From Obinna Odogwu, Awka
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, the candidate of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) as the winner of the November 6 governorship election in Anambra State.
Soludo polled a total of 112,229 votes to defeat his closest rival, Chief Valentine Ozigbo, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who gathered a total of 53,807 votes.
Senator Andy Uba of the All Progressives Congress (APC) got a total of 43,285 votes to come third while Senator Ifeanyi Ubah of the Young Progressive Party (YPP) polled a total of 21,261 votes to come fourth in the keenly contested governorship election.
A supplementary election was held yesterday in Ihiala Local Government Area of the state where election could not hold last Saturday because of some reasons which included security issues in the area.
The state returning officer for the election, Prof. Florence Obi, the Vice Chancellor of University of Calabar, pronounced Soludo the winner of the poll having gathered the highest number of the valid votes cast.
“That Charles Chukwuma Soludo, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected”, she declared.
In that Ihiala supplementary election, APGA secured a total of 8,283 votes; PDP polled 2,485 votes; APC got 343 votes while the YPP secured 344 votes.
A total of 18 political parties participated in that keenly contested governorship election but APGA was able to get the majority of the valid votes cast.
All things being equal, Soludo would be sworn in as the governor of the state on March 17, 2022 when Chief Willie Obiano must have finished his second tenure of his eight years leadership. Upon swearing in, Soludo would pilot the affairs of the state in the next four years.