The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), as the winner of the 2025 Anambra State governorship election.
Announcing the result in the early hours of Sunday, the State Returning Officer, Professor Omoregie Edoba, Vice Chancellor of the University of Benin, said Soludo secured 422,664 votes, defeating his closest rival, Nicholas Ukachukwu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who polled 99,445 votes.
Other candidates trailed behind: Paul Chukwuma (YPP) garnered 37,753 votes, George Moghalu (Labour Party) had 10,576 votes, John Nwosu (ADC) recorded 8,208 votes, while Jude Ezenwafor (PDP) obtained 1,401 votes.
INEC reported a total of 2,788,864 registered voters, with 598,229 accredited, and 595,298 total votes cast, of which 584,054 were valid and 11,244 rejected.
Domestic and international observers described the election as largely peaceful, though they expressed concern over low voter turnout and isolated reports of vote buying in some polling units.
The European Union Election Observation Mission commended INEC for what it termed a “notably improved process,” while urging stakeholders to continue strengthening Nigeria’s electoral transparency and civic participation.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) confirmed the arrest of suspected vote buyers, as part of efforts to curb electoral malpractice.
Civil society organisations, including Yiaga Africa and the International Press Centre (IPC), also noted delays in the early deployment of materials and staff in certain areas but applauded the peaceful conduct across polling units.
Former Anambra governor and Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi expressed concern about alleged vote buying, describing it as “a tragic reflection of citizens selling their democratic future.”
Similarly, the African Action Congress (AAC) candidate, Chioma Ifemeludike, accused major political parties of engaging in financial inducement of voters. Legal analysts have since called on INEC and anti-corruption agencies to enforce sections of the Electoral Act, 2022, that criminalize vote trading and electoral bribery.
The election was marked by heavy security presence around the INEC headquarters in Awka and major roads across the state. The process was monitored by journalists, domestic observers, and international partners.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN), dismissed reports of widespread vote-buying, emphasizing that the Commission remained committed to transparency through the IReV results portal, which uploaded over 75% of polling unit results by Saturday evening.
Governor Soludo’s re-election solidifies APGA’s dominance in Anambra politics, marking the third consecutive two-term administration under the party, following Peter Obi and Willie Obiano.
With the declaration, Soludo becomes the first Anambra governor to win all 21 local government areas of the state in a single election cycle, an outcome political observers describe as a “clean sweep victory.”
