Anambra Guber Poll: Soludo Emerges Winner

• Amasses 112,229 votes to defeat PDP, APC candidates

BY ONYEKACHUKWU IBEZIM, AWKA – The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially declared former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor and candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Professor Chukwuma Soludo, as the winner of the November 6, 2021, Anambra Governorship Election.

The Returning Officer of the Anambra Governorship Election, Professor Florence Obi, announced the result on Wednesday morning at the INEC head office in Awka, the Anambra State capital saying that Prof Soludo polled a total of 112,229 votes to clinch the coveted seat.

According to Prof Obi, who is the Vice-Chancellor of University of Calabar (UNICAL); “That Charles Chukwuma Soludo of APGA, having satisfied the requirements of the law is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected.”

Overall, Soludo won in 19 local government areas and scored 25 per cent in all the 21 local government areas of the state. Anambra State has a total of 2,466,638 registered voters, while 253,388 were accredited for the election.

After the November 6 election was declared inconclusive by INEC, a supplementary election held in Ihiala Local Government Area of the state on Tuesday, saw Soludo winning 19 of the 21 local governments areas, including Ihiala.

The 61-year-old Soludo, who presided over the affairs of CBN between 2004 and 2009, amassed a total of 112,229 votes to defeat Valentine Ozigbo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who got 53,807 votes, and the All Progressives Congress (APC) flagbearer, Senator Andy Uba who polled 43,285 votes. In fourth place was oil magnate, Senator Ifeanyi Ubah of the Young Progressive Party (YPP) with 21,261 votes.

Barring any untoward outcome from the legal fireworks expected to follow the results’ declaration, Soludo will take the oath of office as the next Anambra State governor in March 2022 when the two-term tenure of the incumbent governor, Willie Obiano, also of APGA would have expired.

In the Ihiala supplementary election that took place on Tuesday, APGA amassed 8,283 votes, followed by PDP with 2,485 votes and APC that got 343 votes.

The Collation Officer for Ihiala, Dr. Jarma Anagbogu of the University of Calabar (UNICAL), who announced the result from Ihiala, said there was no election in Orsumoghu and Lilu communities because of security challenges.

He said: “In the process of the election, we received a report that there was resistance in Orsumoghu and Lilu. INEC had deployed staff to the communities, but they could not enter.”