Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday presented Certificates of Return to Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, and his deputy, Dr. Onyekachukwu Ibezim, following their victory in the state’s governorship election.
Gatekeepers News reports that the presentation ceremony, held in Awka, the state capital, was conducted by the supervising INEC National Commissioner for the Anambra election, Kenneth Ukeagu.
The event came two days after INEC officially declared Soludo and Ibezim winners of the poll.
Speaking at the ceremony, Ukeagu said the presentation marked the completion of the democratic process and symbolized the trust and confidence the people of Anambra had placed in the governor and his deputy.
He also urged Soludo to sustain his record of impactful governance.
“Section 72(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 mandates INEC to issue a certificate of return within 14 days to every candidate duly returned by the returning officer under the Act,” Ukeagu said.
“In compliance with this statutory provision, I have the honour and privilege, in my capacity as the Supervising National Electoral Commissioner of the Anambra State governorship election, to present the certificates of return to the Governor and Deputy Governor-elect, who emerged victorious in the just-concluded election.”
Governor Soludo, who attended the event with his wife, Nonye, and children, commended INEC for what he described as a credible and transparent election. He also expressed appreciation to the people of Anambra and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) for their continued support.
“With this renewed mandate, Anambra State will witness accelerated development across all sectors,” the governor assured.
The State Returning Officer and Vice Chancellor of the University of Benin, Professor Edoba Omoregie, had earlier declared Soludo the winner after results were collated from the local government areas.
Soludo, the APGA candidate, secured 422,664 votes to defeat his closest rival, Nicholas Ukachukwu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who polled 99,445 votes.
Paul Chukwuma of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) followed with 37,753 votes, while John Nwosu of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) scored 8,208 votes.
George Moghalu of the Labour Party (LP) and Jude Ezenwafor of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) got 10,576 and 1,401 votes, respectively.
According to INEC, out of 2,788,864 registered voters, 598,229 were accredited. The total votes cast were 595,298, of which 584,054 were valid and 11,244 rejected. Sixteen political parties participated in the election.
