As the November 8, 2025, governorship election approaches in Anambra State, the influence of women in shaping the outcome cannot be overlooked. From party loyalists and seasoned diplomats to grassroots mobilisers, a handful of female figures are emerging as decisive players whose choices and reach could tilt the balance for contenders at the polls, LAWRENCE NJOKU reports.
The scheduled November 8, 2025, gubernatorial election in Anambra State may provide the best opportunity yet for women to participate meaningfully in a male-dominated process since Nigeria returned to democratic rule in 1999.
From available data, the Anambra amazons are set to play a prominent role, both as candidates and mobilisers. Figures from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) show that out of the 16 political parties cleared to contest, eight fielded female candidates, either as flagbearers or running mates.
Two women, Chioma Grace Ifemeludike of the African Action Congress (AAC) and Ndidi Christy Olieh of the National Rescue Movement (NRM), emerged as governorship candidates. Six others were nominated as deputy governorship candidates across different platforms, including the Accord Party, All Progressives Congress (APC), Action Peoples Party (APP), Boot Party (BP), Labour Party (LP) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP). Their presence makes women more visible on the ballot than in previous contests, even though the numbers remain small compared to their male counterparts.
Beyond contesting elective offices, women are also emerging as a formidable bloc of mobilisers. In March, more than 2,000 women drawn from the 179 communities of the state gathered under the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) Women Summit to declare support for Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s re-election bid. Similarly, market women in Onitsha and Awka have pledged thousands of votes for their preferred candidates, underlining the strength of women’s grassroots networks.
Women’s groups, backed by civil society organisations, have also been driving voter education campaigns to ensure greater awareness and participation. These efforts reflect a growing recognition of women not only as voters but also as agenda setters capable of influencing policy priorities.
Although challenges such as under-representation, resource gaps and political violence remain, the involvement of women as candidates, running mates and mobilisers suggests they will be key players in shaping the outcome of the Anambra poll.
Anambra women may not have been in the forefront of governorship campaigns, but the altercation witnessed last week between the wife of the governor, Nonye Soludo, and the APC deputy governorship candidate, Senator Uche Ekwunife, highlighted how far women are prepared to go in the contest.
Nonye is not on the ballot. But her husband, Prof. Charles Soludo, is seeking re-election, and she would resist any perceived threat to that ambition. In the same vein, Ekwunife, as deputy governorship candidate, must rally support for her principal, Nicholas Ukachukwu, if she hopes to be sworn in as the next deputy governor.
Last week, both women went for each other in vituperations during their desperation for political power. This followed Governor Soludo’s outburst against Ukachukwu and Ekwunife, dismissing their academic qualifications as unsuitable to lead a state with Anambra’s level of educated populace.
During a campaign tour, Soludo insisted that Ukachukwu and his running mate lacked the requisite qualifications to govern, describing Ukachukwu as one who had “failed in almost everything” and questioning the authenticity of Ekwunife’s doctorate degree, which he alleged was obtained from an unaccredited university in the United States.
In a fiery response, Ekwunife not only berated Soludo for “poor hygiene” and an “offensive odour,” but also accused his wife of allegedly being the bedmate of a former governor. Nonye, however, dismissed the claim and urged Ekwunife to address the questions raised about her doctorate.
The role of political amazons such as Nonye and Ekwunife will not be in short supply in determining who becomes the next governor of Anambra. Others in the league include AAC governorship candidate, Chioma Ifemeludike; former Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Josephine Anenih; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mrs Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu; and the Labour Party deputy governorship candidate, Mrs Ifeoma Okaro.
Findings by The Guardian showed that some of these amazons have held public office, either by election or appointment. Their merit, popularity and reach have helped them climb politically. Others are only now being exposed to politics for the first time.
Nonye, for instance, had held sway as a successful entrepreneur and lived a private life until her husband ventured into politics and eventually became governor. Sources said she was already doing well for herself and her family before public service beckoned.
Her office as First Lady of the state, with the initiatives she has cultivated over the years, has remarkably helped in mobilising the support of the womenfolk to enable her husband to return to office in the November election.
It was gathered that Mrs Soludo had also deepened her “Healthy Living Pet” project and the Healthy Living Pap scheme to address the burden of child malnutrition in the state. The initiative, which she instituted to promote healthy living, is gradually gaining acceptance across different segments of the state. The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has also adopted it and replicated it in 179 communities.
Aside from being a deputy governorship candidate in the November election, Senator Uche Ekwunife has remained active politically.
