Election seasons often read like crime thrillers. Characters are built up, pulled down, and sometimes dragged through the streets of public opinion. In Anambra today, the latest headline is that Nicholas Ukachukwu, APC’s governorship candidate, is “a debtor of a billion naira” — therefore, he cannot be trusted to govern. It sounds dramatic. But as every good reader of both politics and law knows, drama is not the same as truth.
Let’s start with the basics. Debt is not a crime. It is a civil matter. Nigeria’s Constitution is clear: until a competent court rules otherwise, every citizen is presumed innocent. Across the business world, indebtedness and repayment negotiations are part of economic life. Dangote Cement carried over ₦500 billion in bank loans at one point. Globally, United Airlines filed for bankruptcy with $22 billion debt before bouncing back stronger. To reduce debt to a moral scarlet letter is to mislead Ndi Anambra deliberately.
So why is this case different? The timing. Three years after the alleged transaction, suddenly, on the eve of elections, it becomes a public spectacle with cameras rolling in hotel lobbies. If the aggrieved party has a valid case, the law courts exist. But the choice to pursue street theatre instead of judicial redress signals something else: political strategy, not debt recovery.
As a columnist and digital media strategist, I understand how narratives are engineered. When a government struggles to convince voters of its own record, it often turns to the old playbook of demarketing the opposition. That is exactly what is playing out here. Instead of engaging APC on issues — security, infrastructure, unemployment, or economic growth — the APGA-led government wants Ndi Anambra distracted with a debt story.
But Ndi Anambra deserve better. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (2023), over 40% of our people still live below the poverty line, while unemployment and underemployment stand near 32%. These are the real issues staring families in the face every morning. If the current administration has performed creditably, it should proudly stand on its record, not hide behind sensationalism.
And let’s clear another myth: a governor does not hold the state treasury like a private chequebook. Anambra’s ₦410 billion (2024) budget is subject to the State Assembly, auditors, and oversight agencies. To suggest that Ukachukwu’s personal creditors will raid the state treasury is not only far-fetched but also an insult to Ndi Anambra’s intelligence.
This election must not descend into a circus of character assassination. Leadership should be judged on vision, ideas, and capacity, not on orchestrated smear campaigns. If Ndi Anambra are truly to move forward, we must demand issue-based politics, not tabloid drama.
The billion-naira debt story may make for a thrilling headline. But governing Anambra requires more than gossip and theatre. It requires courage, vision, and the honesty to face the issues that truly matter.
