Winner of the November 6 Anambra governorship elections, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, on Friday, has received his Certificate of Return from the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, as the Governor-Elect of the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that the INEC National Commissioner Supervising Anambra, Mr Festus Okoye, presented the certificate to Soludo in Awka.
Concurrently, the Deputy Governor-Elect, Dr Onyeka Ibezim, also received his Certificate of Return at same the event.
In his remarks, Soludo promised not to disappoint the people of the state who gave him the support and mandate in the Nov. 6 Governorship election.
According to him, the efforts and sacrifice of the people of Anambra will not be in vain, as he promises to justify the confidence reposed in him by the people of the state.
“Initially, there were tense moments, but this election happened in a unique way and we dedicate this victory to God and the people of Anambra who believed and gave us their mandate.
“We will never take for granted the resilience, commitments and actions of the various federal institutions that worked so hard to see us to this day,’’ he assured them.
Soludo commended the Presidency, security agencies and INEC for insisting on a level playing field as well as the judiciary for standing on the path of integrity.
“I believe that a sound and credible electoral system is foundational to having an accountable, responsive and developmental state.
“So, I believe that INEC is getting better by the day.
“I also believe that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation system (BVAS) deployed if refined, will give us that desired Eldorado in our electoral system,’’ he said.
In his remarks, the INEC Resident Commissioner in Anambra, Dr Nwachukwu Orji said the commission had done its best to deliver a credible election and also promoted the image of INEC.
Orji, represented by Mr Chima Duruaku, the Administrative Secretary of INEC, commended the people of Anambra for the maturity displayed before, during and after the election.
“The calming of the storm that was raging very hard was divine and on a human level, the commission was resolute to put in a lot of sacrifices, efforts and innovation to deliver.
“The support of the security agencies, the National Youth Service Corps and the military contributed to the success that we celebrate today.
“We also commended the peaceful conduct of political parties in spite of the doomsday prediction and the singular resolve by the Anambra people that the election must be done,’’ he said.
Okoye said the ceremony signified that the governor and deputy governor-elect won the Nov.6 governorship election in Anambra.
He promised that the commission would audit the conduct of the election and utilise the lessons to improve on the next set of elections.
Okoye appreciated the security agencies, NYSC and the media for their support as well as the people of Anambra for their firm belief in democracy and for guarding their votes through vigilance and mandate protection.
