Deborah Akinyosoye
Governor Chukwuma Soludo has expressed gratitude to the people of Anambra State following his re-election, saying the renewed mandate is both a victory and a historic moment for the state.
Soludo spoke on Sunday after being declared the winner of the governorship election, securing a second term alongside his deputy, Dr. Onyeka Ibezim.
Addressing supporters, Soludo said the people had sent a strong message of confidence in his administration. He recalled that in 2021, his first victory came amid low voter turnout, but noted that the latest election saw a significant increase in citizen participation.
“Four years ago, you spoke and gave us your mandate. Anambra experimented with BVAS for the first time, and the turnout was extremely low. You elected us with 112,000 votes,” Soludo said.
“This time, you have spoken loudly. In terms of the percentage of registered voters who participated, about 22 percent voted in this election. Never before. You broke the 20 percent glass ceiling.”
He also highlighted that his victory marked a record in the state’s political history, stating that only three governors have ever been re-elected since 1999. According to him, the margin of support in this election was the most emphatic so far.
“In 2010, a governor was re-elected with about 31 percent of the votes cast. In 2017, another was re-elected with 56 percent. In this one, you re-elected us with 73 percent of the votes. I am humbled by this solidarity and support,” he said.
Soludo assured residents that his administration will intensify efforts to deliver development across the state.
“We applied for this job. You employed us four years ago. What I can say, as we stated throughout the campaign, is that you have not seen anything yet. Like the Americans would say ‘You ain’t seen nothing yet, I want to say, with this trust, in partnership with you… we over the next four years can say loudly that we ain’t seen nothing yet” the governor added.