 Professor Charles Saludo is sworn in as new governor of our number of states in a low-key event. And May Malabuni is back as the head of the all-progressive Congress APC as he cancels the party's NEC meeting fixed for Thursday by a Bubba Cabello. Well, this is Plus Politics. I am Mary Anacom. Governor William Biano, the outgoing governor of our number of states, bowed out of office today after completing the constitutionally allowed two terms of four years each. Now in his place, Professor Charles Saludo will be sworn in or has been sworn in as the new governor. Saludo, who won the November 6, 2021 governorship elections on the platform of the all-progressive Grand Alliance, has already given the people of the state a glimpse of what his administration would look like as he had a quiet swearing-in ceremony that involved just a few people. This decision didn't, however, thrill some residents of the state capital as some of them expressed sadness at the arrangements describing it as a strange one in the political history of the state. Well, joining us to discuss this and more is Vincent Unyekwelu, he's a corporate governance expert, and Chike Chude, who's a political analyst. Thank you so much, gentlemen, for joining us. Thank you. It's a pleasure. Thanks for having me. Good evening, Nigerians. Great. Mr. Chude, I'm going to start to see you because you were there monitoring the elections that brought Governor Saludo into office. Now, before he was sworn in, he had put together a very interesting panel, a transition committee, rather, that would lay the grounds for his getting into office officially. And lots of people applauded some of those people that made up that list, the likes of the former minister for education, the likes of Chidi Odenkalu, so many other interesting people who made that list. And today he gave a very, very in-depth speech, laying out all the things and the plans that he has for a number of people. But let's start by looking at the man himself and how he intends to run this office. Well, I think Chude was one of the best high-profile jobs in the country. That is the governor of the central bank by the, I think, the Basin Joe administration. And one thing he did was that he, of course, apart from the fact that he's articulate and that he seems to understand that the financial terrain as a governor of the central bank, he was also a very good and a fortified person. If you remember the reforms that he did on that tape, how he was able to also recapitalize the banking sector, because he felt that going forward, the kind of a banking that needed to be done in the country the size of Nigeria, that you needed banks that, you know, very well capitalized to undertake the job of ensuring the kind of investment that will lead Nigeria to progress. And so he was not afraid to step on tools, and he did step on tools. You know, in the course of his experience of performance as the central bank, you know, governor. And then, of course, he, this is not the first time he will be running for governor of Anambra State. This is, I think, the third time. And as they will say, third time lucky. Obviously, he had the luck of the former governor believing in him. Like somebody has said recently that, hope you are not carefully choose somebody that will be better than him. And, of course, we do know that the mark of leadership is not just the mark that you have left in power when you were, you know, when you were maybe in government, perhaps as a leader or president. But the successor that comes after you is also indicative of the kind of person you are. So there is that hope, there is that belief that Solido would leave up to the billing that he will leave up to the hopes and expectations of the people of Anambra State. Because it is very ultimately at the end of the day that a lot of people are looking closely at his leadership in Anambra State and that they are hoping they will invest so much hope in Solido. You can see how the people of Anambra State came out. Though we had them known during the election itself, but at least the fact that he was able to win in the manner that he did showed truly that those who voted for him believed in him and believed that there was going to be a change for the better in Anambra State. So he is a man that is principled, that has shown it to a very large extent. He is also a man that is very bold, that is willing to take the boob out of the home. Of course there are those who have accused him of some level of arrogance. I hope that he should know that of course he is not a politician. This is the very first time he will take the biggest stage of his life in politics. And so we hope that he will be in a position to do the necessary compromise that is needed for him to be successful as a governor but not compromise that is fundamental that would prevent him from achieving some of his objectives as a governor of Anambra State. Vincent, let me come to you. You are a good governance advocate and you have lived in Anambra. You moved back obviously to be part of building back society. Now, before we continue talking about the governor that just got inaugurated, let's talk about Governor Wilio Biano. He was quoted to say that Anambra people asked for legacies and that he has given them monuments. And he also said something about leaving Anambra people in good hands. Now something that is worthy of note is that Governor Wilio Biano was not a