With the victory of Prof Charles Soludo in Anambra Governorship election, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has reaffirmed its dominance in the South Eastern State. APGA has been ruling Anambra in the past 14 years.
Soludo, a former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, polled highest number of votes cast during election, to emerge winner of the election.
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Apart from Soludo who featured on the ballot, here are the other winners of the tension-soaked gubernatorial election.
WILLIE OBIANO
The joy of an outgoing governor in Nigeria is to successfully influence the election of his successor in the office. The reason is not far-fetched.
And Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra isn’t an exception. He backed Soludo to emerge as the party’s flag bearer, and also reportedly deployed the state’s resources during the campaign. At last, Soludo has been declared winner of the election.
Obiano also enjoyed similar support from his predecessor, Peter Obi, in 2014, but the duo have now turned foes.
The governor at different fora spoke glowingly of Soludo and why “he is the best candidate” to succeed him.
He said that Soludo, a former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, has the intellectual capacity, local and international contacts and other qualities required of a person to serve as governor.
Obiano recalled “the ingenuity of Soludo as the then CNB boss to come up with the bank N25 billion consolidation fund policy,” adding that the step ended the problem of failed commercial banks in the country.
He said that he was convinced that if elected as the next governor, Soludo would introduce a lot of policies and programmes that would make Anambra stand out as a reference point among other states.
DIM OJUKWU
Posthumously, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, the late Nigerian military officer, statesman and politician, remains one of the major winners of the just-concluded election.
He was among the founding fathers of the APGA and often referred to as the spiritual leader of the party. Dim Ojukwu was also its candidate at the presidential elections of 19 April 2003.
While alive and in death, his name alone has been influential to AGPA’s electoral victories in Anambra and other parts of South East.
The party adored him and printed Dim Ojukwu’s image on the customised uniform of APGA worn by stalwarts at events.
VICTOR OYE
He is the National Chairman of APGA and another winner of the Anambra gubernatorial poll.
The Oye faction of the party conducted the primary that produced Soludo, as its governorship candidate for the November 6, governorship election.
But Jude Okeke, however, challenged the authenticity of the Oye leadership at a Federal High Court in Jigawa where Judgment was given in his favour.
However, the Jigawa judgment was set aside by the Appeal Court leading him to proceed to the Supreme Court to nullify the appellate court’s decision.
But the Supreme Court in October upheld the judgment of the Court of Appeal, Kano Division delivered on August 10, which affirmed Oye as the National Chairman of the APGA.
The court consequently upheld the judgment of the Court of Appeal, which resolved the leadership tussle of APGA in favor of Oye and also upheld the primary election conducted by his leadership which produced Soludo as APGA governorship candidate.
VICTOR UMEH
Umeh acted as the state agent of APGA in the gubernatorial election. A former national chairman of the party and an incumbent senator, Umeh had an encounter with soldiers at Ihiala during the supplementary election. He was ordered not to go into the LG secretariat in Ihiala where election materials were kept.
Umeh spent long hours at the state collation centre and was there until Soludo was declared winner.
“Anambra, as a state, is not a test running centre, candidate with grand knowledge like Soludo is what we desire; yes, Anambra has quality men but for governance, Soludo has a different Solution,” Umeh reportedly said, while declaring his support for Soludo, in May.
ONYEKACHUKWU IBEZIM
He is Soludo’s running mate, and the younger brother to the Archbishop, province of the Niger and Bishop of Awka Diocese of the Anglican Church, Rev. Alexander Ibezim.
Ibezim, who is a medical doctor, served as Special Adviser to Governor Willie Obiano on Indigenous Medicine and Herbal Practice, Executive Director of Anambra State Agency for Control of HIV/AIDS ANSACA and Managing Director of Anambra Oxygen Plant, Awka.
