Soludo, Tinubu’s Ally, Sweeps Anambra Polls; Opposition Kicks

…ADC, LP Reject Results, as President Hails Victory as Will of the People

By Peter Salami
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Sunday declared Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) winner of the November 8 Anambra State governorship election, even as opposition parties rejected the result, alleging massive vote-buying and underage voting.

Prof. Edoba Omoregie, Vice Chancellor of the University of Benin and the Returning Officer for the election, announced the results at INEC’s state headquarters in Awka. Soludo, who is seeking a second term in office, polled 422,664 votes to defeat his closest rival, Chief Nicholas Ukachukwu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who scored 99,445 votes. The Young Progressives Party (YPP) candidate, Paul Chukwuma, garnered 37,753 votes, while George Muoghalu of the Labour Party and John Nwosu of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) scored 10,576 and 8,208 votes respectively.

Moments after INEC’s declaration, the Labour Party and ADC faulted the process, describing the poll as marred by irregularities, inducement, and the failure of security agencies to act decisively. In a statement issued in Abuja, the Labour Party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, alleged that “bundles of naira notes exchanged hands in full public view” at several polling units. He accused the ruling APGA of orchestrating a “cash-drenched spectacle” that made a mockery of democracy, while security agencies and electoral officials allegedly turned a blind eye.

ADC also rejected the outcome, saying the exercise was “heavily monetised” and fell short of democratic standards. The party reaffirmed its belief in “a Nigeria where leadership is earned through integrity, inclusion, and service, not through financial inducement.”

Labour Party’s candidate, George Muoghalu, speaking in Nnewi, described the poll as “a sham,” alleging intimidation of party agents, underage voting, and missing result sheets in several polling units. “The truth is that the election lacked transparency and fairness,” he said. “We saw widespread vote-buying and security operatives who watched passively as voters traded their ballots for cash.” Muoghalu also alleged that his party’s name was missing from the ballot paper, replaced only with its logo, an error he said disenfranchised some voters.

However, INEC officials dismissed the allegations. The Resident Electoral Commissioner for Anambra, Mrs Queen Agwu, insisted that the commission had not received credible evidence of vote-buying or underage participation. “No verified case of vote-buying was reported to our situation room,” she said, describing the poll as “largely peaceful and transparent.”

Despite opposition outrage, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu congratulated Soludo, describing his victory as an “endorsement of visionary leadership and the people’s confidence in his administration.” In a statement issued in Abuja, Tinubu said the election underscored the vitality of Nigeria’s democracy, noting that “the re-election of a non-APC governor in a free contest shows that our democracy is growing stronger.”

Tinubu praised the Anambra electorate, security agencies, and INEC for ensuring a peaceful and credible election. He commended Soludo’s “intellect, discipline, and reform-driven leadership,” recalling his visit to the state earlier in the year where he inaugurated several of the governor’s projects. The President urged him to be magnanimous in victory and to continue working for unity and development.

In his victory speech delivered in Awka, Soludo thanked the people of Anambra for what he described as a “historic mandate.” He hailed the poll as “the best-organised election by INEC in the history of the state,” citing real-time uploading of over 99 per cent of results to the IReV portal as evidence of transparency. “This victory belongs to the people,” he said. “Four years ago, you elected us with 112,000 votes. Today, over 422,000 have spoken. We are humbled and ready to serve even harder.”

Soludo extended a hand of fellowship to his rivals, urging them to join hands in building a better Anambra. “Politics should be a contest of ideas, not enmity,” he said. “Now that the people have spoken, it is time to get back to work—you haven’t seen anything yet.”

He also expressed gratitude to President Tinubu, whom he described as a “true democrat” committed to credible elections, and commended the new INEC leadership under Prof. Joash Amupitan for what he called a “seamless and transparent process.”

The Anambra poll marked the first major electoral test under INEC’s new chairman, with analysts noting improvements in logistics and technology deployment.