‘Iyom’, as she is fondly called, may not have known any other business since she left the banking sector than politics. Ekwunife can be described as the most experienced female politician in the state at the moment. She has passed through the Peoples Progressives Alliance (PPA), the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and now the APC.
In her political journey, she has served in both chambers of the National Assembly. She was a two-term member of the House of Representatives for the Anaocha/Njikoka/Dunukofia Federal Constituency, where she rose to the position of Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Public Accounts.
In 2010, she contested the Anambra governorship election on the platform of the defunct PPA and lost. She again sought the seat in 2014 on the platform of APGA and was defeated. In 2015, however, on the ticket of the PDP, she won the Anambra Central senatorial seat.
That victory was short-lived, following its nullification by the court in favour of Chief Victor Umeh. She, however, reclaimed the seat in 2019 under the PDP but failed to sustain her winning streak in 2023.
After losing the 2023 election, she joined the APC and was later appointed Director-General of the Southeast Governors’ Forum (SEGF). She lobbied and secured the nod to become the running mate to Ukachukwu in the November election.
Her political pedigree will play a major role in the contest. Seen as a grassroots mobiliser, her philanthropy and charity works remain part of her strongest political assets.
Chioma Ifemeludike hails from Ezinimo–Eziowelle village in Idemili North Local Government Area. A Nollywood actress and activist, not much is known about her politically, but she is a youth who prides herself as having what it takes to turn around the fortunes of the state.
Her greatest strength in the election lies with the women and youth. But many insist that she joined the race merely to popularise herself, stressing that it would be difficult for a woman to win the governorship election in Anambra.
Although she may not have the financial muscle to prosecute her campaign in the same way as the male candidates, the fact that she has carried on despite the challenges has won her admiration, especially among younger politicians.
Mrs Josephine Anenih may not be very visible in the PDP’s campaigns, but she is not absent in other gatherings aimed at restoring the dignity of the party in the state. She remains a strong member of the PDP and has refused to abandon the party despite the turbulence that clouds it.
Last month, she joined other members of the elders’ council to oppose moves to dissolve the Anambra State executive, insisting that there was no disagreement or protest against them.
She once served as the National Woman Leader of the PDP. Her role and involvement in politics have helped to maintain sanity, uprightness, decorum, and fair play in the party. She is outspoken and regarded as a woman of integrity, even within the Christian fold.
Although the party was defeated in the last election, Mrs Anenih, as secretary of the caretaker committee, worked hard to ensure that the organs of the party functioned before handing over. One thing that delights her is the continued survival of the PDP in Anambra.
Many would have loved her to retire from the party like some other stakeholders in the state, but her presence has continued to boost the morale of members who still identify with the PDP.
The Labour Party’s deputy governorship candidate, Mrs Ifeoma Okaro, is a political newcomer. She had never been in politics until the LP came on the scene. A retired educationist and immediate past Chairman of the Post Primary Schools Service Commission (PPSSC), she left Dennis Memorial Grammar School (DMGS) in 2014 to become Head of the Education Directorate of the Anglican Communion.
Being nominated as the running mate of the LP governorship candidate, George Moghalu, she has been described as part of the party’s strategy to open up more spaces for political participation. She was chosen after consultations to ensure a gender-balanced ticket.
Sources stated that Okaro is a strong character who knows how to hold her own, regardless of pressure, and is always content with whatever is available to her.
Moghalu described her as a committed party member with a wealth of experience, a shared objective, and a strategic vision to change the narratives of the state.
Pundits believe her nomination was also intended to give women a sense of belonging in the Labour Party (LP) and to encourage them to see the coming election as their own, one they should wholly support.
Mrs Bianca Ojukwu has tasted public power through various appointments. She once served as a Presidential Adviser and later as Nigeria’s Ambassador to Ghana and Spain. She has also been a member of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), rising to the position of member of the Board of Trustees (BoT).
Recently, however, she was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs in the current All Progressives Congress (APC) administration of President Bola Tinubu, an appointment that has set tongues wagging over where her loyalty would lie in the coming election.
Whichever way it goes, her name and presence will be felt in the governorship contest and could sway votes to any candidate she chooses to support.
As it stands, these amazons each have their unique roles to either make or mar the chances of those contesting in the election. They will exert influence through their support, their reach, and the extent of their mobilisation. Ultimately, the outcome of the election will go a long way in showing how much they have contributed to the process.
