…Governor secures second term, extends tenure to 2030 amid reports of vote buying

By Duchess Ifeoluwa 

Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo of Anambra State has secured a resounding victory in Saturday’s governorship election, winning across all 21 local government areas of the state.

The State Returning Officer and Vice Chancellor of the University of Benin, Professor Omoregie Edoba, announced the result at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters in Awka, declaring Soludo the duly elected governor.

According to the official results released by INEC, Soludo, the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), polled 422,664 votes, defeating his closest rival, Nicholas Ukachukwu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who garnered 99,445 votes.

Paul Chukwuma of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) followed with 37,753 votes, while George Moghalu of the Labour Party (LP) and John Nwosu of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) secured 10,576 and 8,208 votes, respectively. Jude Ezenwafor of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) finished last with 1,401 votes.

Declaring the result, Prof. Edoba stated: “I hereby declare that Soludo Chukwuma Charles of APGA, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and returned elected.”

With this victory, Soludo, a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), will remain in office until 2030, consolidating APGA’s dominance in Anambra politics.

However, the election was not without controversy, as reports of widespread vote buying emerged from several polling units across the state.

Witnesses alleged that some voters received as much as ₦30,000 per vote, raising concerns about the integrity of the electoral process.

Despite these reports, celebrations erupted across major towns, including Awka, Onitsha, and Nnewi, as jubilant supporters hailed Soludo’s victory as a “people’s mandate renewed.”