‘Expect Same Result in 2027’ – Analysts Warn Oppositions As Soludo Wins Anambra Governorship Election

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Sunday declared Governor Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) winner of the November 8 Anambra State governorship election.

The Returning Officer and Vice Chancellor of the University of Benin, Prof Edogah Omoregie, announced the results at INEC’s headquarters in Awka.

Soludo polled 422,664 votes to secure a sweeping victory across the 21 local government areas of the state.

His closest rival, Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu of the All Progressives Congress, finished second with 99,445 votes, a gap analysts described as “electoral annihilation.”

Paul Chukwuma of the Young Progressives Party came third with 37,753 votes.
Labour Party’s George Moghalu secured 10,576 votes, while John Nwosu of the coalition-backed African Democratic Congress finished with 8,208 votes.

INEC officials and observers said Soludo’s victory did not come as a surprise, given the state of disunity and disorganisation within the opposition parties.

The Labour Party, which entered the election cycle with the momentum of its 2023 national performance, was sharply divided. The party was torn between factions loyal to different national chairmen, each producing its own candidate.

The pro-Abure faction backed a relatively unknown aspirant, while another faction rallied behind a former federal lawmaker.

The result was confusion, legal battles, wasted fundraising efforts and minimal mobilisation on the ground.

Across several local government areas, Labour supporters complained that the party had no coordinated campaign.

A resident in Nnewi South told DAILY POST: “We were ready to vote Labour, but no one even came here to campaign. They were fighting themselves while Soludo was busy working.”

By the time court rulings attempted to unify the party, precious campaign time had been lost.

The Peoples Democratic Party fared no better. Scarred by the leadership crisis that followed the 2023 general election, the party could barely mobilise credible aspirants for the governorship race.

The sale of nomination forms originally scheduled for February 24 to March 5 recorded poor patronage. Many aspirants withdrew from the race due to the national leadership tussle.

Eventually, the party settled for Chief Jude Ezenwafor, an Abuja-based real estate developer who was the sole aspirant after purchasing the ₦40 million nomination form.

He was endorsed by 853 delegates drawn from all 21 LGAs, but analysts said the selection reflected the party’s weakened structure and dwindling influence in the state.

Vote Buying, Irregularities Mar Poll

Despite repeated warnings from INEC and security agencies, allegations of widespread vote buying trailed the election.

According to multiple eyewitness accounts, some party agents paid ₦20,000 to ₦30,000 per voter.

• In Awka South, voters claimed APGA distributed ₦5,000 while APC allegedly paid up to ₦10,000.

Labour Party’s Moghalu Alleges APGA as Main Culprit

Speaking on Channels TV’s Sunday Politics, LP candidate George Moghalu accused APGA of orchestrating several vote-buying schemes.

He stated: “Yes, because I couldn’t afford how much was being paid. I refused to get involved. They have too much money to buy votes. What do you expect my people to do? They fell because a lot of them are poor.”

Moghalu further alleged that an APGA commissioner was caught on camera buying votes in his constituency and that some arrested agents wore APGA tags.

Soludo’s campaign capitalised heavily on visible achievements, including road projects, education reforms and local economic initiatives. APGA’s strong grassroots machinery, especially in rural areas, also played a decisive role.

On election day, APGA deployed a well-coordinated network of polling agents across virtually all wards, while LP and PDP struggled to maintain full representation.

INEC’s collation showed APGA swept all 21 local government areas, leaving little mathematical path for an upset.

‘Expect Same Result in 2027’

A public affairs analyst and communications specialist at Peaceland University, Enugu, Nduka Odo, said the election underscored the collapse of Nigeria’s opposition.

In an interview with DAILY POST, he said: “The result of the Anambra gubernatorial election has proven again the state of opposition politics in the country.”

He continued: “Kudos to APGA for taking almost all the votes despite the evidence of vote buying. Since

Odo noted that PDP, LP and ADC performed “far below public expectations,” and warned:
“They should expect a similar result in 2027 if they don’t put their houses in order. The only way the opposition removed PDP at the national level was by forming a merger that later produced APC. That lesson remains relevant.”

Soludo Returns With Strong Mandate

INEC’s final tally confirmed Soludo’s overwhelming mandate.
As the opposition blames internal sabotage, leadership crises, vote buying and lack of cohesion, analysts say the 2025 election offers critical lessons ahead of the 2027 general polls.

The victory also reinforces APGA’s status as Anambra’s strongest political force, with Soludo now set to embark on a second term strengthened by a fractured and weakened opposition.