Governor Charles Soludo has commended the Independent National Electoral Commission for conducting what he described as “the best-organised governorship election ever held in Anambra State”.
Soludo made the remark on Sunday in Awka during his victory speech after being declared winner of the November 8 governorship election by INEC.
The returning officer, Edoba Omoregie, who is also the vice-chancellor of the University of Benin, announced the results at INEC’s headquarters in Awka.
He declared Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance winner with 422,664 votes. Soludo’s closest rival, Chief Nicholas Ukachukwu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), secured 99,445 votes.
In his address, Soludo expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu, describing him as a “true democrat” who had shown genuine commitment to ensuring credible polls in Anambra.
“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.
“Since 2017, when INEC started experimenting with technology, every election in Anambra has been getting better and better. This is the best election INEC has organised in Anambra so far,” Soludo said.
The governor also lauded INEC’s ICT department for maintaining transparency through the real-time upload of polling unit results on the IReV portal.
“As at midnight, over 99 per cent of results from polling units were uploaded on the IReV portal and everybody could download the results in real-time,” he added.
Soludo congratulated his fellow contestants and urged them to view politics in Anambra as a platform for exchanging ideas rather than a source of division.
“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.
“I extend a hand of fellowship to all of you, as I’m prepared to work with everyone for the greater good of our dear state,” he said.
Dedicating his victory to the people of Anambra, Soludo described it as a historic endorsement of his leadership.
“This victory is for the people of Anambra. Four years ago, when BVAS was first used, we had a low voter turnout and you elected us with 112,000 votes. This time, you spoke loudly. For the first time in our history, voter participation broke the 20 per cent ceiling as 22 per cent of registered voters came out and you re-elected us with 73 per cent of total votes.
“I’m humbled by this show of solidarity. We applied for the job, you employed us and with this renewed trust and partnership, we will move into high gear to 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.
