The Anambra State APC Deputy Governorship Candidate, Senator Uche Lilian Ekwunife (Iyom), PhD, CON, has launched a scathing attack on Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, questioning his competence and describing his style of governance as petty and insensitive.

Ekwunife’s remarks came in response to Soludo’s recent campaign comments in which he reportedly questioned her academic qualifications and dismissed the prospect of a woman married into Anambra Central emerging as governor of the state.

Speaking in a short video that is currently trending on social media, Senator Ekwunife accused the governor of presiding over bloodletting, hunger, and untold hardship in the state. She referenced the killings of two sitting members of the Anambra State House of Assembly under Soludo’s watch, lamenting that as Chief Security Officer of the state, the governor had failed to unravel the perpetrators or bring them to justice.

On allegations that her PhD certificate is fake, Ekwunife dared Soludo to challenge her credentials in court instead of using campaign rallies to malign her. She insisted that her academic certificates were obtained from reputable and verifiable institutions, including the University of Calabar and Nnamdi Azikiwe University, and are open for public scrutiny.

The former lawmaker further decried what she described as a collapse of social and economic activities in Anambra since Soludo assumed office. According to her, weekends that used to witness a bustling inflow of visitors to Anambra for events and social gatherings have now been replaced by an atmosphere of fear, insecurity, and economic downturn.

Reacting to Soludo’s remarks that he would not hand over power to a woman married into another senatorial district, Ekwunife reminded the governor that his own daughter is married outside her zone, questioning whether his logic would also deny her rights in her husband’s community. She maintained that no human being, including Soludo, has the power to determine her destiny.

Ekwunife went further to ridicule Soludo, alleging that he suffers from poor personal hygiene. She claimed that the governor has bad mouth and body odour.

The former Anambra Central Senator described Soludo as “the dirtiest Governor in West Africa”, bluntly advising his wife to buy him deodorant and mouthwash as part of her celebrated healthy living campaign.

Describing Soludo’s professorship as “an award” rather than an earned academic feat, the APC deputy governorship candidate accused him of masking his failures with “agbero-style theatrics” while neglecting pressing issues in the state.

She urged the governor to channel his energy into addressing insecurity, unraveling the killers of late lawmaker Hon. Azuka of Onitsha North, and improving the welfare of Ndi Anambra, rather than wasting time maligning opponents.

“I am what I am today by God’s grace, hard work, and perseverance,” she said, adding that she would become whatever God has destined her to be, with or without Soludo’s support.

Ekwunife concluded her remarks by insisting that Soludo is “too small” to decide her political future and that Ndi Anambra will ultimately judge both of them at the polls.