The Interim State Executive Committee of the Action People’s Party (APP), Imo State Chapter, has commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies for their role in the Anambra State off-season governorship election held on Saturday, 8 November 2025.
In a statement issued by the APP and signed by its Chairman, Hon. Ernest Njesi, the party praised the timely deployment of both sensitive and non-sensitive election materials and the near-complete real-time upload of results to the IREV, noting that these measures demonstrate a marked improvement in INEC’s commitment to conducting free, fair, credible, and transparent elections.
The statement further described the developments as a “positive shift” that reflects the Commission’s dedication to strengthening Nigeria’s democratic process.
APP also acknowledged the professionalism of the security agencies throughout the exercise, highlighting their role in ensuring a peaceful and orderly electoral environment.
Meanwhile, Mr Osita Okechukwu, a founding chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has said the re-election of Anambra State Governor, Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo, demonstrates that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is not pursuing a one-party state, according to Mr Osita Okechukwu, a founding chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Sunday, Okechukwu said the outcome of the Anambra governorship election refutes assertions that the APC’s central dominance and defections from opposition figures are intended to limit political competition.
“The result is a counter-argument to those who claimed the ruling party would manipulate or ‘capture’ the election,” Okechukwu said. “If APC wanted a one-party state, it had the machinery to sideline Soludo. Why then did APC lose?”
Okechukwu, a former Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria, stated that recent defections to the APC are not the result of coercion but stem from errors within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), particularly breaches of zoning arrangements, and the growing recognition of Tinubu’s policy measures.
He described the narrative of a looming one-party state as “lazy, ahistorical, and driven by fear rather than evidence,” recalling that even under the PDP, leaders had claimed prolonged political dominance, which eventually collapsed due to public resistance. “It took Tinubu, working with other patriots, to break that claim,” he added.
Okechukwu emphasised that the Anambra outcome illustrates that voters continue to have meaningful choices across party lines. He urged Governor Soludo to be magnanimous in victory, consolidate developmental gains, and expressed gratitude to President Tinubu for ensuring a fair electoral process, which he said reflects responsible democratic leadership.
