Ahead of the November 8, 2025, governorship election in Anambra State, thousands of native doctors and traditional religion practitioners in the state have endorsed the reelection of the state governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo.
The group declared their support for the governor during a meeting held in Awka, where they gathered to deliberate on recent legislative developments affecting their practice and also clear the air on widespread misconceptions regarding the state government’s position on traditional institutions.
The gathering, which attracted practitioners from across the 21 local government areas of the state, was also used as a platform to sensitise members to the provisions of the newly passed Anambra State Homeland Security Law.
The law passed in January aimed to recognise and distinguish genuine native doctors from criminal elements and ritualists who hide under the guise of traditional practice to commit atrocities.
In his welcome address, the state Coordinator of Native Doctors and Spiritual Material Sellers in Anambra, Daniel Ejie, hailed Soludo for his courage, vision and inclusive leadership style.
Ejir said, “The Homeland Security law is a bold and timely intervention that has not only sanitised the system, but also granted the native doctors a sense of autonomy and legitimacy in the state.
“Before now, we were lumped together with criminals, and our image was terribly misunderstood. But Soludo has restored our dignity by recognising us officially and granting us legal backing.
He further expressed the group’s gratitude to the State House of Assembly for taking the initiative to sponsor the bill and seeing it through to passage, noting that such legislative courage had reawakened a sense of pride among genuine native doctors in the state.
“We commend the governor’s infrastructural strides, digital governance reforms, youth empowerment programmes, and efforts to create a safe and lawful environment for all lawful professions, including indigenous ones.
“With this endorsement, the native doctors have joined the growing list of groups and stakeholders which have publicly declared support for the governor’s second-term ambition,” he added.
In his reaction, the Majority Leader of the Anambra State House of Assembly and Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, Ikenna Ofodeme, assured the traditional religion practitioners that Soludo remains a firm believer in the sanctity of Igbo culture, customs, and traditions.
Ofodeme emphasised that the governor, contrary to certain misrepresentations, has never been against the traditional institution, but rather supports the promotion and proper regulation of indigenous practices in line with modern governance.
He pointed out that the State Assembly recently passed a landmark bill that formally organises, recognises, and structures the operations of native doctors in Anambra, with the aim of preserving Igbo traditional beliefs while eliminating harmful and criminal elements from the system.
He added that Soludo wasted no time in giving assent to the bill, in a move widely seen as a bold step towards cultural inclusion and security reform.
“The Soludo administration is inclusive and progressive. It is not anti-tradition, nor is it anti-culture. Rather, it supports our identity and heritage as a people. But at the same time, this government has drawn a clear line between genuine native doctors and criminals who exploit our culture to harm others,” Ofodeme said.
Among other features were chants of solidarity and drumming, which echoed throughout the venue, as the native doctors collectively declared their total support for Soludo’s re-election bid, citing his numerous achievements, people-oriented policies, and genuine commitment to inclusive governance as reasons for their decision.
