go beyond mere statistics and directly influence future empowerment and benefits within the party.
“This is not just registration for numbers. It is a critical database that will determine how the party identifies, rewards, and empowers its members. Those registering today are the real owners of APC,” she emphasized.
She also disclosed that the party had already resolved its position ahead of the 2027 presidential election, insisting that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would be the APC’s flagbearer.
“Let me be clear — we already have a presidential candidate for 2027. President Bola Tinubu is our candidate, and we are united in supporting him,” Ekwunife told PulseNets.
Drawing from personal experience, she expressed confidence in the President’s leadership, citing her years of service alongside Senator Oluremi Tinubu in the National Assembly.
“I served in the 8th and 9th Senate with Senator Oluremi Tinubu. From what I know of both her and the President, Nigeria is in capable and safe hands,” she added.
Earlier, the Anambra State APC Chairman, Mr. Basil Ejidike, expressed dissatisfaction over the low turnout recorded in the ongoing e-registration process. He disclosed that Anambra State and the Federal Capital Territory were currently among the lowest-performing areas nationwide, calling on members to intensify participation.
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Meanwhile, the state coordinator of the APC e-registration exercise, Joe Okekeuche, reported that only 17,488 members had been registered so far, PulseNets obtained. He appealed for renewed commitment, while naming Njikoka, Awka South, and Onitsha South local government areas as the best-performing councils.
To encourage improved performance, leaders of the top-performing local government areas were formally recognized, while Ihiala, Idemili South, and Anambra West were listed as the poorest-performing LGAs in the exercise.
