“That Charles Chukwuma Soludo of APGA, having satisfied the requirement of the law, is hereby declared the winner of the election,” Prof. Obi said,” Obi said.
“This is the moment we have been waiting for. I want to use this opportunity to thank the chairman of INEC and his team for this opportunity given to me and my university to partake in this Anambra 2021. I thank the service chiefs, the people of Anambra State. We remain very grateful.
“Allow me to read this form EC8E, which I have completed. I Prof Florence Banku Obi, hereby certify that I’m the returning officer of the Anambra governorship election held on 6 and 9 of November.
On the strength of this declaration, candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and former Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Professor Chukwuma Soludo, has emerged Anambra State governor-elect, after winning yesterday’s supplementary election in Ihiala Local Government Area of the state with 8,283 votes.
Overall, Soludo won 19 out of the 21 LGAs, local governments, in the state and polled a total of 112,229 votes to defeat his closest rival and candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Valentine Ozigbo, who polled 53,807 votes.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Andy Uba, came a distant third with 43,285 votes, while the Young Progressive Party’s candidate, Ifeanyi Ubah, scored 21, 261 votes.
In his acceptance speech, Soludo, charged his competitors to accept the verdict of the Anambra people, promised never to disappoint his people.
“To my fellow candidates in the election, I wish to congratulate you for the gallant contest. Our people have spoken overwhelmingly and surely, that voice is the voice of God. The ultimate winner is the Anambra people.
“We are all winners. I hereby extend my hands of fellowship to all of you. I need all of you to succeed. Politics aside, we are all brothers. Let’s come together for the Anambra project. There is enough room for everyone to contribute for the service of our land. I will need the guidance and contributions of everyone to succeed.
“With utmost humility and gratitude to God, I accept the result of the 2021 Anambra Governorship election as declared by INEC. This reflects the supreme will of the almighty God and an overwhelming sacred mandate of the people. For 12 years since the massive clamour by the people of Anambra for us to serve them, we persevered till this divine moment.
INEC, the Independent National Electoral Commission, had on Sunday, declared the Anambra governorship election inconclusive by after voting could not hold in Ihiala, a local government area of the state, with some 148,000 registered voters, following alleged violence.
This, however, was after Soludo, had surpassed the constitutional threshold and was on the cusp of victory, having cleared 18 out of the 21 local government areas in the state.
