• Your win a testimonial of performance, Tinubu tells Soludo
• Election a mockery of democracy, ADC says
• Okechukwu: Poll evidence Tinubu not bent on one-party state
• Lagos APC asks Obi to forget 2027 over loss of polling unit
Soludo’s Solution, the slogan of Anambra State governor, Prof Charles Chukwuma Soludo, made an emphatic statement of validation, yesterday, when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) returned the former Central Bank governor as the winner of last Saturday’s gubernatorial poll.
With Soludo’s emergence, he becomes the third governor produced in the state in the past 26 years who has earned a re-election on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
The victory run by APGA in the state, which was started by the 2023 Labour Party (LP) presidential contender, Mr Peter Obi, went through a contentious electoral dispute that lasted three years and culminated in the off-cycle elections that threw up Willie Obiano and the incumbent.
Announcing Soludo’s triumph, the Returning Officer in the election, Prof Edoba Omoregie (SAN), Vice Chancellor, University of Benin, declared that the APGA candidate secured 422,664 votes to beat the other 14 contestants, including his closest rival, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nicholas Ukachukwu, who scored 99,445 votes, while the candidate of the Young Progressives Party, Sir Paul Chukwuma, came third with 37,753 votes. From the results announced, Soludo won in all 21 local government areas of the state in a landslide victory.
But some of the defeated candidates, including APC’s Ukachukwu, ADC’s John Nwosu and YPP’s Chukwuma, have rejected the outcome of the election, stressing that Soludo’s victory presents as a win purchased with cash and an embarrassment to the nation’s democratic progress.
However, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in a congratulatory message, which he personally signed and sent to Soludo, told him that the overwhelming victory he recorded in the poll has now made him the third governor in the state’s political history to win a second term.
Tinubu remarked that Prof Soludo’s re-election is a testament to his visionary leadership and the significant progress the state has made under his guidance, adding that “the Solution has demonstrated that indeed knowledge is power and that academic principles can be applied in serving the people, undergirding accountability, transparency and prudent management of people and resources.”
While commending the returnee governor for bringing discipline, grace, brilliance and a fresh perspective to governance in Anambra State, the President noted that under him, Anambra is living up to its motto as the light of the Nation.
He urged the governor to be magnanimous in victory and to seek the cooperation of his opponents in the election, assuring the governor of the unwavering support and continued collaboration between Anambra and the Federal Government.
In return, Soludo expressed appreciation to President Tinubu for what he described as the president’s commitment to ensuring a free and fair electoral process in the November 8 governorship election in Anambra.
He thanked President Tinubu for upholding democratic principles, stating that the president consistently emphasised the need for credible polls.
Taking a jibe at Obi, the Lagos APC chapter has advised the 2023 LP presidential candidate to rethink his 2027 presidential ambition. The party’s spokesperson, Seye Oladejo, advised in a statement on Sunday.
Oladejo said the outcome of the election reflected a decline in the Labour Party’s grassroots support and his Obedient Movement. He said the result, especially in Obi’s polling unit, showed that LP’s structure in his base was crumbling. According to him, social media popularity cannot replace consistent political organisation and voter engagement.
Yet, despite the President’s glowing words of praise, stakeholders observed that the prominent feature of the election is the preponderance of vote-buying, apathy and allegations of intimidation.
The ADC candidate, John Nwosu, described the return of Soludo as a win bought with cash and a national embarrassment. Nwosu noted that in almost every polling unit, voters were openly induced with cash ranging from N3,000 to N20,000, which turned the entire process into a marketplace rather than a democratic exercise.
He stated: “True victory is judged not by the outcome, but by the integrity of the process. An election riddled with corruption, manipulation, and vote trading cannot and will never represent the voice of the people, stressing that a shambolic election confers a shambolic mandate.
“What took place yesterday was a ruse and total subversion of the people’s will, marred by massive vote buying and shameless financial inducement at polling units across the state. By every account, the people have not spoken.”
While maintaining that Anambra deserves better, the ADC flagbearer noted that building the state remains a collective action, adding, “Our mission has never been about winning at all costs. It was about redefining governance and building a new Anambra anchored on values, transparency, elimination of corruption, and a secure state driven by the innovative use of technology.
In the same vein, the national body of ADC has expressed dissatisfaction with the conduct of the election, describing it as a ‘heavily monetised process’ that undermines democracy. In a statement on Sunday in Abuja by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party accused the ruling APGA in Anambra of engaging in widespread cash-for-votes.
Abdullahi also decried what he called the silence of security agencies and the inaction of electoral officials, saying that it compromised democratic values. The party, while expressing ‘great concern’ over the conduct of the poll, said it was a “cash-drenched spectacle” that resembled a political bazaar rather than an election, which undermined the very essence of democracy. It said that more troubling was the apparent silence, and in some cases, the visible inaction of institutions mandated to enforce electoral integrity and protect the sanctity of votes.
Also, the standard bearer of the Young Progressive Party (YPP) in the election, Dr Paul Chukwuma, repudiated the outcome as announced by INEC, saying that he would challenge the many infractions of the commission’s guidelines and the Electoral Act, which transpired during the exercise.
