Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State has shared a personal reflection on his relationship with the late Senator Ifeanyi Ubah. He revealed that the senator had privately expressed his intention to support Soludo’s re-election campaign prior to his death.
Speaking on Tuesday while welcoming new members—many from Ubah’s political base—into the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Soludo recalled a recent conversation he had with Ubah. The governor noted that the late senator had admitted that unseating him in the upcoming November 8 governorship election would be an uphill task.
Before his passing in July 2024, Ubah, who represented Anambra South in the Nigerian Senate, was reportedly preparing to run for governor under the All Progressives Congress (APC).
While addressing the defectors, Soludo praised Ubah’s passion for Anambra’s development and said their political history dated back several years.
“My relationship with Senator Ifeanyi Ubah was deep and long-standing,” Soludo said. “He initially joined APGA after contesting the 2013 governorship election under the Labour Party. In 2019, he sought APGA’s ticket but was unfairly disqualified.”
The governor offered a posthumous apology to Ubah, suggesting he would have secured the party’s nomination had he not been disqualified. He compared this experience to his own in 2013 when he was denied the APGA ticket despite his political credentials, including a past role as governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Soludo continued: “We used to joke about him returning to APGA, and he’d often say it needed to be properly arranged. If he were still with us, I believe he might have been leading a massive rally in my favor, just as many of you are doing now.”
He also recounted their last meeting at a public event where they sat side-by-side. According to Soludo, he jokingly challenged Ubah about his rumored governorship ambition, to which Ubah responded that defeating Soludo would be a tough mission—even within his own party, the APC.
“Ubah mentioned he had spoken with his party’s leadership and was aware of the challenges ahead,” Soludo recalled. “He even said he would ask Sir Emeka Offor to arrange a meeting between us to discuss possible collaboration.”
Soludo confirmed that Offor later told him Ubah had indeed raised that idea, but the senator passed away before the meeting could happen.
In closing, the governor pledged to honor Ubah’s memory. “We will find a fitting way to immortalize him,” he said. “Whether through naming a street or a significant monument, his legacy deserves to be remembered.”
