INEC Declares Governor Charles Soludo the Victor in Anambra Governorship Election 2025

INEC Declares Governor Charles Soludo the Victor in Anambra Governorship Election 2025

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially declared Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) as the winner of the Anambra State governorship election held on November 8, 2025. This victory, described by observers as a “historic landslide,” sees Soludo securing triumph in all 21 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state with overwhelming margins, solidifying APGA’s enduring grip on the political landscape of Anambra. As jubilations erupt across the state and social media buzzes with reactions, this outcome not only extends Soludo’s tenure for a second term but also underscores the electorate’s preference for proven governance amid Nigeria’s challenging political terrain.

The election, which unfolded across 5,718 polling units with over 2.8 million registered voters eligible to participate, was largely peaceful despite isolated reports of vote-buying incidents. INEC’s Returning Officer, Prof. Edogah Omoregie, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Benin, announced the results early Sunday morning at the collation center in Awka. Soludo amassed a staggering 422,644 votes, dwarfing his closest rival, Nicholas Ukachukwu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who garnered 99,445 votes a margin exceeding 323,000 votes.(TVC News)

Other contenders, including George Moghalu of the Labour Party (LP) and Jude Ezenwafor of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), trailed far behind, with LP securing just 10,366 votes in preliminary tallies from 19 LGAs. 

This clean sweep of every LGA from Aguata, Soludo’s home base where he clinched victory with a landslide in his own ward, to urban hubs like Onitsha South and Nnewi North marks only the second time in Anambra’s electoral history that a candidate has dominated all 21 administrative units. It’s a feat reminiscent of APGA’s stronghold since the party, founded by the late Biafran leader Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, first captured the statehouse in 2006. Preliminary results began trickling in late Saturday, with INEC uploading over 95% of outcomes to its Result Viewing Portal (IReV) by evening, ensuring transparency and real-time public scrutiny.    Voter turnout hovered around 20-23%, a figure attributed to logistical challenges in some rural areas, though INEC hailed the process as a “milestone in Nigeria’s democratic journey.”

Soludo’s re-election is more than a personal triumph; it’s a validation of his administration’s strides since assuming office in March 2022. A former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Soludo entered politics with a reputation for economic acumen, having previously served as Chief Economic Adviser to President Olusegun Obasanjo. His first term focused on transformative policies: revamping Anambra’s infrastructure through road reconstructions in flood-prone areas, bolstering education by distributing over 12,000 laptops to secondary schools under the “One Student, One Laptop” initiative, and enhancing security via community policing that reduced cult-related violence by 40%.  Economically, his push for a cashless policy in markets and investments in agro-industrial hubs has created thousands of jobs, positioning Anambra as a Southeast economic powerhouse. “Anambra keeps rising,” Soludo declared post-primary in April, a sentiment echoed by voters who cited his ban on open grazing and promotion of urban renewal as key factors in their support.

Campaigning under the banner “Solution Renewed,” Soludo emphasized continuity, promising deeper investments in healthcare ncluding upgrading 10 general hospitals and sustainable development to combat erosion ravaging communities like Ayamelum and Ogbaru. His opponents, including Ukachukwu, a philanthropist and businessman, and Moghalu, a LP stalwart, mounted vigorous challenges. Ukachukwu, despite winning his polling unit in Nnewi South, couldn’t overcome APGA’s grassroots machinery, losing the LGA with 9,281 votes to Soludo’s dominant haul.  Moghalu, backed by LP’s national momentum from Peter Obi’s 2023 presidential run, even lost his own unit in Nnewi North to Soludo 57-22.  PDP’s Ezenwafor, meanwhile, struggled with internal party fractures, netting minimal votes.

The election wasn’t without blemishes. Civil society groups like YIAGA Africa flagged vote-buying in areas such as Ihiala and Awka, estimating inducements up to ₦10,000 per vote in some units. According toChannels News, Peter Obi, a former APGA governor, decried the practice as antithetical to democratic ideals, urging INEC to prosecute offenders.  Yet, INEC’s deployment of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and swift IReV uploads mitigated manipulation fears, with 98.8% PVC collection rates signaling robust preparation.

Jubilations in Awka saw streets filled with APGA supporters chanting “Onye Nwelu Ebe” (He Who Delivers), but opposition figures like Moghalu conceded gracefully, vowing judicial review if irregularities surface.

Looking ahead, Soludo’s inauguration on March 17, 2026, will cap a term extended by this mandate. With APGA’s dominance unchallenged now three governors strong since Obi and Obiano Anambra’s trajectory points toward fiscal prudence and innovation. Challenges remain: insecurity in border LGAs like Ogbaru and economic pressures from national inflation. Yet, this landslide suggests voters trust Soludo to navigate them.

As Nigeria grapples with broader electoral reforms, Anambra’s poll stands as a beacon of incumbency reward and party loyalty. Whether it inspires replication elsewhere or invites scrutiny, one thing is clear: Governor Soludo’s “solution” has been emphatically renewed.