Governor Chukwuma Soludo has clinched a decisive second term as Anambra State governor after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared him the winner of the November 8 governorship election.
The announcement came in the early hours of Sunday following the collation of results from all 21 local government areas of the South-East state, where Soludo dominated across the board.
Professor Omoregie Edoba, the State Returning Officer and Vice Chancellor of the University of Benin, officially declared Soludo the winner at INEC’s state headquarters in Awka.
“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,” Edoba announced to the gathered officials.
The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate secured a commanding 422,664 votes, crushing his closest challenger, Nicholas Ukachukwu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who managed only 99,445 votes.
Paul Chukwuma of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) finished third with 37,753 votes, while John Nwosu of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) garnered 8,208 votes. George Moghalu of the Labour Party (LP) received 10,576 votes, and Jude Ezenwafor of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) trailed with just 1,401 votes.
Party agents present at the collation centre signed off on the result sheets immediately after the announcement.
The victory grants the 65-year-old former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor another four years at the helm of Anambra’s Government House, extending APGA’s 19-year dominance in the state.
Sixteen parties fielded candidates for the contest, but Soludo’s overwhelming performance across all local government areas left little doubt about the outcome.
Soludo first captured the governorship on November 10, 2021, winning in 19 of the state’s 21 LGAs. His re-election marks the end of a months-long campaign period dominated by heated debates over governance, security, and economic development in Anambra.
Critics and opposition candidates accused the governor of failing to adequately address insecurity and economic hardships facing Anambra residents during his first term.
However, Soludo campaigned on consolidating his achievements from the past four years, leveraging APGA’s long-standing political grip on the state.
Despite the deployment of 45,000 police personnel to ensure a peaceful process, the election was overshadowed by allegations of vote-buying and notably low voter turnout.
Multiple candidates, including Soludo himself, raised concerns about the monetisation of the electoral process, with observers accusing political parties of inducing voters with cash incentives.
“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,” Ukachukwu lamented. “When you give up your right to money, you lose your voice as a citizen.”
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested three suspects for alleged vote-buying and pledged to prosecute them in court.
However, INEC dismissed the widespread allegations, insisting that accusers failed to provide concrete evidence.
“When the two strongest candidates went to vote, they mentioned vote-buying. But like I said during voter education, anyone with such information should provide facts and figures,” said Queen Agwu, INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner for Anambra State.
“Vote-buying is a very serious offence and a legislative matter. If you want to accuse someone, give us evidence. You can’t just go on television and say there’s vote-buying everywhere without mentioning one place,” she added during an appearance on Channels Television.
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INEC has uploaded the election results to its Results Viewing Portal (IReV) as part of its commitment to transparency.
Soludo and his running mate, Onyeka Ibezim, who also served alongside him in the first term, are expected to receive their certificates of return from the electoral commission in the coming days before their inauguration in 2026.
Madukwe B. Nwabuisi is an accomplished journalist renown for his fearless reporting style and extensive expertise in the field. He is an investigative journalist, who has established himself as a kamikaze reporter.
