Gov Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State has described Saturday’s governorship election as the best organised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the state’s history.
Soludo made the remark during his victory speech in Awka on Sunday, after being declared winner of the November 8 governorship election by INEC.
Prof. Edoba Omoregie, the Returning Officer and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Benin, announced the result at INEC’s headquarters in Awka, declaring Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) winner with 422,664 votes.
He said Soludo defeated his closest rival, Chief Nicholas Ukachukwu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who scored 99,445 votes.
Soludo expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu, describing him as a “true democrat” committed to ensuring a free and fair election.
“The people have spoken and their votes counted. I thank INEC, especially the new Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan. I’m excited that your first impression was an emphatic one, as INEC delivered,” he said.
He commended INEC’s ICT department for ensuring transparency through real-time upload of results on the IReV portal.
“As at midnight, over 99 per cent of results from polling units were uploaded on the IReV portal and everyone could download the results in real-time,” he added.
The governor congratulated his fellow contestants, saying politics in Anambra should remain a contest of ideas, not hostility.
“Sixteen of us were on the ballot, and obviously one person will win. In the Anambra way, we fight like there will be no tomorrow, but afterward, we meet and celebrate,” Soludo said.
He dedicated his victory to the people of Anambra, describing it as a historic mandate.
“This victory is for the people. Four years ago, you elected us with 112,000 votes, but this time, voter turnout broke the 20 per cent ceiling as 22 per cent of registered voters came out and re-elected us with 73 per cent of total votes,” he said.
Soludo thanked the electorate for their renewed trust and promised to accelerate development in the state.
“We applied for the job, you employed us, and with this renewed partnership, we will deliver more for the good of Anambra. Now that the people have spoken, let’s get to work — you ain’t seen anything yet,” he said.
