The Governor of Anambra State, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, expressed conviction that the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Ojukwu, will be one of the shining lights in President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet.
Soludo gave the vote of confidence on Friday at the National Executive Committee of the All Progressives Grand Alliance in Abuja.
The NEC was the first meeting of APGA following the recent Supreme Court’s affirmation of Sly Ezeokenwa as the party’s National Chairman.
In attendance were Ojukwu, the Senator representing Abia South, Eyinnaya Abaribe and the House of Representatives representing Aba North, Alex Ikwueche, among others.
Ojukwu, a chieftain of APGA, had previously served as Nigeria’s Ambassador to Spain from 2012 to 2015 and as the country’s Permanent Representative to the UN Tourism Organization.
While assuring that the former diplomat wouldn’t disappoint, Soludo applauded the President for fulfilling his promise to run an all-inclusive government.
He said, “I want to thank Mr President for living up to his promise of a unity government. For the first time, APGA is having a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We thank the president for extending the hand beyond the APC.
“Maybe it is also in recognition of the fact that both parties are progressives in their names. I am pretty sure Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu will bring value to the cabinet of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. You were an ambassador of Nigeria to Spain. Now, you have become an APGA ambassador in his cabinet there. We thank you very much.
Continuing, the governor praised the judiciary following the Supreme Court judgment recognition of the Ezeokenwa-led National Working Committee.
According to him, the court has once again proven to be the last resort for the common man to seek justice.
“We commend the judiciary for always rising to the occasion. When these shenanigans were ongoing, I did not doubt the outcome for one second. That was because I believe in the rule of law.
“I know that every day is for the thief; one day, the owner of the house will show up. Once he does, the stealing will end. I always know that after all the madness, reason will prevail. And our judiciary always rises to the occasion,” he noted.
The National Chairman of the party, Sly Ezeokenwa, also shared his sentiment, saying the judiciary has shown it is not respected of position, colour, tribe or religion.
Ezeokenwa also applauded Soludo for the manner in which he handled the affairs of the state, saying it validated his earlier belief that he remains the party’s greatest asset.
He said, “In every outing, I have consistently maintained that Mr Governor is our greatest asset. I will tell you the reason. If your elected officers at any level are performing very well, chances are that Nigerians will trust that political party.
“Incidentally, anybody can see the development in Anambra under the leadership of Prof Charles Soludo. The major ideology of our party, APGA, is encapsulated in the mantra ‘leaving no one behind.’ A system is as strong as its weakest link. Today in Anambra, the children of the poor can attend school free of charge.
“The wives of the most vulnerable in our society can actually visit hospitals for antenatal, deliver babies and go home without paying a dime. In less than three years, we will have about 500km of roads constructed. That is unprecedented in the history of this country. Are we not blessed in Anambra? We are grateful to have him as our national leader.”