Esther Chinyere Onyekesi Nominated as Anambra Commissioner for Women Affairs

Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo has nominated Ms Esther Chinyere Onyekesi as Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development. Her nomination is part of a list of 18 commissioner nominees submitted by the governor to the Anambra State House of Assembly for screening and confirmation.

The Speaker of the House, Somtochukwu Nkem Udeze, received the list during plenary on May 5, 2026 and subsequently referred the nominees to the House Committee on Screening and Election Matters for legislative review.

Esther Onyekesi, a former Women Leader of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Anambra, is expected to oversee policies affecting women and families if confirmed. Her nomination comes nearly a year after the killing of her son, Martin Onyekesi, popularly known as “Fish Magnet,” who was abducted by kidnappers from his residence and later found dead in Awka before ransom could be paid.

According to a statement by Franklin Osankwa, Senior Adviser to the Governor on New Media in the Office of the Speaker, Esther’s nomination forms part of the administration’s cabinet formation process following the governor’s second-term inauguration.

The list includes four returning commissioners and 14 new nominees across key portfolios, including Health, Information, Justice, Lands, and Women’s Affairs.