man that was open to the media. He hardly was ever in front of a TV or a camera talking. He always had somebody speak for him even though he was a very good orator. But let's look at his legacies in Anambra State. Who better to talk about it than you, who has lived there for a bit? Honestly, Governor Wilio Biano before the immediate past governor of Anambra State actually did excellently well. Being somebody who is from Anambra State, who still lives in Anambra, even though I live in Apoja also, Governor Wilio Biano left some legacy projects that Anambra State will never ever forget him for. Example, the Anambra International cargo airport. It's been there on the pipeline for decades. Anambra State deserves to have an international airport or an airport of a sort at all. Whether it's international or local, whatever you call it. So I think that project of the Anambra Airport was a big plus to him. And forever and ever, in the Anambra, we never forget him. Yes, you get critics that criticize him about the quality of work that the airport is still not complete. The fact is that people are in safely from that airport. People are arriving and they're safely from that to that airport. And it's well acknowledged to be running smoothly so far. Yes, I've used that airport a couple of times. I know there are still finishing projects like the escalators are yet to be done. But he did excellently with the airport. Big plus to him. With the International Conference Center also, a wonderful legacy project. And you must respect the man for that. He's done all that project, even though some will say that before he left office, that many of the local roads in Anambra State were in a very important position. And I think those critics, I'll respect them for that, because most of the roads in Anambra State are in a very poor position. And also some critics, we're talking about the issue of touting in Anambra State. Because there's a lot of gangsters in Anambra State that control affairs. Either they are the cartel of people that sell illegal lands that we call the Land Bank. They become so powerful. They've met some money from the sales of lands. And they become an authority in your individual communities. Some of them are even more powerful than the traditional rulers in those communities. So if I must give him where one is the lowest and ten is the highest, how happy to give Governor Obian a very good seven. He's run a good race. And I respect him for that. Over to Governor Saludinel. Let's talk about young people in Anambra State. I mean, I remember the last time I was talking to one of the chieftains of Orhaniz indeed worldwide. And he kept insisting that Anambra has the highest number of billionaires. And I said, how has this translated in helping young people? Because the truth is, these people are the future of Anambra State. If these young people are not, one way or the other, co-opted into whether it be entrepreneurship or whatever. You know what they say about idle hands. But how has, what policies have Governor Obian put in place that would one way or the other grow the young people in Anambra? I would say to you that Governor Obian now actually works very closely with the youth. In the sense, if you look at his regime, most of the SAs, we are people of 30 something years to 40 something years. Most of the SSAs, we are people of 30 something years. Some of them are even in their late 20s. So I think he had a good relationship with the young people of Anambra State, both male and female. He kind of empowered them, given them some level of job experience to serve in the corporate sector. Many of them never had, apart from university education, they never had a proper job employment that exposed them to the corporate politics of an establishment. So he did so much exposure. Thousands of them had an experience under him for 80 years. He became financially balanced, so I think he done well for that. When it comes to the issue of Anambra having the highest number of billionaires, I still have an issue about this empirical evidence. I need to get more information on how somebody can presume that Anambra has the highest number of billionaires, apart from just gloating or making or being post for. I think Anambra State is an okay state. We should stop boasting about having the highest number of billionaires or whatever. We should be more humble. And then issue of policies. I think being in governance and being a leader are two different things because the people that surround Governor Obiano are unique to his achievements, to his challenges, to his failures. The people that will surround Governor Saludo will also be unique to his victories and to his losses. So I think it's for Governor Saludo to actually look deep and get the right hands that will surround him. If he doesn't have the right to surround him, they will mess him up because these guys are politicians. Those that surround him are people that understand the game. He's an inexperienced politician yet. So he has to be very, very mindful that he must get people that will be loyal, that will be professional, and he must do something that we want him to do to face the gangsters. There are so many gangs that have met so much money from illegal means that want to be friends with Saludo. He should deal with people that are technocrats, people that have crime-free records, not people that have met money from fictitious motives or fictitious