Before The Ballot Falls: The Duty To Protect Anambra’s Tomorrow

As the clock ticks toward the governorship election, the next few days will determine not just who becomes the next governor of Anambra State, but whether the state will continue to move forward or slide back into the shadows it once escaped. In every election, there comes a defining moment; a period when the air is thick with propaganda, when truth wrestles with falsehood, and when the destiny of millions quietly rests on the resolve of ordinary citizens. That moment has come.

The final days before an election are often the most decisive. Across Nigeria’s political history, what the electorate hears and believes within those few days can shape outcomes more than years of governance. Emotions peak, rumours fly, and desperate politicians deploy every trick in the book. Lies are packaged as truth; promises of the past are forgotten; the noise grows louder as reason grows faint. Yet, it is in such moments that wisdom must prevail; that Ndi Anambra must distinguish substance from shadow, and leadership from theatrics.

Let us speak plainly. Anambra today, under the able leadership of Prof Chukwuma Soludo, stands on the firm ground of progress; not perfection, but measurable transformation. Roads are being reconstructed across the 21 local governments; education has been revived with free schooling up to SS3; teachers are employed on merit; and the state has reclaimed its top spot nationally. In the health sector, over 169,000 women have benefited from free antenatal and delivery care; hospitals are being upgraded and built; and primary healthcare is reaching the grassroots. The One Youth, Two Skills programme is turning job seekers into job creators, and new public infrastructures like the Government House and Governor’s Lodge have been delivered after decades of failed promises. Security, once Anambra’s nightmare, has been restored; markets now open without fear, and peace has returned to communities once held hostage by terror.

These are not political recitations; they are lived realities. But progress, no matter how visible, can be lost in a single careless election. In the next few days, Ndi Anambra must guard the light of good governance with vigilance and voice. This is not the time for complacency or idle optimism. It is not enough to say, “He will win.” No victory is automatic in politics. Every vote uncast is a gift to those who once plunged this state into decay.

We must remember that governance is not a luxury; it is life itself. It determines whether a pregnant woman gives birth safely, whether a child stays in school, whether a trader sells in peace, whether a road connects or isolates. That is why politics cannot be left to jesters and opportunists; those who have never governed their homes now wish to govern a state. Those who lack experience, ideas, and temperament now make the loudest noise. Ndi Anambra, shine your eyes. The power to preserve progress rests in your hands; not in rhetoric, but in the ballot.

Let no one deceive you with sugar-coated propaganda. Some have already begun spreading falsehoods; twisting achievements, inventing failures, sowing confusion. It is an old game: when they have nothing to show, they seek to muddy the waters. But Ndi Anambra are not fools. They know the difference between those who build and those who destroy; between those who govern with ideas and those who chase power like gamblers chasing luck.

The final days of a campaign are not for sleeping; they are for mobilising. Talk to your neighbours, your relatives, your market women, your church members. Remind them what is at stake. On election day, ensure that every eligible voter in your family and compound goes out early to vote. Stay vigilant, stay calm, and protect your votes within the law. Elections are won not by the loudest campaigners, but by the most organised and disciplined citizens.

Across Nigeria, many have seen what happens when good governance is interrupted by greed and carelessness. The gains of years can vanish overnight. Civil servants go unpaid, schools rot again, hospitals lose hope, and touts return to the streets. Ndi Anambra cannot afford that relapse. We have come too far, endured too much, and achieved too many firsts to hand our future to the unprepared.

In this final week, let every conversation, every meeting, every journey serve one purpose; to ensure that the torch of transformation does not go dim. This is not about party alone; it is about posterity. It is about the kind of Anambra we want our children to inherit; a state of order, growth, and dignity.

The forces of deceit are loud; the defenders of truth must be louder still. Let no one be distracted by rumours or intimidated by the noise of the desperate. Every progress-loving citizen must stand firm, speak up, and show up at the polls.

History is watching. The future is calling. Ndi Anambra, hold the line; for the state we have built, the peace we have regained, and the destiny we must not betray.