Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo has described Saturday’s governorship election in Anambra State as the most transparent and best-organised poll ever conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the state.
Soludo made the remarks in Awka on Sunday, shortly after being declared winner of the 8 November governorship election by INEC.
The Returning Officer and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Benin, Professor Edoba Omoregie, announced that Soludo, candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), secured a resounding victory with 422,664 votes. His closest rival, Chief Nicholas Ukachukwu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), trailed with 99,445 votes.
In his acceptance speech, Soludo expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for what he termed his “commitment to democracy,” praising the President for ensuring a free, fair and peaceful election in Anambra.
“The people have spoken, and their votes counted. I thank INEC, especially the new Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan. I’m excited that your first impression was an emphatic one, as INEC delivered. Since 2017, when INEC started experimenting with technology, every election in Anambra has been getting better and better. This is the best election INEC has organised in Anambra so far,” Soludo stated.
He particularly commended INEC’s ICT department for the real-time upload of polling unit results to the IReV portal, noting that transparency was achieved across all stages of the process.
“As of midnight, over 99 per cent of results from polling units were uploaded on the IReV portal, and everybody could download the results in real time,” the governor added.
Soludo also extended a hand of fellowship to his opponents, calling for unity and collaboration in advancing the state’s development.
“Sixteen of us were on the ballot, and obviously, one person will win. In the Anambra way, we fight like there will be no tomorrow, but afterwards, we meet and celebrate. I extend a hand of fellowship to all of you, as I’m prepared to work with everyone for the greater good of our dear state,” he said.
The governor dedicated his victory to the people of Anambra, describing it as a historic mandate built on trust and renewed confidence.
“This victory is for the people of Anambra. Four years ago, when BVAS was first used, we had a low voter turnout, and you elected us with 112,000 votes. This time, you spoke loudly. For the first time in our history, voter participation broke the 20 per cent ceiling, as 22 per cent of registered voters came out, and you re-elected us with 73 per cent of total votes,” Soludo said.
He concluded with a pledge to accelerate his administration’s development agenda: “We applied for the job; you employed us. With this renewed trust and partnership, we will move into high gear to deliver more for the good of Anambra. Now that the people have spoken, let’s get to work, you ain’t seen anything yet.”