ways. So he can be able to record his victories. But right now, the Anambra are expecting so much from him. And trust me, it's going to be a tough battle for him because of the high level of expectations from the Anambra. Let me come back to you, Mr. Chude. It looks like the governor has a lot on his plate. I mean, the expectations are high. Again, looking at his precedence. While he was campaigning, there was a time where people were hashtagging that he was going to turn Anambra into a Dubai of sorts. But let's look at his speech today. He started by talking about boosting local industries and products. He also talked about the fact that he was going to reduce the loss of high-profile things and make them low-profile. He was more about production, being productive other than just making noise. And we've seen him do that even with the events that was pretty low-key. But let's look at that industry and local products issue. Vincent just said something about him being careful about the people that he surrounds himself with. But then again, the people who would say that, you know, not being part of the establishment can be a plus for him because that way he might be able to make some decisions that would be drastic without being afraid of what the godfathers would have to say. Well, let me just say that to a very large extent, Soludo has a personality that is different from an experience that is different from the experience of so many governors in the country. Because of his unique background as former governor for the Central Bank of Nigeria. And so he's an economist. He's a first-class, you know, graduate from the University of Nigerian Social Economics. He is somebody that has also received back a lot of international awards from international institutions because of what, you know, of his achievements as governor of Siberia. And so there is a lot of, a lot at stake in the Soludo, you know, Soludo as a governor of Anandra State. And what is critical is that a lot more people, if Soludo fails, then it will be difficult for people from Nigerians to begin to make a case for people with the kind of pedigree that Soludo has. That is why the expectations are exceedingly, you know, very high. So we hope that he does succeed. Of course he understands, you know, economic dynamics. He understands the importance of the financial market, the financial system. He understands the importance of the production. And that is why, you know, he set up a committee to work out a blueprint for how, you know, the governance of Anandra State would be in the next four years. And of course, you know, the kind of people who put it on that committee, or the executive, you know, former head of the Bureau of Public Enterprises. And, you know, so many other people that are quite knowledgeable, a lot of people with great pedigree and credibility in the country, people involved in the economic and financial sector. And so it is hoped that, and then again, even the low key inauguration that he did today is in tandem, is in line with what he said about what is, you know, the kind of governance that he will bring to Anandra State. Of course, he talked about the equity in one of the occasions he wore equity. And equity is this fabric that is made in, you know, one of the communities of the towns in Anandra State, he said he was going to give it a global attention, you know. And so production, economic dynamics are important because the only way he can pull the people of Anandra State out of poverty, you know, and increase the level of wealth for the average Anandbrarian is through, you know, productive endeavor, as well as through, you know, buying and selling. Of course, the Igbo is generally unknown for their dexterity in trade. And when you look at the entire southeast, you find that it is the Anandbra people of Anandra State that tend to dominate even beyond, you know, Anandra State. So they are entrepreneurs and they know what it means to be involved in trade. And then again, one of the things he said, the same post of what he wants to do, is the fact that he said that the state, you know, official vehicles will be exclusively, you know, in nursing, produced by in nursing motels. And that is very good because what that means is that he's going to encourage employment and that would also lead to a boost in, you know, in nursing and, of course, increase their capacity as long as he continues to have that, you know, patronage at that level. So he is somebody that knows that all eyes are on him. But it is beyond Anandbra State because if he succeeds, you can imagine what is going to happen in the rest of the South East. Each individual is able to succeed. Now he's going to governize people from other parts of the South East who have not been happy with the kind of political elites that we have had since 1999 to date, you know, and so that will compel the people from other parts of the South East to look for the kind of person that Anandra State has been able to produce as a government. And beyond that, if he makes a success of it in his first four years, there is that possibility that the same model will be looked out for in other parts of the country. And then before you know it, you begin to have progress, you know, from one part of the country to the other. And Nigeria's solid needs good, you know, political leadership in all of the states. And so I, I, I, I, I, I, I, and then again, but most