Chief Willie Obiano, the governor of Anambra state, and the Governor-Elect, Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, may have disputed on the size of the budget for the inauguration and handover on March 17, 2022.
The government has set out N500 million for the scheme, which would include the production of personalized clothing, caps, banners, T-shirts, and even the hire of rainmakers, according to the Daily Independent.
However, it was reported that Soludo persuaded the Governor to lower the budget since he desired a low-key celebration.
He is said to have asked Obiano not to invest in such a flashy business.
When Soludo indicated there would be no fanfare at his inauguration on March 17 during his speech to the 80-member Transition Committee last Thursday, he almost spilled the beans.
He had previously stated that such cash will be used to solve the state’s most pressing development challenges.
Soludo further stated that he will travel from the inauguration venue to his office and then to the slums in Onitsha and surroundings, particularly the Okpoko community, which he planned to clean up, to indicate that he did not value the flamboyant handover ceremony.
“I’ll be travelling to Okpoko right after the inauguration,” he remarked. I’ll work for eight hours straight after the inauguration. There will be no fanfare since it will not happen.”
Another point of controversy is the inauguration’s location.
While Obiano wants to highlight the newly completed International Conference Centre at the inauguration and handover event, our source said Soludo preferred a low-key transfer at Government House, Awka’s Executive Council Chamber.
It was also learned that as he was being sworn in, Soludo would have had a list of his Commissioners, who would have been screened by some members of the transition committee, including Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, Prof. Pat Utomi, and a few others, before being taken to the House of Assembly for final screening.
The Daily Independent has also learned that Governor Soludo’s administration may not like the over 3000 Executive Assistants, Special Assistants, and Senior Special Assistants distributed over the world.
It was discovered that one family in Obiano’s hometown employs up to 31 Executive Assistants, Special Assistants, and Senior Special Assistants, while another employs 27.