Governor Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has achieved a historic re-election victory in the Anambra State governorship poll, vowing to intensify development efforts across the state over the next four years.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officially declared Professor Soludo the winner less than 24 hours after the Saturday exercise. He becomes the third governor in the state’s history to secure a second term, following Mr. Peter Obi and Chief Willie Obiano. Significantly, Soludo is the first candidate ever to win all 21 Local Government Areas of the state.
The Returning Officer, Professor Edoba Omoregie, Vice Chancellor of the University of Benin (UNIBEN), confirmed that Governor Soludo amassed 422,664 votes, representing a commanding 72.37% of the 595,054 valid votes cast.
Final Results Summary
| Candidate | Party | Votes Polled |
| Charles Chukwuma Soludo | APGA | 422,664 |
| Nicholas Ukachukwu | APC | 99,445 |
| Paul Chukwuma | YPP | 37,753 |
| George Moghalu | Labour Party (LP) | 10,576 |
Governor Vows to Intensify Governance
In his acceptance speech delivered from Isuofia, the former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor demonstrated a unifying stance by extending a hand of fellowship to the fifteen other candidates. Soludo expressed deep gratitude to the electorate for their trust, calling the result a “collective achievement.”
“You have not seen anything yet,” Soludo stated, promising to accelerate his administration’s impact. “With this trust, in partnership with Ndị Anambra, we will do more.” He indicated that his administration would be moving into “gear four, beginning from March 2026.”
Governor Soludo specifically acknowledged President Bola Tinubu for ensuring that the votes of the people, who “spoke very loudly,” were respected. He also lauded INEC for conducting a process described as “free, fair and transparent.”
Stakeholder Reactions and Electoral Controversy
The victory was met with congratulations from key figures, including President Tinubu and former Minister Senator Chris Ngige. President Tinubu remarked that the APGA victory “demonstrates the vitality of our political system” and affirmed that victory for a progressive and hardworking leader “can hardly be encumbered or denied.” Senator Ngige described the result as a “referendum” on Soludo’s stewardship since 2022.
However, the election outcome was not universally accepted. The Labour Party candidate, Dr. George Moghalu, and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, John Nwosu, rejected the results, alleging that the process was severely undermined by “alarming rate of vote buying” and other irregularities, including underage voting and issues with party logos on the ballot.
Voters Turnout and Call for Probe
The poll recorded a turnout of 21.45% (597,229 accredited voters) from the 2,788,864 eligible voters, a notable improvement from the 10.27% turnout recorded in the 2021 election. Meanwhile, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) urged the new INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, to immediately refer all allegations of vote buying and undue influence to appropriate anti-corruption agencies and the police for investigation and prosecution. SERAP stressed that impunity for these grave electoral offenses makes a “mockery of Nigeria’s electoral process.”
