Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo has secured the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) for the upcoming election in the state.
The APGA primary election was conducted on Saturday at the Alex Ekwueme Square in Awka, with Governor Soludo emerging unopposed.
Announcing the results, the chief returning officer, Uche Nwegbo, revealed that 3,175 delegates were accredited out of 3,260. A total of 3,172 votes were cast, with four declared invalid.
Governor Soludo secured 3,168 votes, with no dissenting votes recorded.
“The total yes-votes garnered by the governor is 3,168, while there were no no-votes,” Nwegbo declared.
“So, in line with INEC guidelines and with the powers conferred on me as the chief returning officer for this election, I, Uche Nwegbo, hereby declare the governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo as returned, as the candidate of our party.”
In his acceptance speech, Governor Soludo expressed deep appreciation for the support shown by party members and reiterated his commitment to the APGA vision and the people of Anambra.
“We as a party have grown from strength to strength. We are the first registered progressive party in Nigeria and our people have taken APGA as their own. Anambra is APGA and APGA is Anambra,” he said.
The governor, seeking a second and final term in office, highlighted the progress recorded under his administration and pledged to continue delivering results.
“I want to say that I am humbled by this historic display of solidarity to be able to fly the flag of our party again, and I want to say that I accept this nomination whole heartedly,” Soludo affirmed.
The governor also used the occasion to announce his running mate for the forthcoming election — retaining his current deputy, Dr. Onyeka Ibezim.
“In 2017, I gave a lecture which I titled ‘If it is not broken, why mend it?’, and it became popular. Today I want to say that I am renominating Dr Onyeka Ibezim as my deputy governorship candidate for the election. If it is not broken, why mend it? I want to say that the battle has only begun,” he said.
