The Anambra State governor, Chukwuma Charles Soludo, has won the ticket of the All Progressives Grand Alliance and has become the flagbearer of the party for the November 8, 2025, governorship election in the state.
Soludo was returned unopposed by no fewer than 3,260 delegates of the party during its primary conducted at the Alex Ekwueme Square, Awka, on Saturday.
The governor, who was the only aspirant of the party, also retained his current deputy, Dr. Onyekachukwu Ibezim, as his running mate.
Announcing the results, the returning officer for the election, Uche Nwegbo, said the total number of delegates was 3,260, with 3,175 accredited to vote. The total number of invalid votes was four.
Nwegbo said, “The total delegates for this election is 3,260; 3,175 are accredited delegates; 3,172 is the total number of votes, while 4 votes were invalid.
“The total yes-votes garnered by the governor is 3,168, while there were no no-votes.
“So, in line with the 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.”
ALSO READ: Anambra guber: Chaos mars APC primary accreditation exercise
The governor, in his acceptance speech, assured the party faithful that he would continue to work hard to ensure that he does not fail members of the party or the people of Anambra State.
He said, “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.
“I want to say that I am humbled by this historic display of solidarity to be able to carry the flag of our party again, and I want to say that I accept this nomination wholeheartedly.
“Anambra keeps rising with the progressive leadership that we have had through APGA, and I will continue to appreciate the leadership of the party.
“I appreciate the members of our party and the INEC observers. I do not think we have ever had this kind of peaceful election where everything was orderly, and in one hour, everyone was able to cast their votes.
“In 2021, Anambra interviewed all the candidates and employed me, and all through the journey, three years down the line, you have been able to give us support.
“That is why we have been able to do what we do, which people say is magical. We are doing this without borrowing one naira, and I know we will continue to do even more, and we continue to ask for your prayers.
“We are only at the introductory stage; Anambra has not seen anything yet. I appreciate citizens and captains of industry who have been supporting us, and we will keep growing higher and higher.
“I appreciate the support groups, especially all those who endorsed us for a second term. They are still coming up with more donations for the campaign, and I thank those market women who are still eager to donate to our campaign.
“Many political parties have declared support for us, and never in Anambra State have we ever had a consensus like what we have today.
“When I took the oath of office, I promised not to let Anambra down, not to let my supporters down, not to let my family down, and not to let APGA down.
“We are working 24/7 to ensure that. Many people have said we do not have any opposition, but I say that we will not only win all the 21 local governments but also the 326 wards.
“Someone said we should even aim for all the polling units in the state. We want to make a statement.”
The governor, who also announced his running mate immediately after clinching the party’s ticket, said he would retain his current deputy as his running mate for the race.
“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 stressed.
and then