Charles Chukwuma Soludo
Governor of Anambra State, Anambra · APGA
Governor Charles Soludo entered office in March 2022 on a detailed five-pillar 'Solution' manifesto. His first term delivered a measurable infrastructure surge -- over 316 km of roads asphalted within 32 months, free education extended from nursery through SS3, 8,115 teachers recruited, 130 primary healthcare centres rehabilitated, and multiple general hospitals commissioned -- underpinned by disciplined fiscal management that kept Anambra debt-free for four consecutive years and earned the state BudgIT's top fiscal-performance ranking for 2025, ahead of Lagos. IGR grew from roughly N2 billion monthly in 2022 to a reported N5.2 billion monthly in 2024, though still below the state's own declared targets. The record is meaningfully weakened on security: Monday sit-at-home enforcement by IPOB-aligned actors cost the state an estimated N8 billion every Monday through most of the first term, and Anambra led all states in kidnapping ransom payments (N350 million) between July 2023 and July 2024. Soludo's January 2025 Homeland Security Law and the Agunechemba outfit represent a structural response, but Agunechemba operatives assaulted a female NYSC corps member in July 2025, prompting an Amnesty International statement and dismissal of eight operatives by the governor. The EFCC investigation into alleged misappropriation of smallholder-farmer subsidy funds (originating in the prior administration) led Anambra -- under Soludo -- to sue the EFCC; a Federal High Court dismissed that challenge in May 2023. No criminal charges against Soludo personally have been filed during his gubernatorial tenure. Pre-gubernatorial allegations (2013 EFCC questioning over CBN-era conduct; polymer-notes bribery allegation) were resolved without prosecution: the EFCC formally cleared Soludo of the polymer-bribery matter in March 2015. The overall record places Soludo above the average Nigerian governor on delivery and fiscal discipline, with persistent gaps on security and IGR shortfalls against targets.
This grade rates performance in office, not any person’s guilt. Criminal matters appear above only as their court status. How we grade.
Sources22
- 1The Soludo Solution: Bold visions and great expectationsBusinessDay NG
- 2Soludo announces free compulsory education from nursery to JSS, reduces senior student feesThe Guardian Nigeria · 2023-09-21
- 3On Soludo's aggressive recruitment of teachersTheCable
- 4Anambra Showdown 2025: Soludo's massive road construction opening up communitiesVanguard News · 2025-10-01
- 6Soludo reopens Onitsha main market, says no more sit-at-home in AnambraTheCable
- 7Anambra's monthly IGR rose to N5.2bn in 2024 -- Soludo's aidePunch Newspapers
- 8Anambra: Soludo may borrow to fund 2025 budget of N606 billionFactcheck Nigeria · 2024-11-01
- 9Anambra state Assembly approves N410 billion budget for 2024, with Capex at 77%Nairametrics · 2023-12-21
- 10Anambra, Lagos, others top 2025 fiscal performance rankings -- BudgITPunch Newspapers
- 11Governor Soludo Unveils Anambra Homeland Security Law, Launches Operation Udo Ga-AchiAnambra State Government Website
- 13Soludo commences the construction of a superhighway linking Imo and AnambraTheCable
- 14Gov Soludo rehabilitates 130 primary healthcare centers in AnambraTribune Online
- 15Anambra Health Sector Revolution Continues, As Soludo Delivers New General Hospital For Okpoko CommunityIndependent Newspaper Nigeria
- 16#Anambra2025: Anambra Hospital commissioned by Soludo not emptyDUBAWA (fact-checking organisation)
- 17Sit-at-home: Analysts decry impact on South-East economyPunch Newspapers
- 18Soludo Regrets Brutal Assault of Female Corps MemberThis Day Live · 2025-08-21
- 19Assault on corps member: Soludo sacks vigilante operativesVanguard News · 2025-08-01
- 20Amnesty International Condemns Brutal Assault of Female Corps Member in AnambraSahara Reporters · 2025-08-19
- 22EFCC quizzes former CBN Governor Soludo over allegations of corruption, illegal paymentsDaily Post Nigeria · 2013-01-11