The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially presented a certificate of return to Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, following his re-election at the recently concluded governorship election.
The commission also handed a certificate of return to his deputy, Onyekachukwu Ibezim.
The certificates were presented by Kenneth Ukeagu, the Supervising INEC National Commissioner in charge of the Anambra State election, during a ceremony held in Awka, the state capital, on Tuesday.
This presentation came two days after the electoral body declared Soludo and his deputy as winners of the keenly contested poll.
Ukeagu, while speaking at the event, said the presentation symbolized the conclusion of the democratic process and reflected the confidence and trust the people of Anambra had placed in their governor.
He encouraged Soludo to sustain his efforts toward impactful leadership and to build on the progress made during his first term.
According to him, “Section 72(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 mandates INEC to issue a certificate of return within 14 days to every candidate who has been duly returned by the returning officer under the Act.”
Ukeagu added, “In compliance with this statutory provision, I have the honour and privilege, in my capacity as the Supervising National Electoral Commissioner of the Anambra State governorship election, to present the certificates of return to the Governor and the Deputy Governor-elect, who emerged victorious in the just-concluded governorship election.”
Governor Soludo, accompanied by his wife, Nonye, and their children, expressed gratitude to INEC for conducting what he described as a credible and peaceful election.
He also extended appreciation to the residents of Anambra State and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) for their steadfast support throughout the election process.
The governor assured the people of continued development, promising that his renewed mandate would usher in greater progress across all sectors of the state.
The State Returning Officer and Vice Chancellor of the University of Benin, Professor Edoba Omoregie, had earlier declared Soludo the winner of the election after results from all local government areas were collated.
According to Omoregie, Soludo, representing APGA, polled a total of 422,664 votes to secure victory.
Nicholas Ukachukwu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) came second with 99,445 votes, while Paul Chukwuma of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) finished third with 37,753 votes.
John Nwosu of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) scored 8,208 votes, while Labour Party’s George Moghalu and Peoples Democratic Party’s Jude Ezenwafor garnered 10,576 and 1,401 votes, respectively.
INEC revealed that 2,788,864 voters were registered for the election, out of which 598,229 were accredited to vote. The total number of votes cast was 595,298, with 584,054 valid votes and 11,244 rejected ballots.
The commission confirmed that 16 political parties participated in the gubernatorial election.
What you should know
Professor Chukwuma Soludo, a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), first became Anambra State Governor in 2021 under the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
His re-election victory reaffirms the party’s dominance in the state, as he pledges to advance Anambra’s infrastructural and economic transformation during his new term.
