By Tony Okafor
In the noisy theatre of Nigerian politics, where most aspirants dress themselves in borrowed holiness, one man is walking a different road, unapologetic.
Ozo Jeff Nweke, the Action Alliance (AA) governorship candidate in the November 8 Anambra election, insists on being known exactly as “the Nigga.”
To many ears, the word is abrasive, even offensive. But to Nweke, it is his badge, his chant, a chorus he repeats with pride.
“Don’t give me undue advantage; report me the way I am. Don’t polish me or struggle to defend me from what people say about me,” he told journalists the day he announced his interest to govern Anambra State.
In his world, politics must begin with honesty, not make-believe.
Nweke is not the typical politician. A philanthropist well known in Awka and beyond, he has built his name more on giving than on pomp.
His philosophy is direct: think big, act big, and add value to people’s lives. He brushes off judgments about his clothes, style, or swagger as mere noise.
On one occasion, when asked to speak in a church, he startled worshippers. His message was plain: God is not an institution, God is personal.
“I don’t need a pastor to tell me messages from God,” he said. “God communicates directly with everyone.” He urged Christians to stop running from politics, warning that if they continue to do so, they will remain “slaves to those in power.”
When he turns to the state of Anambra politics, his words cut sharper. In a recent address, he lamented what he called “an acute decay of decency” where selfishness now outweighs humility.
“The fact that we no longer carry ourselves in a dignified manner, knowing we are servants of the people, is shameful,” he said.
His biggest fury is reserved for vote buying. To him, it is the single cancer eating away at Nigeria’s democracy.
“Vote buying is killing our democracy. It is the root cause of corruption eating deep into our marrow, causing all the evils we suffer in society today,” he warned.
Unless voters reject it, he said, the coming election could become “a fatal disappointment with generational consequences.”
Yet Nweke is not all fire and brimstone. He has shown flashes of fairness even towards those in the ruling establishment.
He condemned recent attacks on Governor Charles Soludo’s son, Ozonna, over his eccentric music style.
To Nweke, the young man deserves applause, not ridicule. “It is everybody’s duty to encourage any aspiring youth in Anambra — or anywhere in Nigeria,” he said.
“We should avoid anything that discourages them, especially when they choose resilience, self-determination, and the pursuit of independence.”
Then came the twist. With a grin, Nweke extended his self-styled title to the governor’s son. “In fact, I declare that Ozonna is a Nigga. I like him, and there is nothing wrong with his pattern of gesticulative stunts, especially considering the music industry he is engaged in.”
In a state where political speeches are usually rehearsed, polished, and stuffed with clichés, Jeff Nweke’s bluntness rings different.
He offers no apologies for his language, no filters for his faith, and no soft-pedaling of his convictions. His campaign is not padded with borrowed robes, but laid bare — raw edges and all.
Whether voters will embrace his daring authenticity is another matter. But one thing is clear: in Jeff Nweke, Anambra has a candidate who is not pretending to be what he is not.
In his own words, “I’m the Nigga” — and he wants to govern on nothing less than that unfiltered truth.
Niggas don’t fake .
