The Candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Prof. Charles Soludo, has been declared the winner of the November 6, 2021, Anambra State Governorship election, by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Page 36 learnt.
Prof. Soludo, who spoke during his acceptance speech shortly after he was declared winner, on Wednesday morning, described the election as a reflection of the will of the people of the State.
The Returning Officer of the election, Prof. Florence Obi, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar, announced the results at the INEC office in Awka, the State capital.
She said: “That Charles Chukwuma Soludo of APGA, having satisfied the requirements of the Law, is hereby declared the winner, and is returned elected.”
Prof. Soludo was declared winner after a supplementary election was held in Ihiala Local Government Area of the State, on Tuesday. He won 19 of the 21 Local Governments Areas including Ihiala.
He won with 112,229 votes, beating Valentine Ozigbo of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, who polled 53,807 votes, and Andy Uba of the All Progressives Congress, APC, who got 43,285 votes. Ifeanyi Ubah of the Young Progressive Party, YPP, who polled 21,261 votes, came fourth.
During his acceptance speech, he said: “Let me say with utmost humility and gratitude to God, I accept the results of the 2021 Anambra Governorship Election as declared by INEC. And this reflects the supreme will of the Almighty God and an overwhelming sacred mandate of the people…This is a divine journey whose time has come.
“The election itself tested the integrity of our federal institutions. Many times there were tensions, especially as one party boasted that it must take or ‘conquer’ but the judiciary stood for the integrity of the judiciary.”
He also thanked the incumbent Governor of the State, Willie Obiano, and President Muhammadu Buhari, among a list of persons, and promised to deliver the dividends of democracy to the people of the State, while extending an olive branch to his contenders in the race.