The candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, has emerged victorious in the 2025 Anambra State governorship election, winning by a wide margin across the 21 local government areas of the state. The election’s returning officer and Vice Chancellor of the University of Benin, Professor Edoba Omorege, announced the results and officially declared Soludo the winner after the collation exercise held in Awka, the state capital.
According to the final figures released, Soludo polled a total of 422,664 votes, far ahead of his closest rival, Nicholas Ukachukwu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who garnered 99,445 votes. The Labour Party’s candidate, George Moghalu, finished in third place with 10,576 votes. Other notable results included the African Democratic Congress (ADC) with 8,208 votes, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with 1,401 votes, and the Young Progressives Party (YPP), which secured 37,753 votes. The African Action Congress (AAC) and Action Alliance (AA) recorded 292 and 1,145 votes respectively.
Professor Omorege announced that a total of 2,788,864 voters were registered for the election, out of which 598,228 were accredited He added that 584,054 votes were valid, while 11,244 were rejected, bringing the total votes cast to 595,298. Despite the overall peaceful nature of the election, there were reports of irregularities in some areas. At Bridge Head 2 in Onitsha South Local Government Area, ballot snatching led to the cancellation of results. Similarly, votes were nullified in Nri, Anaocha LGA, due to incidents of violence and over-voting, while two polling units in Anambra West also faced cancellations for the same reasons.
The election, which featured 16 governorship candidates, began at different times across polling units in the 21 LGAs. However, it was marred by widespread allegations of vote buying. Candidates from major political parties, including the APGA, APC, and Labour Party, accused one another of engaging in financial inducements to sway voters. Reports by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) indicated that party agents were seen offering money and food items to voters in several locations such as Achalla, Igbariam, Utuh, and Ezira. The organization described the incidents as evidence of the persistent impunity and weak law enforcement that continue to undermine Nigeria’s electoral integrity.
In response to the allegations, the Anambra Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Queen Elizabeth Agwu, dismissed the claims of vote buying and demanded verifiable evidence from those making the accusations. She stated that although some prominent candidates had publicly mentioned vote trading, none had provided concrete details. “Vote buying is a serious electoral offence,” she stressed, adding that anyone with credible evidence should present it to INEC. “You cannot just go on television to make general accusations without naming specific places or individuals involved.”
Despite these controversies, the election outcome reaffirmed Soludo’s political dominance in Anambra, especially through the massive support he received in Aguata, Awka South, Njikoka, and Onitsha North LGAs. APGA’s commanding lead in most local government areas demonstrated strong grassroots acceptance of the party’s governance approach under Soludo’s leadership.
The final collation results revealed decisive victories for APGA in nearly every LGA: for instance, Awka South (27,896 votes), Aguata (35,559 votes), Njikoka (22,213 votes), and Onitsha North (24,225 votes)—all far ahead of APC and other contenders. While APC showed moderate strength in some regions, such as Ayamelum and Nnewi South, its overall performance fell short of challenging APGA’s momentum.
In the aftermath of the election, observers and civil society organizations commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the generally peaceful conduct of the polls, while urging it to address the recurring menace of voter inducement and electoral corruption. Professor Soludo’s victory marks his continued leadership in Anambra and reinforces APGA’s long-standing dominance in the state’s political landscape.