By TONY OKAFOR, AWKA
The governorship candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) in the November 8 Anambra election, Paul Chukwuma, has accused Governor Charles Soludo of shutting down schools across the state to pursue political endorsements ahead of the forthcoming poll.
In a statement issued on Tuesday morning, Chukwuma said students in both public and private schools were forced to stay at home following a government directive that teachers and school proprietors attend a political event in Awka organized to endorse the governor for re-election.
The event, titled “State Celebration of Teachers and Solution Parents Mega Endorsement March,” was reportedly sanctioned by the Ministry of Education.
A circular from the ministry, dated October 3, 2025, and signed by the Permanent Secretary, directed all private school owners to suspend learning activities for the day.
The circular stated that the move had been “graciously approved” by the governor.
Chukwuma described the directive as “an outrageous abuse of office and a new low in Anambra’s political history,” adding that the governor’s desperation for endorsement was hurting the state’s education system.
“It is shocking that Governor Soludo would disrupt learning across the state for a mere political jamboree. This shows how far he is willing to go in his re-election desperation,” Chukwuma said.
He noted that the state had already lost valuable academic hours due to the continued Monday sit-at-home, which he said the Soludo administration had failed to end after more than three years.
“If the governor truly cared about education, he would not force teachers and students to abandon their classrooms for politics. This administration has consistently neglected teachers’ welfare and the quality of our schools,” he added.
The YPP candidate promised that if elected, he would ensure improved remuneration and housing schemes for teachers, describing education as “the foundation of Anambra’s development.”
Chukwuma urged Anambra voters to “be decisive in their resolve to rescue the state from the current misrule” in the forthcoming governorship election.
“The people must send Governor Soludo home through their votes on November 8. No amount of manipulation or forced allegiance will stop the people’s will,” he declared.
