By GOVERNOR Chukwuma Soludo has secured a second term in office until 2030 after being declared the winner of the November 8 Anambra State governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
According to the results announced by INEC in the early hours of Sunday, Soludo won by a landslide across all 21 local government areas of the South-East state.
The State Returning Officer and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Benin, Professor Omoregie Edoba, declared Soludo the winner after collating results from the local government areas.
“I hereby declare that Soludo Chukwuma Charles of the APGA, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected,”
— Professor Omoregie Edoba, State Returning Officer.
APGA’s Dominant Performance
Soludo, the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), secured 422,664 votes to defeat his closest rival, Nicholas Ukachukwu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who polled 99,445 votes.
Paul Chukwuma of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) came third with 37,753 votes, while John Nwosu of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) scored 8,208 votes.
George Moghalu of the Labour Party (LP) and Jude Ezenwafor of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) recorded 10,576 votes and 1,401 votes, respectively.
Party agents present at the collation centre signed the final result sheet following the announcement.
‘Four More Years’
The victory has handed Soludo a fresh four-year mandate at the Government House, popularly known as the Light House.
Sixteen political parties and their candidates contested the election. Apart from Soludo and Ukachukwu, the list included Paul Chukwuma (YPP), John Nwosu (ADC), George Moghalu (LP), Echezona Oti (APM), Ms Chioma Ifemeludike (AAC), Jeff Nweke (AA), Charles Onyeze (Accord), Geoff Onyejegbu (NNPP), Jude Ezenwafor (PDP), Chukwudubem Nweke (APP), Jerry Okeke (Boot Party), Ndidi Olieh (NRM), Martin Ugwoji (ZLP), and Vincent Chukwurah (SDP).
The November 8 election was conducted across all 21 local government areas of Anambra State.
Soludo was first elected governor on November 10, 2021, winning in 19 of the 21 LGAs. His re-election marks the continuation of APGA’s 19-year hold on Anambra politics.
The 65-year-old former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) campaigned on consolidating his first-term achievements, despite criticism from opponents who accused him of failing to adequately address insecurity and economic hardship in the state.
Heavy Security, Voter Apathy, and Alleged Vote-Buying
Ahead of the election, the Nigeria Police Force deployed 45,000 officers to ensure a peaceful and hitch-free process.
Although the poll was largely peaceful, it was marred by allegations of vote-buying and low voter turnout. Several candidates, including Soludo, raised concerns about the monetisation of the process.
Observers also expressed disappointment over reports of voter inducement by political parties.
“If there’s no seller, there cannot be a buyer. Some people have chosen to sell their conscience, which is even worse than those who buy votes.
When you give up your right for money, you lose your voice as a citizen,”
— Nicholas Ukachukwu, APC candidate.
EFCC Arrests Suspected Vote Buyers
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) confirmed the arrest of three suspects for alleged vote-buying and said they would be charged in court.
However, INEC dismissed the allegations of widespread vote-buying, insisting that no evidence had been presented to support the claims.
“Vote-buying is a very serious offence and a legislative matter. If you want to accuse someone, you must provide evidence. You can’t just go on television and say there’s vote-buying everywhere without mentioning specific locations,”
— Queen Agwu, INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Anambra State.
INEC reaffirmed its commitment to transparency and uploaded the election results on its Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
Next Steps
With his re-election confirmed, Soludo and his deputy, Onyeka Ibezim, are expected to receive their Certificates of Return from INEC in the coming days. The duo were also elected on a joint ticket during their first term.
Source: Channels TV
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