The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate for the 2025 Anambra State election, Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu, has found himself at the center of a political storm following a dramatic confrontation outside the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja.
Viral videos circulating on social media appear to show Ukachukwu being accosted by a group of men who claimed he owes them ₦1 billion, allegedly borrowed to finance his governorship ambition. The incident, which occurred as Ukachukwu was leaving the hotel with his wife and young son, has since triggered a heated political exchange between rival camps.
Supporters of the incumbent Governor Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), including APGA’s National Publicity Secretary, Dr. Ejimofor Opara, have seized on the footage. Opara alleged that the APC candidate intends to use public funds to settle personal debts.
“He wants to contest so that he will use public money to clear his personal debt. Anambra people will not have that happen,” Opara stated on X (formerly Twitter).
However, Dr. Justin Nwankwo, a spokesperson for Ukachukwu’s campaign, has dismissed the confrontation as a “poorly scripted political drama” aimed at discrediting his candidate.
“When you see a staged video, you will know,” Nwankwo said. “Any serious creditor knows that debt recovery follows legal channels—contracts, court cases, collateral. Not placards and camera crews on the street.”
He accused APGA loyalists of orchestrating the video for propaganda purposes ahead of the November 8 election, branding it a “choreographed act” lacking credibility or legal basis.
In a more alarming twist, the Sustenance of Faith in Good Governance (SOFIG), a non-governmental organization, has claimed that the Abuja confrontation was more than a public embarrassment—it was an assassination attempt.
According to SOFIG’s Director of Strategy and Mobilization, Dr. Janet Maduka, the APC candidate was nearly abducted by “armed hoodlums” reportedly led by an alleged Abuja-based conman.
“This brazen daylight attack on Prince Ukachukwu is not just about debt—it’s about silencing a leading opposition figure,” Maduka claimed.
She described the incident as part of a broader pattern of political violence allegedly sponsored by elements loyal to sitting administration in Awka..
“Instead of campaigning with achievements, (they) now resort to politics at gunpoint. This must stop,” she added.
According to eyewitness accounts shared by SOFIG, Ukachukwu was approached by over 10 men who blocked his vehicle and demanded he follow them, claiming he owed them money. The APC candidate reportedly refused and offered to schedule a meeting, stating he did not recognize them.
“They refused and instead attempted to force him using firearms,” SOFIG said in a statement, noting that Ukachukwu’s security detail intervened swiftly to prevent the alleged abduction.
Within minutes of the incident, prominent allies to Awks, including Anambra’s Commissioner for Information, Barr. Law Mefor, reportedly began sharing the video online, prompting further accusations that the entire event was pre-planned for political purposes.
Dr. Nwankwo questioned the absence of any legal documentation surrounding the alleged debt, pointing out that no official petition, lawsuit, or demand letter has been made public.
“Where is the evidence? No creditor chases ₦1 billion with placards and cameramen. This is blackmail, not business,” he said.
SOFIG has called on Anambra voters to reject what it calls “gangster politics” and vote out the current administration in the upcoming election.
As the November 8 election approaches, observers fear that political tensions in Anambra and beyond may escalate further. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has yet to comment on the incident, while security agencies are being urged to investigate the confrontation and ensure the safety of all candidates.
In the meantime, Ukachukwu’s campaign has vowed to remain focused on what they describe as “real issues” such as education, infrastructure, and economic revival, dismissing the viral video as a “cheap distraction” from APGA’s alleged failures in governance.
