Jubilation, Condemnation as INEC Declares Soludo Winner of Anambra Governorship Election

Jubilation, Condemnation as INEC Declares Soludo Winner of Anambra Governorship Election

The declaration of Governor Chukwuma Soludo as the winner of the Anambra State governorship election has been met with a wave of celebration from his supporters and sharp criticism from observers and the online community, who have raised serious questions about the electoral process.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced on Sunday that the incumbent governor, contesting on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), secured a second term with a landslide victory of 422,664 votes. His closest rival, Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), garnered 99,445 votes.

The announcement, made by the State Returning Officer, Prof. Edogah Omoregie, at the INEC headquarters in Awka, solidifies APGA’s political dominance in the state. Other candidates, including Paul Chukwuma of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) with 37,753 votes and George Moghalu of the Labour Party with 10,576 votes, trailed significantly behind.

However, the scale of the victory has ignited a firestorm of debate on social media, with many users expressing deep reservations.

A prominent theme among critics was skepticism about the integrity of the process. User @Smartek2050 posted a series of comments, arguing, “The scale of Soludo’s victory… smells less like a competitive democracy and more like an orchestrated outcome.” They further questioned if “all players were playing on a level field,” raising concerns about “regional strongholds” and “political patronage.”

The performance of opposition parties also came under scrutiny. User @FuskoPrince noted, “Despite the fact that ADC didn’t campaign… LP only pass them with 2k vote with all there noise making,” while @Updateboyx questioned the narrative around vote-buying, implying all parties might be complicit.

User @SiquAdegbite pointed to a deeper issue of voter apathy, citing “No Local Government Area recorded a voter turnout above 40%,” and questioning whether this indicated a “loss of trust in the system.”

Amid the condemnation, other social media users defended the outcome, arguing it reflected the political reality of Anambra State. User @Agbotokun criticized those who were surprised, stating, “You guys will learn Nigeria politics by force, your tweet and emotion can never win an election!”

Echoing this, @Iamchuksis wrote, “Only a fool will expect LP even APC to win Anambra State. It has and will always be APGA. I am not surprised with the result.”

Some commentators shifted the blame from INEC to the electorate and broader structural issues. User @obioma_onwuka argued, “INEC is not the only problem we have… Electorate [are] selling their votes for gala and malt.” Similarly, @Mr_Yorkey connected reported vote-buying to poverty, stating it “reflects a larger percentage of the demography of the state lives in poverty.”

The divisive online reaction underscores the polarized perceptions of the election, with Soludo’s victory marking the beginning of his next term amid ongoing questions about the health of the state’s political competition.