The Anambra State Government has refuted recent reports claiming that Governor Chukwuma Soludo renamed Abakaliki Street to Club Street, clarifying that the change was made during the tenure of former Governor Willie Obiano.
Social media platforms had been buzzing with allegations that the current administration altered the name of the popular street in Awka, prompting public debate and criticism.
But in a statement issued Tuesday, the Commissioner for Information, Law Mefor, labelled the allegations as “completely false”.
“Attention of the Anambra State Government has been drawn to the false and misleading claims made by one M.O. Idam Esq. against Governor Chukwuma Soludo, published by some online news platforms,” the statement began.
Mefor explained that the renaming in question took place before Soludo assumed office, firmly attributing it to the Obiano administration.
“Idam had alleged that Governor Soludo renamed Abakaliki Street to Club Street, which is completely false,” he said.
“The truth is that the renaming of Abakaliki Street to Club Street and the assigning of an adjacent street to Abakaliki Street occurred under the administration of former Governor Willie Obiano.”
The commissioner criticised the misinformation, urging those responsible to verify facts before publishing.
“It is expected that a lawyer ought to have done research and fact-checking before going public with such wild, malicious, and false claims,” Mefor added.
He also called on Idam to retract his statement, framing it as the honourable thing to do.
“Considering that no one is perfect, and we exist in an imperfect world, we advise Idam Esq. to recant his statement as honourable people should when they go wrong.”
Mefor used the opportunity to reaffirm Governor Soludo’s commitment to governance without debt accumulation and highlighted growing support for the governor’s reelection bid.
“We reassure Ndị Anambra that Governor Soludo will continue to exercise the powers they bestowed on him through their popular mandate responsibly, which is yielding very heavy dividends of democracy without borrowing, leading to the clamour across the length and breadth of Anambra State for his reelection on November 8.”
In a pointed remark, Mefor questioned the credibility of Idam and urged him to focus on issues within his jurisdiction.
“We equally urge Idam Esq. to pay more attention to his state, if indeed he exists and is not a phantom, rather than spreading misinformation about Anambra State.”
