LP, ADC Kick as Soludo’s 422,664 Votes Cement APGA’s Dominance

LP, ADC Kick as Soludo’s 422,664 Votes Cement APGA’s Dominance

Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo has been re-elected as the Governor of Anambra State, though his decisive victory at the polls has been met with both commendation for an improved electoral process and sharp criticism from defeated opponents.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Soludo, the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the winner after he secured a landslide 422,664 votes.

His closest rival, the All Progressives Congress (APC), trailed significantly with 99,445 votes, while the Labour Party (LP) garnered 10,576 votes. The Returning Officer, Professor Edoba Bright Omoregie, certified the election as credible and declared Soludo the winner and returned elected.

However, the outcome has not been universally accepted. The Labour Party candidate, George Moghalu, and his African Democratic Congress (ADC) counterpart, John Nwosu, have outrightly rejected the results. Both candidates have leveled serious allegations of “alarming vote-buying,” with Nwosu claiming voters were induced with sums ranging from N3,000 to N20,000. Moghalu further alleged that underage voting occurred, raising profound questions about the integrity of the entire process.

Despite these controversies, the 2025 election was widely noted by observers as a marked improvement over the 2021 poll. Voter turnout saw a significant jump from 10.1% to 21%, credited to better logistics, earlier deployment of materials, a more peaceful atmosphere, and enhanced security.

A coalition of observer groups, including Yiaga Africa and The Kukah Centre, described the election as “largely peaceful” and validating the declared results.

Political analysts suggest Soludo’s overwhelming victory can be attributed to a combination of factors: a respected zoning arrangement in the state, APGA’s deeply entrenched grassroots structure, and a general perception of the governor’s performance in office.

The APGA National Chairman, Barrister Sylvester Ezeokenwa, hailed the win as a “resounding endorsement” of Soludo’s leadership.

In a significant gesture, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu congratulated both INEC and Governor Soludo, praising the election’s credibility and describing Soludo’s governance as a demonstration that “performance and hard work can never be denied.”

Nevertheless, observer groups were not without their criticisms. They unanimously condemned the rampant vote-buying and noted that INEC’s logistics, while improved, still suffered from late deployments in many areas.

The Centre for Transparency Advocacy also highlighted poor welfare arrangements for security personnel and ad-hoc staff.

As Governor Soludo prepares for his second term, his victory is seen as a testament to his administration’s perceived impact, even as the allegations from the opposition underscore the persistent challenges of money and integrity in Nigerian elections.

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