Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, the governor-elect of Anambra State, has said his victory in the 2021 Anambra governorship election reflects the “supreme will of the Almighty God and an overwhelming sacred mandate of the people”.
Soludo said this shortly in his acceptance speech after he was declared winner of the election in the early hours of Wednesday.
Professor Florence Obi, the Chief Returning Officer of the 2021 Anambra governorship election, announced that Soludo, the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), polled a total number of 112,229 votes.
His closest rival, Valentine Ozigbo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), garnered a total number of 53,807 votes.
Andy Uba of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate got a total of 43,285 votes to emerge the third position, while Ifeanyi Uba of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) came next with 21,261 votes.
Giving his acceptance speech, thanked his family, as well as leaders and members of APGA for their support.
He also thanked President Muhammadu Buhari, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies for “ensuring a level-playing field”, noting that the uneasiness during the run-up to the election did not manifest on election day.
He said: “With utmost humility and gratitude to God, I accept the result of the Anambra governorship election. This reflects the supreme will of the Almighty God and an overwhelming sacred mandate of the people.
“For 12 years since the massive clamour by the people of Anambra for us to serve them, we persevered till this divine moment. This is a divine journey whose time has come. To God be all the glory and adoration.
“The run-up to this election and the election itself tested the resilience and the integrity of our federal institutions. Many times, there were tensions, especially as one party boasted that it must ‘take or conquer Anambra by all means’. Our institutions proved again and again that this country can achieve eminent greatness when our institutions rise to the occasion.
“Aside from the initial hitches from the operations of the BVAS machines in some places, including at my polling unit, the election has been adjudged as the most peaceful, free, fair and credible. There is joy in the land. Kudos to INEC.”
Soludo also urged other candidates to work with him to bring sustainable development to the state.
“To my fellow candidates in the election, I wish to congratulate you for the gallant contest. Our people have spoken overwhelmingly and surely, that voice is the voice of God. The ultimate winner is the Anambra people. We are all winners.
“I hereby extend my hand of fellowship to all of you; I need all of you to succeed. Politics aside, we are all brothers. Let’s come together for the project, Anambra. There is enough room for everyone to contribute in the service of our homeland.”
The governor-elect added that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) represented a “massive improvement” on the card readers, and urged INEC to do more to improve on the quality of elections.
This is the second time that a former CBN governor would be elected a state governor after Dr Clement Isong, who was the governor of Cross River State in 1979.
Soludo is expected to be sworn-in in March 2022, when the tenure of the outgoing governor, Willie Obiano, expires.
