Valentine Ozigbo, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former governorship candidate in Anambra State, has accused Governor Chukwuma Soludo of misappropriating funds meant for the state’s 21 local government areas to support political loyalists and destabilise the APC ahead of the 2025 elections.
Ozigbo, in a statement released via his verified X (formerly Twitter) account, alleged that Governor Soludo had failed to conduct local government elections as promised during his 2021 campaign and subsequent inauguration. Instead, he claimed the governor appointed allies to administer local councils, creating a structure through which public funds are allegedly channelled into private political interests.
“It is against the spirit and letter of Section 7(1) of the 1999 Constitution for Governor Soludo to continue running local government councils without elected officials,” Ozigbo stated. “The use of caretaker committees is not only illegal but has now become a conduit for political funding and manipulation.”
The APC chieftain further alleged that the mismanagement of local government resources is part of a calculated strategy by Soludo to weaken the APC’s structure in the state. According to Ozigbo, the funds meant for grassroots development are being used to finance the political ambitions of Uche Ukachukwu, a political ally he accused of working to destabilise the APC with the backing of the state government.
Reacting to recent legal developments, Ozigbo welcomed a ruling by a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja that ordered the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Minister of Finance to halt further disbursement of local government funds to Anambra State pending the outcome of an investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
He praised the court’s intervention as “a victory for democracy and accountability,” adding that the EFCC’s probe into the N109.5 billion reportedly received by Anambra local governments between March 2022 and April 2024 must be thorough and transparent.
The state government has yet to respond formally to the allegations. However, political observers believe the accusations could raise the stakes in the lead-up to the 2025 governorship election, with Ozigbo declaring his intention to run once again.
Ozigbo, who contested the 2021 governorship election under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before defecting to the APC, maintains he is the only candidate capable of unseating Soludo, citing what he describes as growing public dissatisfaction with the current administration.
The political atmosphere in Anambra State continues to heat up, as questions over local governance, transparency, and the true use of public funds dominate public discourse.
