TWO days after securing victory in all 21 local government areas of Anambra State, Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has been presented with his certificate of return by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The event took place at the INEC headquarters in Awka on Tuesday, November 11.
The presentation followed Soludo’s re-election in Saturday’s governorship poll, where he polled 422,664 votes to defeat his closest rival, Nicholas Ukachukwu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who scored 99,445 votes, while Paul Chukwuma of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) came third with 37,753 votes.
The ICIR reported that the State Returning Officer, Omoregie Edoba, declared Soludo the winner at about 8:20 a.m. on Sunday, November 9, after collating results from all the LGAs.
“I hereby declare that Soludo Chukwuma Charles of the APGA, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected,”
Edoba said.
Presenting the certificate, the National Commissioner who supervised the Anambra election, Ukeagu Kenneth Nnamdi, said the exercise marked the completion of a transparent and credible process.
Nnamdi said the presentation was in line with Section 72(1) of the Electoral Act, 2022, which mandates INEC to issue certificates of return within 14 days to every candidate duly elected in an election conducted under the law.
According to him, the successful conduct of the election reflected the commission’s commitment to transparency and the collective determination of the people of Anambra State to strengthen democracy.
He commended security agencies for their professionalism. He also lauded INEC staff and corps members who served as ad hoc staff, noting that their diligence ensured the exercise was peaceful and credible across the 21 local government areas of the state.
“This certificate is not merely a document of victory; it is a symbol of renewed trust, confidence, and responsibility. Through their votes, the people of Anambra State have reaffirmed their faith in your leadership and vision. The renewed mandate carries with it a sacred obligation to serve all citizens of Anambra State, irrespective of political affiliation, religion, ethnicity, or social standing.
“I urge Your Excellency to approach the second tenure with an even greater sense of humility, accountability, and inclusiveness. As we often remind all elected officials, elections may produce winners, but governance belongs to the people,” he said.
In his response, Soludo expressed gratitude to God, his family, and the people of the state for what he described as a “divine project and a people’s movement.”
He reflected on the symbolic significance of receiving the certificate from the current INEC leadership, noting that it was the first to be issued by the new Chairman of the Commission since assuming office.
“It is quite historic that this happens in Anambra and under this administration,” he said.
Soludo described the election as ‘historic’ and ‘unprecedented’ in terms of voter participation and transparency, stating that for the first time in the state’s electoral history, votes “truly counted.”
He also pointed out that the election was the third time since 1999 that Anambra State had re-elected a sitting governor.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M