By Christian ABURIME
People go into politics for diverse reasons. Some are noble in mind to serve and add value to society, while others seek the power of public office in order to acquire fame and fortune. When politicians seeking election are placed under intense public lens, all sorts of antecedents and motives are bound to come out clear. The same reality now stares Ndi Anambra in the face as the November governorship election draws closer, with uncomplimentary antecedents of candidates flying out of sordid cupboards.
First was APC deputy governorship candidate Uche Ekwunife who could not defend her claimed educational qualifications but resorted to diversionary tactics of defaming an innocent First Lady who never attacked her. Now, it is the turn of APC governorship candidate Nicholas Ukachukwu who cannot govern his own financial affairs, yet seeks to govern an entire state. Ukachukwu has been exposed as a debtor of the most shameless variety, allegedly owing a staggering N1 billion to Zoe New Dawn Nig. Ltd, money he collected for a real estate deal he has neither honoured nor refunded.
The receipts don’t lie. Between August and September 2022, Zoe New Dawn was said to have made multiple payments totalling N1 billion to Ukachukwu’s Chupi Company Limited for what was supposed to be a legitimate real estate transaction in Lugbe, Abuja. Three years later, the land remains undelivered, the money unrefunded, and the creditor left chasing a ghost through the corridors of Transcorp Hilton Hotel while Ukachukwu shields himself with security operatives. If this is not a documented financial recklessness of the highest order, one wonders what it is.
Here stands a man drowning in personal debt, gasping for the oxygen of public office. One must ask: why would a businessman who cannot manage his own company’s obligations suddenly develop an insatiable appetite for public service? The answer stares us brutally in the face: he seeks not to serve Anambra, but to be served by Anambra’s treasury.
Ukachukwu’s supporters claim this is “political propaganda,” asking why creditors would chase him publicly rather than in court. But they conveniently ignore that desperate people resort to desperate measures when dealing with a man who allegedly hides behind security details and high walls. When someone owes you N1 billion and becomes increasingly inaccessible, you do whatever it takes to get their attention – even if it means confronting them at a luxury hotel with cameras rolling.
Let us be clear about what is at stake here. Governor Chukwuma Soludo has spent three years pulling Anambra from the brink of fiscal irresponsibility, maintaining zero borrowing while building infrastructure and improving governance. The state finally breathes freely under prudent financial management. Now comes Nicholas Ukachukwu, a man whose personal business dealings reek of the very fiscal irresponsibility Governor Soludo has worked to eliminate.
Does Ndi Anambra seriously believe that a man who cannot honour a simple business transaction will suddenly transform into a paragon of fiscal responsibility? Are we to entrust our commonwealth to someone who treats other people’s money with such casual disregard?
The pattern is unmistakable and ominous, like handwriting on the wall. A candidate heavily indebted seeks the keys to the state treasury. What happens when his creditors come calling after the election? Will Anambra’s budget become his personal bailout fund? Will infrastructure projects be sacrificed at the altar of his personal financial redemption?
Ukachukwu’s campaign has been built on promises of “business acumen” and “private sector experience.” But what good is business experience when it culminates in a N1 billion debt that remains unpaid three years later? This is not the track record of a successful businessman; it is the scarlet letter of a failed deal-maker who cannot honour commitments.
Ndi Anambra, you have a choice to make. You can hand over your state to a man whose personal finances are in shambles, or you can protect the gains of the past three years. You can choose between fiscal prudence and financial profligacy, between transparency and opacity. The stakes could not be higher. To hand over our state progress to a man who cannot manage his own business affairs would be nothing short of collective suicide. Let us protect Anambra from those who would mortgage our future to settle their past. The governorship is not a debt recovery scheme; it is a sacred trust that demands integrity, transparency, and proven fiscal responsibility.
