Soludo Wins Anambra Governorship Election By Landslide

Governor Chukwuma Soludo has earned a second term in office, extending his tenure until 2030, after being declared the winner of the November 8 Anambra State governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

According to results announced by INEC in the early hours of Sunday, Soludo achieved a sweeping victory across all 21 local government areas of the state.

The State Returning Officer and Vice Chancellor of the University of Benin, Omoregie Edoba, officially declared Soludo as the winner after the collation of results from all local government areas.

“I hereby declare that Soludo Charles Chukwuma of the APGA, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected,” Professor Edoba announced at the INEC headquarters in Awka, the state capital.

Soludo, representing the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), garnered 422,664 votes to defeat his closest rival, Nicholas Ukachukwu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who secured 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) polled 8,208 votes. George Moghalu of the Labour Party (LP) and Jude Ezenwafor of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scored 10,576 and 1,401 votes respectively.

INEC reported that out of 2,788,864 registered voters, 598,229 were accredited for the election. A total of 595,298 votes were cast, out of which 584,054 were valid and 11,244 rejected.

Following the announcement, celebrations erupted at Soludo’s residence in Isuofia, Aguata Local Government Area.

Four More Years

Soludo’s victory grants him another four-year term at the Government House. Sixteen candidates contested in the election, including Ukachukwu of the APC, Paul Chukwuma of the YPP, and John Nwosu of the ADC.

Other candidates cleared by INEC included George Moghalu (LP), Echezona Oti (APM), Chioma Ifemeludike (AAC), Jeff Nweke (AA), Charles Onyeze (Accord), Geoff Onyejegbu (NNPP), and Jude Ezenwafor (PDP).

Also on the ballot were Chukwudubem Nweke (APP), Jerry Okeke (BP), Ndidi Olieh (NRM), Martin Ugwoji (ZLP), and Vincent Chukwurah (SDP).

Soludo was first elected on November 10, 2021, when he won in 19 of the 21 local government areas.

The 65-year-old former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor’s victory marked the end of a heated campaign season that focused on security and economic issues in the state. Critics accused him of failing to address these challenges, but Soludo pledged to build on his first-term achievements, relying on APGA’s nearly two-decade dominance in Anambra politics.

Heavy Security, Low Turnout, and Vote-Buying Allegations

Ahead of the polls, the police deployed 45,000 officers to ensure a peaceful election. Though the exercise was largely calm, it was marred by reports of voter apathy and alleged vote-buying.

Several candidates, including Soludo, expressed concern over the monetisation of the election. Observers also criticised political parties for allegedly inducing voters.

“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,” Ukachukwu of the APC said, lamenting the trend.

EFCC Arrests

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) confirmed the arrest of three individuals for alleged vote-buying and said they would be prosecuted.

INEC, however, dismissed the allegations, insisting that no concrete evidence had been presented.

“When the two top candidates voted, they both mentioned vote-buying. But as I said during voter education, anyone with such information should provide facts and figures,” said Queen Agwu, INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner for Anambra, during an interview on Channels Television.

“Vote-buying is a serious offence. If you want to make an allegation, provide evidence. You can’t just claim it’s happening everywhere without specifics,” she added.

INEC reaffirmed its commitment to transparency and uploaded the results to its online portal (IReV).

With Soludo’s victory confirmed, he and his deputy, Onyeka Ibezim, are expected to receive their certificates of return from INEC in the coming days. The duo had contested on the same ticket in the 2021 election.