Governor Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance is on the verge of a decisive re-election in Anambra State, having secured a commanding lead after winning 19 of the 21 local government areas declared so far.
The incumbent governor has amassed 389,789 votes, establishing a formidable lead of over 298,000 votes against his closest challenger, the All Progressives Congress, which has polled 91,592 votes. The Labour Party trails in a distant third place with 10,366 votes, while the Peoples Democratic Party has managed only 1,230 votes.
The Independent National Electoral Commission began the official collation of results at its headquarters in Awka on Sunday, with the exercise presided over by the State Returning Officer. The results from the 19 local governments show a consistent pattern of dominance by the ruling APGA.
In Aguata, the governor’s home local government area, APGA secured a landslide victory with 35,559 votes, dwarfing the APC’s 4,125. The trend continued in populous areas like Idemili North, where APGA polled 25,498 votes against the APC’s 638, and in Onitsha North, where the party garnered 24,225 votes.
Other strong performances for the governor included Awka South with 27,896 votes, Idemili North with 25,498, and Orumba North with 24,664. Even in traditional opposition areas, APGA maintained significant leads, demonstrating the breadth of Soludo’s support across the state.
The collation exercise has been adjourned and is expected to resume at 6am on Monday, when the remaining two local government areas will be declared. With the massive lead already established, Governor Soludo’s return to office appears mathematically assured, barring any unforeseen circumstances.
The election, which took place on Saturday, was largely peaceful despite isolated incidents and widespread allegations of vote-buying made by several candidates during the voting process.
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