By Abbas Jimoh, Saawua Terzungwe & Zakariyya Adaramola
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will today present the Certificate of Return (CoR) to the winner of the just concluded Anambra State governorship election, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo.
INEC at the end of its management meeting on Thursday in Abuja to review the Anambra election, said Soludo and his running mate, Dr. Onyekachukwu Ibezim, a medical doctor, will receive their CoR in Awka, the state capital.
INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC) Festus Okoye said at the end of the meeting that the commission is awaiting the reports of all officials deployed for the election for an in-depth review of the processes.
Okoye also said that the 2021 Anambra governorship election was conducted under the most challenging circumstances.
He said, “Never before did the commission have to grapple with numerous issues ahead of an off-season governorship election, including attacks on our facilities, withdrawals of critical service providers such as the ad hoc staff and transporters on the eve of the election and the general tension pervading the atmosphere. Happily, the election passed off peacefully.”
Meanwhile, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Sen Andy Uba, has rejected the results of the election, saying he would use legal means to “reclaim” his mandate.
President Muhammadu Buhari and other chieftains of the APC have congratulated Soludo.
Uba came third with 43,285 votes. Soludo polled 112,229 votes, Valentine Ozigbo of the PDP got 53,807 votes (second) and candidate of Young Progressive Party (YPP), Ifeanyi Ubah garnered 21,261 to place fourth.
In a statement on Thursday in Abuja, the spokesman for the Uba Campaign Organisation, Ambassador Jerry Ugokwe, said the election was a charade, adding that it was characterised by irregularities.
“The outcome of the election was a charade and did not reflect the wishes of the people of Anambra State.
“Our popular candidate, Senator Andy Uba, is a victim of widespread electoral fraud and manipulation by INEC in cahoots with the Willie Obiano regime and the security forces deployed to oversee the election.
“While we appeal to our supporters to remain peaceful and calm, we will not relent in pursuing our stolen electoral mandate to the limit of the law through all the constitutional means available as the facts on the ground did not in any way reflect the outcome of the elections as announced by the obviously compromised INEC,” he said.
Meanwhile, the National Peace Committee (NPC), headed by a former Head of State, retired Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, has congratulated the people of Anambra State for the peaceful conduct of the poll.
The NPC chairman, in a statement said that the people deserve commendation for the manner they conducted themselves throughout the period of the election.
Also, the British High Commission in Nigeria has congratulated Soludo on his victory.
The British High Commissioner, Catriona Laing, in a statement, advised any party or individual who was dissatisfied with the process to seek redress in a peaceful manner and through the appropriate legal channels.
It said: “As a long-standing partner of the Nigerian people, the UK will continue to support Nigeria and its civil society in drawing lessons from these elections and the deepening of its democracy, including the integrity of its elections.
“Credible and inclusive elections are fundamental to Nigeria’s democratic growth. I encourage INEC and all stakeholders to continue improving the electoral system and to ensure meaningful participation of young people, women and citizens generally in the democratic process”.
