INEC Issues Certificate Of Return To Anambra Governor-Elect, Charles Soludo

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has issued certificate of return to Anambra State Governor-elect, Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo.

KanyiDaily recalls that the INEC had on Wednesday declared Soludo, a candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), as the winner of the Anambra governorship election.

The APGA candidate secured 112,229 votes to defeat his two major rivals — Valentine Ozigbo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who got 53,807 votes, and Andy Uba of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who secured 43,285 votes.

On Friday, November 12, INEC National Commissioner Supervising Anambra State, Mr Festus Okoye, presented the certificate of return to Soludo and deputy governor-elect, Dr Onyeka Ibezim, in Awka, the state capital.

In his remarks, Soludo promised not to disappoint the people of the state who gave him the support and mandate during the governorship election.

He said that the efforts and sacrifice of Anambra people will not be in vain, as he said he would justify the confidence reposed in him by the people of the state.

“Initially, there were tense moments, but this election happened in a unique way and we dedicate this victory to God and the people of Anambra who believed and gave us their mandate.

“We will never take for granted the resilience, commitments and actions of the various federal institutions that worked so hard to see us to this day,” he assured them.

Soludo commended the Presidency, security agencies and INEC for insisting on a level playing field as well as the judiciary for standing on the path of integrity.

He said, “I believe that a sound and credible electoral system is foundational to having an accountable, responsive and developmental state. So, I believe that INEC is getting better by the day.

“I also believe that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation system (BVAS) deployed, if refined, will give us that desired Eldorado in our electoral system.”

In his remarks, Dr Nwachukwu Orji, INEC Resident Commissioner in Anambra, said the commission had done its best to deliver credible election and also promoted the image of INEC.

Orji, represented by Mr Chima Duruaku, the Administrative Secretary of INEC, commended people of Anambra for the maturity displayed before, during and after the election.

Okoye said the ceremony signified that the governor and deputy governor-elect won the November 6 governorship election in the state.

He promised that the commission would audit the conduct of the election and utilised the lessons to improve on the next set of elections.

Meanwhile, APC governorship candidate, Andy Uba has rejected the outcome of the Anambra election, vowing to challenge APGA’s winner, Charles Soludo, up to the Supreme Court.