Governor Soludo’s Uphill Journey Toward Re-election in Anambra

The off-season governorship election for the state of Anambra has passed. In addition, the election turned out to be one of the easiest in the state’s history for the governorship, despite the fact that many had previously projected Soludo’s victory well in advance.

Nearly two years ago, preparations for the State Governorship Election began with growing resistance, initially from the late Senator Ifeanyi Ubah and later from other opposition leaders who repeatedly uttered the phrase “remove Soludo.”

Opposition politicians remained adamant about their intention to remove Soludo despite efforts that were enthusiastically praised by both high-profile and common people. They even used tragedies as campaign tactics.

It wasn’t a happy time for Soludo either, since the state was always in the news for the wrong reasons due to the insecurity that had afflicted it.

For instance, while Soludo was working on ground-breaking projects, such as building roads in areas of the state where none had previously existed, revitalizing primary, secondary, and tertiary healthcare facilities, and reintroducing pipe-borne water, negligent incidents, such as the murder of a state indigenous person by renegades, the abuse of locals by local security, or even an altercation between tax collectors and an individual, were escalated to discredit the governor.
Unfortunately for Soludo, he took office as governor during a period when criminals disguising themselves as freedom fighters exploited the sympathy of marginalization to gain support, causing havoc and annexing areas of the state. Soludo introduced the new Anambra Homeland Security Law early this year after realizing that the hoodlums’ actions were hurting his efforts in the state. He then established Agunechemba and a joint military operation called Udogachi.

One could argue that the governor is fully aware of when and how to strike. Although many Anambra people applauded him for solving the crime and saving many towns from the clutches of murderers, his opponents were not satisfied despite the fact that the actions of criminals disguising themselves as separatists predates his tenure. Every unpleasant episode increased and became a national problem, but fortunately for the governor, the Anambra people remained loyal to him after witnessing the difference between his abilities and those of others.

Even when Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, his main opponent, passed away, others persisted in calling him a one-term governor. However, Soludo maintained his concentration and persisted in his task, stating that “mine is an agenda with a deadline.” The Anambra folks hired me after I submitted a bid for the position. He often said, “My employment can only be renewed by them.” Combining his campaign with his work at the office, Soludo insisted that his job should never be compromised because he was running for reelection.

During the election, Soludo faced challenges from fifteen different parties, religious groups, and zonal backgrounds; yet, he maintained his religion, joggling work, and campaign. Soludo continued to be the only candidate who made campaign visits to each of the state’s 179 municipalities. Even more fascinating was the fact that the indigenous people in every village he visited were quick to praise him and highlight the historic tasks he completed for them. When communities started contributing to Soludo’s candidacy, his acceptability became evident. Citing his ability to rule, every community he visited contributed tens of millions of dollars to support his reelection. This was in contrast to what was often possible, where communities wait for politicians to give them money in exchange for their support.

As anticipated, the Anambra people loudly declared their support for Soludo during last Saturday’s election. When announcing the election’s outcome, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was forceful. Professor Edoba B. Omoregie (SAN), the Vice Chancellor of the University of Benin and state collation officer, declared the election’s official results. “There are 2,788,864 registered voters in the state, and there are 598,229 accredited voters for the election that took place on Saturday,” he stated.

Omoregie declared that Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, the APGA candidate, had the highest election score of 422,664. Three of his opponents, Ukachukwu of the APC (score of 99,445), Paul Chukwuma of the YPP (score of 37,753), Moghalu of the LP (score of 10,576), and Nwosu of the ADC (score of 8,208), trailed far behind Soludo’s score, which accounted for 73% of the total votes cast. After calculating the results, Omoregie claimed that 10,481 total voters were impacted in regions where there had been conflicts. However, he added that the data did not match the number of votes between the front-runner and the runner-up, stating that the margin had no bearing on the winner.

“I hereby certify that I’m the returning officer of the election, and I also certify that the election was contested and a winner emerged,” Omoregie declared, announcing Soludo’s reelection. I officially proclaim Soludo Charles Chukwuma elected after meeting all legal requirements and receiving the most votes. I should also mention that the winner received the necessary number of votes in two thirds of the local government. The candidate received a two-thirds mark in each of the state’s twenty-one local government areas.

Since Soludo has acknowledged his win and offered support to the other candidates who ran against him on Saturday, the election is already a given. Additionally, the governor commended President Bola Tinubu for being a democracy and letting the people’s will triumph out. In the border town of Owerre Ezukala, he also grieved for one of his followers, a councillor who was shot and killed soon after casting his ballot.

“This is a moment to say congratulations to Anambra People,” the governor told reporters at his rural residence in Isuofia, Aguata Local Government Area. We were elected four years ago with 112,000 votes, but this time you made a strong statement with 73% of the total. This is a strong statement and a demonstration of solidarity. We won all 21 local governments and only lost six of the 326 wards, which is a very strong message. We are moving forward to gear four in collaboration with individuals from all levels of the state. In a sense, we are in gear three and shifting into gear four. We are grateful to the Anambra people for keeping us on staff. We are grateful to Mr. President, who has shown himself to be an excellent democrat. I express my gratitude to the new INEC chairman. It was his first excursion, and you have demonstrated with this election that you don’t have another chance to make an impression. In Anambra, each election year becomes better and better.

“I believe the election was very free, fair, and credible, with a few exceptions. I am grateful to INEC’s ICT department since, as of last night, they had posted up to 99 percent of the results, and we already knew the outcome of the poll. I tell my brothers, who were also competitors, that since we were all sixteen, there will undoubtedly only be one winner. Even if we’ve had fun and gotten into arguments, we’ll still get together at weekend events and enjoy drinks the Anambra way. I offer you my leadership hand, and together we will improve Anambra. I believe that every minute is spent working for the Anambra people. We have a deadline for our assignment.

Many have said that Soludo’s victory was well-deserved and that he performed well during both his campaign and first term. “This victory is quite deserving,” stated Sly Ezeokenwa, national chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). The governor put a lot of effort into it, going to each community and soliciting votes. We weren’t surprised by it,” he remarked.