Gov Soludo denies consulting native doctor for re-election bid

Anambra State Governor Prof. Chukwuma Soludo has dismissed claims that he consulted a native doctor to improve his chances in the upcoming governorship election, which is scheduled for November 8, 2025.

A video recently circulated on social media showing a man dressed as a native doctor chanting at the corner of a hall during a public event, sparking allegations that the governor sought spiritual assistance for his re-election bid.

However, in a statement issued on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, the Governor’s Press Secretary, Christian Aburime, described the claim as “totally false.”

According to Aburime, the video was taken out of context and misrepresented. He clarified that it was filmed during an official government engagement with Anambra-based content creators, where attendees were encouraged to showcase their talents, ask questions, and discuss issues affecting the creative industry in the state.

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“The attention of the Anambra State Government has been drawn to a malicious and deliberately fabricated online publication and social media comments making spurious claims that the Governor of Anambra State, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, consulted a native doctor regarding his re-election prospects.

“The state government hereby debunks the allegations as totally false. For the interest of the general public, the video clip being maliciously circulated and misrepresented, as evidence of native doctor consultation, was taken during a recent official government meeting with Anambra-based content creators.

“The session, facilitated by the Special Senior Assistant to the Governor on New Media, Mazi Ejimofor Opara, was organised to strengthen the partnership between the state government and the creative industry as part of Soludo’s commitment in encouraging and supporting Anambra’s creative economy,” the statement partly read.

Aburime explains the reason for the video

The Governor's spokesman further explained that content creators were encouraged to showcase their talents, ask questions, and share their concerns about the creative industry in the state during the session.

He said, as part of the presentations, one of the content creators performed a native doctor skit, a common comic genre in Nigerian entertainment, to demonstrate their creative abilities to the governor and other officials present.

“This was purely an entertainment performance by a content creator, not a consultation session. The state government thus found it deeply disappointing that critics and political opponents would stoop so low as to deliberately fabricate malicious narratives from an innocent entertainment performance and spread misinformation to mislead the public.

“Rather than engage in frivolous consultations, Soludo has consistently demonstrated his commitment to developing Anambra’s creative economy through investment plans as part of the state’s economic diversification strategy.

“The recently commissioned Solution Fun City project is part of such investment plans. The state government also clarified that Soludo does not need consultations with any native doctor to win reelection, as he relies solely on the support of Ndi Anambra based on his impressive performance and focus on delivering the ‘solution agenda’ by transforming Anambra State into a livable and prosperous homeland,” he added.

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Therefore, Soludo called on Ndi Anambra, media channels, and social media users to disregard the misinformation concerning the viral video clip.

“The public is also urged to always verify information before sharing or amplifying content and reject malicious stories sponsored to mislead the public.

“As always, Soludo remains committed to the development of Anambra State and will not be deterred by the antics of desperate political opponents who have chosen the path of falsehood over constructive engagement,” the statement added.