NANS Declares Strong Backing for Soludo’s Re-Election as Anambra Governor Amid Praises for Transformational Projects

 

The 2025 governorship election in Anambra State is already stirring political waves, with a significant endorsement emerging from an influential student body. The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), under the leadership of its President, Olushola Oladoja, has officially thrown its support behind Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, citing visible infrastructural achievements and a commitment to purposeful leadership.

This announcement came during a high-profile campus outreach tour currently underway across southeastern states. As part of the engagement, Oladoja visited several project sites in Awka on Wednesday, June 18, where he observed firsthand the strides made under Governor Soludo’s administration. The tour, which featured stops at the newly completed Government House and the expansive Solution Fun City, offered a window into the governor’s development vision for Anambra.

Dr Ossy Onuko, Managing Director of the Awka Capital Territory Development Authority (ACTDA), played host during the visit. He guided the NANS delegation through key infrastructure landmarks and outlined some of the major undertakings that have reshaped Awka and its environs under the Soludo-led administration.

While addressing journalists shortly after the site visits, Oladoja could hardly conceal his admiration for the quality and ambition of the projects. He described the new Government House as an architectural masterpiece, declaring it one of the most impressive public buildings across Nigeria. Its design, functionality and symbolism as a center of governance, according to him, reflect a forward-thinking approach to state administration.

“This is not just about aesthetics. It is about vision and execution,” Oladoja stated. “Governor Soludo has demonstrated what it means to lead with purpose and leave a legacy.”

The NANS president noted a striking disconnect between the pace of development in Anambra and the level of national media attention it receives. He urged the state government to enhance its media outreach efforts to better reflect the scale and quality of its infrastructural work.

“Too much of what we have seen today remains unknown to the wider public,” he said. “Anambra deserves to be recognised nationally and globally for the transformation that is taking place under Governor Soludo’s leadership.”

One of the high points of the tour was the visit to Solution Fun City, a major tourism and recreational project constructed on what was previously a swampy expanse. Oladoja expressed surprise at the transformation, calling it a “brilliant reinvention of space” that demonstrates Soludo’s capacity to combine environmental revitalization with economic and social potential.

“This project is proof that Governor Soludo is not just building roads and bridges, but also dreams and opportunities,” he remarked. “If I had voting rights in Anambra, I would cast my vote without hesitation for his second term. NANS as an organization stands fully in support of his re-election.”

Dr Onuko, who led the site inspections, emphasized that the projects viewed by NANS were only a fraction of Soludo’s broader developmental footprint. He pointed out that the administration has awarded over 750 kilometers of road contracts, with more than 450 kilometers already completed and asphalted. Many of these roads, he said, include dualised federal highways, which underscore the governor’s dedication to improving connectivity and transportation infrastructure across the state.

“Soludo’s leadership is not anchored in political theatrics,” Onuko said. “This is a man who left a prestigious international career to come back home and serve. He is focused on delivering sustainable progress, not short-term applause.”

The visit concluded with a courtesy call on Anambra State’s Deputy Governor, Dr Onyeka Ibezim, further solidifying the endorsement from NANS and symbolizing a unified front between state leadership and the student body.

This endorsement from the largest student organization in Nigeria may signal a shift in the narrative ahead of the 2025 polls. While the road to the election is still unfolding, the growing recognition of Soludo’s infrastructural impact and policy direction suggests that his re-election bid is gaining momentum beyond traditional political circles.

For a leader whose tenure has been shaped more by the hum of construction equipment than political fanfare, such endorsements may prove instrumental in defining both his legacy and his political future.