Soludo seals LP, APGA offices ahead of Anambra LG polls

As the Anambra State local government council elections approach on September 28, Governor Chukwuma Soludo has taken decisive action by sealing the offices of the Labour Party (LP), Senator Victor Umeh, and the faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) led by Chief Edozie Njoku.

On Wednesday, state government officials, accompanied by heavily armed personnel in military uniforms, sealed off the offices located in Udoka Housing Estate, Awka. The state government claimed that the offices were situated in residential, not business, areas.

In response, Chief C.J. Okoli-Akirika, the state secretary of the Labour Party, condemned the government’s actions as “unfortunate, bizarre, and brazen,” and vowed to challenge the decision in court.

The closure of Chief Edozie Njoku’s APGA faction office, recently recognized by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), is seen as an attempt by Soludo to suppress the faction ahead of the elections. Many view these actions as a broader effort to stifle opposition parties before the upcoming local government elections, which will determine chairmen and councillors across the state’s 12 local governments and 326 wards.