Tobias Sylvester
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Charles Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) as the winner of the Anambra governorship election.
The Returning Officer, Florence Obi, who announced the election results on Wednesday morning, said Soludo secured 112,229 votes to defeat his his closest rival, Valentine Ozigbo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who scored 53, 807 to emerge second.
Accoding to her, Andy Uba of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Ifeanyi Ubah of the Young Progressive Party (YPP) came third and fourth with 43,285 and 21,261 votes respectively.
She said that Soludo won in 19 of the 21 local government areas of Anambra, while Ozigbo won in Ogbaru and Ubah secured victory in Nnewi north.
Ms Obi listed the areas where Soludo won to include; Dunukofia, Awka South, Oyi, Anaocha, Ayamelum, Anambra East, Idemili South and Onitsha South.
She also stated that the APGA candidate also won in Njikoka, Orumba South, Onitsha North, Idemili North, Ekwusigo, Aguata, and Nnewi South, Orumba North and Ihiala Local Government Areas.
Announcing the winner of the Anambra governorship election, Ms Obi said, “Charles Chukwuma Soludo of APGA, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and returned elected.”
Soludo is expected to be sworn in, in March 2022, when the tenure of the outgoing governor, Willie Obiano, expires. Obiano and Soludo are members of the same party, APGA.
The APGA governor-elect, who was a onetime Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), was born on July 28, 1960, and hails from Isuofia, Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State.
Breakdown Anambra Governorship Election Results
Registered voters— 2,466,638
Accredited voters— 253,388
A— 2,054
AA— 83
AAC— 588
ADC— 324
ADP— 773
APC— 43,285
APGA— 112,229
APM— 301
APP— 139
BP— 186
LP— 2,802
NNPP— 117
NRM— 213
PDP— 53,807
PRP— 437
SDP— 842
YPP— 21,261
ZLP— 2,082
Total valid votes— 241,523
Rejected votes— 8,108
Total votes cast— 249,631
Meanwhile, APC has called for the cancellation of the Anambra election while accusing APGA of rigging the poll in connivance with “corrupt-minded INEC officials”.
APC warned that “if INEC goes ahead to announce the results, we will definitely challenge the election process in the court of law, up to the Supreme Court.”
