• He will soon join APC, says Orji Kalu
• Group hails Anambra for retaining ‘only female governor’ status
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), yesterday, issued a Certificate of Return to Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, who was declared the winner in the 2025 gubernatorial poll held last Saturday.

Soludo received the certificate yesterday at the Commission’s office in Awka from the Supervising Electoral Commissioner in charge of Anambra election and Chairman, Tenders Board, Ken Ukeagu, who said the document is not a sign of victory, but a renewed hope for his people, adding that he should approach the new era with a lot of commitment, unity and enterprise.

He congratulated Soludo and his deputy, Dr Onyekachukwu Ibezim, wishing them a peaceful tenure. Also speaking, the Anambra State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Queen Elizabeth Agwu, said she was happy seeing the excited faces of the people of Anambra, adding that it was a promise kept.

Shortly after receiving the Certificate, Soludo said: “There is hope for Nigeria. I praise President Bola Tinubu for allowing a free and fair electoral process in Anambra.

“Anambra people hail INEC and security operatives for conducting a free, fair and credible contest last Saturday in the state. The state made history as the first state where the new INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, had his first litmus test and came out successfully.

“It was the third time a sitting governor was reelected in the state, the first one being in 2010, when a sitting governor had already declared the election a sham, but later declared the winner by the same electoral body he had criticised.”

According to him, the second person was Willie Obiano in 2017, and now it is himself, with an overwhelming majority. The visibly elated governor thanked Ndi Anambra for the trust and confidence in his leadership, adding: “We will continue to work for you. Anambra is still on the rise. Our electoral process has been getting better and better. It showed during the by-election in August before the governorship election last weekend.”

MEANWHILE, the Senator representing Abia North zone, Orji Uzor Kalu, has predicted that Soludo will soon defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), describing him as a natural progressive whose ideals align with those of President Bola Tinubu.

Kalu, a former governor of Abia State, made the remarks while speaking with journalists at the National Assembly in Abuja.  He said Soludo, who is currently a member of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), would eventually find political alignment with the APC once ongoing legal issues are resolved.

A GROUP, ElectHER, has commended Anambra State for remaining the only state in Nigeria to have produced a female governor amid national declines in women’s representation.

It also lauded the state for producing the highest number of female senators (four, tied with Lagos), and six female federal ministers across administrations.

Chief Executive Officer, ElectHER, Ibijoke Faborode, gave the commendation in Awka, the state capital, while officially unveiling the Gender Situation Room and sharing findings from the group’s Pre-Election Assessment for the state governorship election.