Charles Chukwuma Soludo is the Governor of Anambra State and a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria. An economist, he led the 2005 consolidation of Nigerian banks before entering partisan politics. He won the governorship for APGA in 2021 and was re-elected by a wide margin in November 2025.12

Early life and education

Soludo was born on 28 July 1960 in Isuofia, Aguata. His mother died during the civil war when he was about eight. He studied economics at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where he took a first-class degree, a master’s and a doctorate, and became a professor of economics in 1998.1

Economist and central banker

He was a visiting scholar at the IMF, Cambridge, Oxford and the Brookings Institution and a consultant to the World Bank and UN agencies. In 2003 President Olusegun Obasanjo appointed him Chief Economic Adviser, and from May 2004 to May 2009 he was Governor of the Central Bank. His raising of the minimum capital for banks reduced their number sharply through mergers in 2005; supporters credit the policy with creating larger banks, while critics link some of the weaknesses exposed in the 2009 banking crisis to it.1

Path to the governorship

Soludo ran for governor of Anambra in 2010 as the PDP’s candidate and lost to Peter Obi. He joined APGA in 2013 but was disqualified from its primary that year. He won APGA’s ticket in 2021 and was declared winner of the November 2021 election, taking office on 17 March 2022.1

Governor (2022–present)

His government passed a homeland security law that created the Agunechemba security outfit and Operation Udo Ga-Achi, and says it recovered local government areas in which separatist gunmen had imposed control. Critics point to continued killings, kidnappings and cult violence in parts of the state. His government reports building about 700 km of roads, free education and free antenatal care, and says it has avoided new loans; opposition figures accuse him of promising more than he has delivered.34

On 8 November 2025 he was re-elected with 422,664 votes, about 72% of the total, winning all 21 local government areas on a turnout of about 21%. He was sworn in for a second term on 17 March 2026.52

Personal life

Soludo married Nonye Soludo in 1992, and they have six children.1

References

  1. Charles Chukwuma Soludo. Wikipedia, accessed October 2026. ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩

  2. Soludo sworn in for second term, says Anambra back to winning ways. Arise News, March 2026. ↩ ↩

  3. Soludo: three years of bumpy ride in Anambra. ThisDay, 19 March 2025. ↩

  4. Soludo and security challenges in Anambra State. BusinessDay. ↩

  5. Soludo re-elected as Anambra governor, wins all 21 LGAs. ICIR, 9 November 2025. ↩