The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in last Saturday’s Anambra State election, Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu, has dismissed the victory of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, describing the poll as marred by intimidation, violence, and harassment of his supporters.
Speaking to journalists in Awka on Sunday, Ukachukwu alleged that several of his supporters were attacked, with some sustaining injuries, losing their homes and vehicles, while others were allegedly abducted during the election.
“We thank members of our team; they are all gallant soldiers, winners in different ways. Many of them were intimidated, their cars and houses were burnt. Even my deputy was threatened and had to flee for her life. All these people are winners,” Ukachukwu said.
Ukachukwu said he and his campaign team were currently reviewing reports from party agents across the state before deciding on the next line of action.
“I called you here to tell you that we are speaking with our agents and collating information about what happened on that day. We will talk when the time is right. Some of my agents were abducted by our opponents and kept until after the election. At this point, we are still gathering information and consulting with party leaders to know what next,” he explained.
The APC candidate further alleged that a supporter who was tasked with paying party agents was arrested and accused of carrying money meant for vote buying.
“They said he was carrying vote-buying money. Can I buy votes against a sitting governor who controls the state’s treasury?” Ukachukwu asked. “The results show who truly bought votes. If I bought votes, it would have reflected in the number of votes I got.”
He also accused security operatives of unfairly targeting APC supporters, claiming that “all those arrested were APC members.”
“Go and see the young lady whose house was burnt in Anambra East; her only crime is believing in our party and campaigning for our victory,” he said.
Despite his grievances, Ukachukwu expressed pride in his performance, noting that securing 99,445 votes under the APC banner was a strong statement of the party’s growing presence in the state.
“For me to have 99,000 genuine votes is unprecedented,” he said. “Those are people who believe Anambra must go forward. The number of votes we got shows that APC can no longer be ignored in Anambra.”
He added that he would consult with his supporters and party leaders before announcing his next steps, promising to pursue all legal and political options available to him.
INEC had declared Soludo winner of the 8 November poll after he garnered 422,664 votes to secure a second term as governor.