importantly again, he knows that development cannot be done in the absence of peace. And so that's why in his speech, he talked about, about, um, about the violence, the ongoing violence in Anandbra State and of course he stopped in the, you know, in the violence that he was going to commit his energy and time to ensure that, uh, that the level of violence in Anandbra State were reduced minimally. And then he did whereby paying, you know, um, uh, honor to the three policemen also that lost their lives at some time last year, uh, in, you know, uh, in his company when his, his, uh, control was attacked. And I think that that was fantastic for him because he showed somebody who, uh, is not oblivious of what is going on around him. So we, we hope he's going to succumb because the destiny of the people of Anandbra State will, will be dependent on what he has done. And besides, his predecessors have also done well. Uh, Pete Obie, uh, so even in Giga, before, before, you know, Pete Obie in Giga did well and set the template for, on which, uh, Obie, Pete Obie was, was able to run his governorship. And then you have Obiano. So there has been a steady progression in Anandbra State in terms of improvement. And so we hope that, in fact, it is expected that Sunido will out, will out, you know, will eclipse all the other achievements that his predecessors had, had, had achieved, you know, before him. I'm curious, um, I mean, the questions been playing in my head all evening. Um, can Governor Charles Chocomar Saludo beat the establishment because no matter how great a person is, you still have to deal with the establishment anywhere in the world, especially in a country like Nigeria where politics is, uh, that's of Godfatherism. I'm, I'm not necessarily saying that, you know, there's a big Godfather somewhere in Anandbra State, but there is the establishment. And for someone who is coming from where he is coming from, into the political mud, permit me to use that word, how possible is it that he'll be able to beat the establishment? Is that for me? Yeah, I'm going to ask, you know, the same question to, um, Vincent, but I'd like for you to answer it first. Yes, well, I think that that is the issue. I'm glad you're asking this question because, I mean, it is the reality that you have, all kinds of people have always made the, uh, the statement that, um, that the politicians are not really as bad as, uh, Nigeria has made them out to be. That the single servants are worse. And we've had that several times that if you know what goes on in the civil service, like the politicians, when they come in the noon, nothing, it is the civil servants that introduce them to some of the things that they do in later years. And that is, you know, by, I mean, in terms of corruption. But I, we, and I think people, the most especially also faced that, that conundrum, but he had a way around it in most cases, when he wanted to get things done, and he did not get satisfactory answers from the civil service about how he should be done. He went beyond the civil servants and then went directly to the people percent, like the issue of schools. We know how PTOB was able to turn around the educational, you know, establishment in Anambra City. And how Anambra City moves from its previous position to first, uh, in Nigeria when it comes to, you know, external examinations like Jam, you know, and the Wayek and Neku. And so, uh, he went directly to the schools. Of course, people will tell you that it's also illegal to go around the civil servants, but it's wrong to not follow the president. But he worked for him. You know, and so it is one of the things that Solido has to do. The civil service can be very, very powerful and they have the ability to frustrate even the best, you know, intentions of a government. And so he must look around. That was why I talked about, you know, him also having the right kind of temperament or also having the nuance and the ability to go around and work with them whenever, you know, it is possible for you to work with them and then, uh, when they look for ways to go around some of the obstacles that they will deliberately put on your part. Because if you succumb to the dictates of the civil service, then ultimately, at the end of the day, it is only your go because, you know, this administration is going to be called the Solido Administration. The next four years. So if he lives without achieving much, it is going to be said that, that, you know, the Solido administration of between this period and that period was a failure. So when he realizes that that, you know, is a stigma that he would want to avoid, then he will do as much as possible to ensure that he's able to handle the establishment and then put them where they should belong. Okay, quickly, Vincent, because I have another question that I want both of you to answer before we get out. But Vincent, how, same question, how certain are we that the Governor will be able to fight the establishments, especially in terms of plugging loopholes where these so-called people in the establishment benefit from. Knowing who he is, he will have to do that. But how will he survive it? That's a fantastic question. Now, if you talk about the practicalities of the big establishments in an amber state, being some of the whiz always on ground, number one, big establishment is the pit walls. We call them the pit walls, P-I-T, the two walls. Basically, what