The Anambra 2025 governorship election has been strongly denounced and rejected by opposition parties on Sunday, who warned that the degree of vote-buying and institutional complacency shown during the process presented a major threat to the legitimacy of the general elections in 2027.
Chukwuma Soludo, the current governor, secured a second term ticket with a landslide victory in all of the 21 local government areas.
The rejection comes just few hours following President Bola Tinubu congratulatory message to Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance on his re-election, describing the outcome as “an affirmation of visionary leadership” and pledging closer collaboration between the Federal Government and Anambra State.
Chukwuma Soludo pulled a massive 422,664 votes causing him to emerge the winner, with the closest rival, Nicholas Ukachukwu of the All Progressives Congress scoring 99,445 votes to come second.
ADC rejects results
The ADC however, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, rejected the results, arguing that the poll was reduced to a marketplace of cash-for-votes.
The statement partly read, “The African Democratic Congress has observed the conduct of the just-concluded Anambra gubernatorial election with a deep sense of concern for the electoral process in Nigeria.
“What unfolded in Anambra was, regrettably, a cash-drenched spectacle that was more of a bazaar than an election. This undermines the very essence of democracy.”
The ADC also accused the incumbent governor and his party of orchestrating widespread financial inducement.
“We wish to state categorically that, as has been widely reported and clearly shown to Nigerians and the international community, this election was highly monetised, with the incumbent and his party seen to have participated in several forms and styles of cash-for-votes.
“At polling units across the state, bundles of naira notes changed hands in full view. This was a brazen violation of the Electoral Act, whose foundation had been laid by the governor himself well ahead of the election,” the statement added.
Citing faults with the election, Abdullahi pointed the conduct of security agencies and electoral officials.
Additionally, John Nwosu, the ADC candidate in the election, denounced the results, calling them a “national embarrassment.”
Speaking to reporters in Nnewi on Sunday, Nwosu said that money helped Soludo win.
He pointed out that voters were openly bought off with money ranging from N3,000 to N20,000 in practically every polling station, transforming the entire process from a democratic exercise to a bazaar.
“An election riddled with corruption, manipulation, and vote trading cannot and will never represent the voice of the people. It was a shambolic election that conferred a shambolic mandate.
“I, John Chuma Nwosu, the governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress, hereby categorically reject the outcome of the just-concluded gubernatorial election in Anambra State.
“What took place yesterday (Saturday) was a ruse and total subversion of the people’s will, marred by massive vote buying and shameless financial inducement at polling units across the state. By every account, the people have not spoken.”
He added, “This struggle continues. We will not surrender. We will not be silent. Our movement will keep pressing until the people of Anambra can freely choose their leaders without fear or inducement.”
Moghalu laments vote-buying
Similarly, Dr. George Moghalu, the Labour Party’s candidate, also disapproved of the election’s outcome.
Speaking to reporters in his Nnewi office on Sunday, Moghalu expressed his displeasure with the way the election was conducted and said that a number of anomalies had taken place.
He said, “The exercise was marred by widespread vote-buying and reports of underage voting in some areas. The November 8, 2025 governorship election in Anambra State, in my view, fell short of expectations.
“I hereby reject it in its entirety. I contested in previous elections, but this one was different. The level of vote buying was alarming.”
“Children who were not supposed to be carrying voter cards were openly seen with them and were allowed to vote. These are issues that raise questions about the integrity of the process.
“I received reports from my team that in some polling units the LP name appeared on the ballot paper without the party’s logo, making it difficult for voters to identify the party’s position on the ballot.”
APC still studying outcome
Amid the political storm stirred by Chukwuma Soludo’s win, Nicholas Ukachukwu, the All Progressives Congress candidate, however, stated that he was getting information about the poll’s results from his party agents. He said that during the poll, thugs stopped his followers from casting ballots.
“My supporters, including my running mate, were intimidated by thugs and prevented from casting their votes in their polling units. They arrested one of our agents and kept him somewhere until after the election,” Ukachukwu said.
“When you look at where we are coming from, you will understand that we made an appreciable effort. What happened is a story for another day.
“We are still collating data and gathering information from our party agents, and after that, we will know what to do. I am still consulting with my party to know the steps or actions to take.
“For the first time in the history of the election, the APC scored almost 100,000 votes without any inducement. But they accused us of vote-buying. Can the APC candidate who is not a sitting governor buy votes?
“If the APC candidate bought votes like the APGA candidate, the result would have been obvious. And if you see the level of violence, the people they arrested were all APC members. The house they burnt belonged to an APC member. The woman defeated them in her polling booth, but they went to burn down her house. Was it the APC that burnt down the house?
“Those who burnt the house have not been arrested. Whatever decision I am going to take, I must carry those 99,445 voters who voted for me along. They voted for me because they want Anambra to move forward. I must consult them. Like I said, I will hear from them. APC is here and it’s here to stay.”
UN observer insists election was worthy
A United Nations election observer, Jim Oko, scored the poll “very highly”, adding that the conduct was “in line with international best practices.”
Tinubu congratulates Soludo
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu has expressed warm congratulations to Chukwuma Soludo on his re-election as Governor of Anambra State.
President Tinubu highlighted Soludo’s reelection as evidence of his innovative leadership and the notable advancements made during his government in a statement that he personally signed.
The President applauded Chukwuma Soludo for bringing discipline, grace, brilliance, and a fresh perspective to governance in Anambra, saying, “Under him, Anambra is living up to its motto as the Light of the Nation.”