Recreation of vote-buying
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said it has arrested three persons in connection with vote buying in the election. Their names were given as Emeka Iloakasia, arrested at ward 2, Njikoka; Nwachukwu Loretta, arrested at ward 2, Awkuzu, Oyi LGA and Emeka Chukwudi, arrested at Umunnachi village, Dunukofia.
None of the political parties or candidates that participated in the election has accepted culpability in the growing menace of vote buying. They have, however, resorted to blame games and accusing each other of fueling the trend, which was too prominent during the election
Soludo had accused a “candidate from Nnewi south of vote buying”, saying it would not stop him from winning the election. He said the candidate was paying N15,000 for each vote
On the other hand, Ukachukwu accused the APGA of “massive vote buying”.
George Moghalu of the LP, stated that the development was “very embarrassing”, stressing that it undermined democratic process, while John Nwosu, of ADC, who also decried the development said he would rather “lose honourably than gain victory through buying of votes”; and the candidate of the Booth party, Okeke Chika Jerry called on the INEC to take decisive action against the growing menace of vote buying.
Okeke, who described the trend as “dangerous”, stated that “these big parties share huge amounts of money just to win elections. It is not a good omen for the image of our country.”
In his reaction, the Booth Party’s governorship candidate, Okeke Chika Jerry, stood out with his sharp criticism of vote buying, which he described as “the real threat to Nigeria’s democracy.”
“INEC should, as a matter of urgency, stop vote buying and prosecute those involved — especially party agents,” he said. “The candidates who fund such practices should also be disqualified. That is the only way vote buying will stop in Nigeria.”
JODER: Soludo deserves his victory
Observers say the outcome reflects both Soludo’s strategic positioning and the challenges facing opposition parties ahead of the 2027 elections. For instance, contending that the Anambra poll could hardly have gone otherwise, Executive Director of Journalists for Democratic Rights (JODER), Wale Adeoye, said Soludo fully deserved his victory.
He urged the candidate of the major opposition, APC, to promptly congratulate the governor and refocus on his future political ambitions, stressing that LP and Peter Obi’s loss at his own polling unit was insufficient to evaluate his overall political strength.
“Soludo has maintained a cordial relationship with the Federal Government, never openly criticising the ruling APC, and has on multiple occasions acknowledged his working relationship with President Bola Tinubu,” Adeoye said. “On this premise, I see no significant obstacles to his governance. He is among the governors who have performed well and endeared themselves to their people. Contesting his re-election amid voter apathy and vote-buying may prove difficult, if not impossible.”
On Obi, the veteran journalist cautioned against drawing premature conclusions. “Internal crises within the Labour Party may have affected its performance, but these are resolvable before 2027. While losing his ward raises questions about his popularity in the Southeast, it is too early to gauge his political standing.”
Adeoye also commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the timely distribution of election materials and prompt collation and announcement of results. He noted that while the commission performed well, significant challenges remain ahead of the next general election.
Also, commending the peaceful turnout of the poll, National Chairman of APGA, Sylvester Ezeokenwa, said the exercise was “a testament to steady progress in Nigeria’s democratic journey.”
He described the election process as seamless, but asked the umpire to work on the malfunctioning BVAS machines, noting that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), introduced to curb multiple voting and enhance credibility, again posed some challenges at polling units.
Chairman of Dunukofia Local Government Area, Hon. Chizoke Ozumba, who monitored the exercise closely, also expressed satisfaction, asserting that “this time around, INEC is on track. From what I’ve seen, the process has been conducted without hitches. There is hope for Nigeria’s democracy to grow.”
seems to change.”
Soludo’s win means Tinubu not for one-party state
A founding chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Osita Okechukwu, hailed the re-election of Anambra State Governor, Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo, describing it as practical evidence that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is not driving Nigeria towards a one-party state.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Sunday, Okechukwu said the result of the Anambra governorship poll was a bold counter-argument to recurring claims that APC’s dominance at the centre — coupled with waves of defections from opposition figures — was a ploy to suffocate the political space.
He said those who predicted that the ruling party would rig or “capture” the election had now been placed in check by the very outcome they feared.
According to him, Soludo’s victory under APGA — against the expectations of some opposition pundits — is all the empirical proof required.
“If APC wanted a one-party state, it had all the machinery to shove Soludo aside. Why then did APC lose?” Okechukwu asked.
The former Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria argued that defections into the APC are not products of coercion or manipulation, but the result of what he termed the PDP’s self-inflicted mistakes — particularly the breach of zoning — as well as growing resonance for Tinubu’s policy interventions, which, he said, are beginning to reflect across the country.
He described the one-party state narrative as “lazy, ahistorical, and driven by fear rather than evidence,” recalling that even when the PDP was in power, some of its leaders boasted of ruling Nigeria for 60 years until that dominance collapsed under the weight of national pushback.
“It took Tinubu — working with other patriots — to break that claim,” Okechukwu stated.