the pit walls mean is the leaders of transport system in an amber state. So the leaders of the Arcada Riders Association, those that manage the parks where the Arcada Riders operate from, the leaders of the Kekena Pepe Association, those that manage the parks where the Kekena Pepe operate from, the leaders of the shuttle bus operators, those that manage the parks, where the shuttle buses operate from, the leaders of the bus unions, those that manage the parks where the buses operate from, and on and on, even the TPAC, the trailers. So this is a very big establishment that has so much financial strength, and whether you want physical, or whether you want it spiritual, or whether you want it psychological, can he manage them? He deal with them, and also there are all that big establishments that what we call in Onitsha, at the headbridge, you have this beautiful, wonderful union of pharmaceuticals, those that deal in pharmaceutical drugs, highly licensed professionals, these guys are billionaires. You cannot just go into a bubble in headbridge, and mess around with them, and get away with it. Can he face them? So I think, these are wonderful unions that he can operate, and collaborate, and work with in peace, but he needs to work with them, he should not fight them. Okay, well finally we all saw the video that made, in fact he went viral this afternoon, where we saw the wife of the outgoing governor in a little bit of drama with the wife of the late Ojukku. For a ceremony as big as this, everyone watching nationally, maybe even internationally, what did you make of that little drama that turned into something very embarrassing today? I'll start with you Mr. Tude. Yeah, well you just described it as an embarrassing, extremely very embarrassing. It also issues the progress in some of first human beings. It shows our smallness and narrowness of minds, because this is not something that should have happened at that place or any other place, these are mature people these are adults, and the occasion is supposed to be a very sober occasion. Again, there is this thing that good news, bad news sells and it sells very fast and that is what we have seen. There was a monumental event in Anambra State, but a very small event that should be in occurs at best overshadowed the entire event and took the shine from the inauguration to the extent that even Soludo had to make a mention of that and they had to apologize to the people of Anambra State and those who had shown keen interest and had high expectation for the inauguration. So I think it was a very, very embarrassing moment and I think the principal personages, especially the person that is supposed to have caused all of this worry should hang their heads in shame. It is something that we did not need to see at all. Vincent? Honestly, I think we need to overlook that tiny, tiny incident that happened and I think what Governor Soludo did was to show great leadership. That was not part of his initial plan. His first plan in Anambra was to go to Okoku, a suburb in Oni, it is gone, pay them a taxi visit and show them that he is going to suburb. That was one of his electoral promises that if he wins his first assignment would be to go to Okoku, a suburb. What he did today was a big sign of leadership. He was able to manage the 102 parties and we should not make big out of this thing. These are our mothers, our sisters, our wives. Nobody is perfect. So we should not play politics with them. We should just overlook it and focus on the wonderful promises of Governor Soludo. We should not worry about what our sisters and wives have done. They are human beings and nobody is perfect. I still give respect to the wife of Governor Obia and I give respect to Bianca the wonderful wife of our mother. What is the time and place for that event? As much as you would like to wish it away, it is not going away, it is trending over the fact that the governor was sworn in today, a governor that the Anambarians had voted unmasked for, it is not making headlines as much as these two highly placed women in a fist cuff. What example is that setting for those who are watching them? Because you just called them mothers and sisters. The example is there is for everybody watching to know that we need to learn how to overlook little skimishes and move on with our lives. We shouldn't throw all our energy into what happened there. These things happen just because it happened at a particular kind of event, a surrounding event and because of the wife of the former governor who was involved, the wife of the current governor was not involved. The two women that was involved are not political, they are no more than a political post in the governor's regime. So I think they are now normal Anambarians. Normal, I'm not like any commissioner or any appointment of the governor who just overlooked them in the governor who is going to deliver things to Anambarians. They just overlooked it and let's move on. I want to say thank you. Vincenzo Ngekuelu is a corporate governance expert. Thank you so much gentlemen. We watch and wait and see how the governor of Anambra kicks off his administration. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you all for staying with us. We'll take a quick break and when we return we'll be talking about the drama that happened within the A.P.C. at the national level because May Malabuni is back and it seems his undoing Beylos plans stay with us.