From Romanus Ugwu, Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja, Bimbola Oyesola

The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Andy Uba, has rejected the outcome of the poll with a vow to reclaim his stolen mandate through all constitutional means available.

In a statement by the spokesperson, Senator Andy Uba Campaign Organisation, Jerry Ugokwe, Uba said there was no way the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) could have defeated the APC without active collusion and manipulation by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Governor Willie Obiano-led administration.

“The outcome of the election was a charade and did not reflect the wishes of the people of Anambra State.

“Our popular candidate, Uba, is a victim of widespread electoral fraud and manipulation by INEC in cohorts with the Obiano regime and the security forces deployed to oversee the Anambra state governorship election.

“The elections were characterised by widespread irregularities, intimidation and voter suppression to clear the path for the inglorious victory of APGA in the polls.

“For instance, in polling units where the Biometric Voters’ Accreditation System malfunctioned, INEC went ahead to conduct the elections manually. There were numerous cases where votes announced by INEC exceeded the number of accredited voters in polling units.

“Another clear manifestation of collusion between the Obiano administration and INEC was the publishing of results on the Social Media handles of APGA even before official announcement by INEC. Yet, mysteriously, the votes announced in advance by APGA always corresponded correctly with the official figures released by INEC.

“It is inconceivable that our candidate, who polled over 200,000 votes in the APC primary would be allocated a slightly above 43,000 votes by INEC. It is surprising that APGA that lost almost 80 percent of its stalwarts through defection to the APC before the election came out victorious.

“A sitting APGA deputy governor, seven members of the House of Representatives, 10 members of the state House of Assembly, the party’s members of Board of Trustees, many serving SA’s, SSA’s, in addition to a serving PDP senator, all defected to the APC very timely before the election, yet, APGA emerged victorious. This is quite ridiculous.

“From all indications, the only people remaining in APGA at the time of the election were Governor Obiano and his household and a few staff of the Government House as well as Soludo and his household but majority of the electorate in Anambra State have moved to the APC.

“There was definitely no way the carcass of APGA could have defeated the APC without the active collusion and manipulation by INEC and the Obiano-led administration.    

“What happened on November 6, 2021 fell far below the acceptable standard of a free and fair election and can best be described as an electoral fraud perpetrated by INEC, the Obiano administration and the security forces.”

Election conducted under most challenging circumstances – INEC

Meanwhile, INEC, yesterday, admitted the poll was conducted under the most challenging circumstances.

But it stressed that despite the shortcomings of the technology deployed, it was better than the best manual process.

Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, in a statement after a meeting in Abuja, said the commission would present Certificate of Return to the governor-elect, Charles Chukwuma Soludo, in Awka, today.

INEC maintained that only votes cast at polling units would determine the outcome of election.

“INEC met today (Thursday) and conducted an initial review of the Anambra governorship election. The commission is awaiting the reports of all officials deployed for the election for an indepth review of the processes.

“However, after the supplementary election in Ihiala Local Government Area and before the process was concluded, the commission commenced a preliminary review of the functionality of systems, particularly the newly introduced Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).

“The system performed two functions on election day. First is the accreditation of voters, using both the fingerprint and facial authentication. Secondly, it snaps the polling unit level result sheets and uploads them in real-time to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal. This aspect of the BVAS functionality performed optimally such that by the early hours of Sunday morning, results from 4,987 (88.5 percent) out of 5,634 polling units had been uploaded for public view.

“While still in the field, our ICT team responded to the identified glitches in the accreditation of  voters and corrected them. Consequently, in the Ihiala supplementary election, there were no reported incidents of BVAS malfunction. We will carry out an in-depth examination of the system, review reports from accredited observers and the media and respond to all identified challenges ahead of the next major Area Council election in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), holding on February 12, 2021.

“We shall again test run the system in the by-election (s) that may arise before then. The commission remains convinced that despite some glitches experienced in Anambra State governorship election, the deployment of technology in elections is better than the best manual process,” INEC said in the statement.

UK expresses satisfaction

The United Kingdom has expressed satisfaction over the conduct of the election.

The British High Commission, Abuja, in a statement by the Senior Communications and Public Diplomacy Officer, Atinuke Akande-Alegbe, congratulated Soludo.

The United Kingdom noted that the results released by INEC were consistent with the results obtained through the civil society parallel vote tabulation process carried out by YIAGA Africa.

It also said its mission, which observed the preparations for the poll, acknowledged the collective effort of stakeholders in the conduct of the election.

“The people of Anambra have demonstrated resilience and a commitment to democracy. We recognise that independent Nigerian voices have expressed concerns about the conduct of the electoral process, in particular around logistics, accreditation of voters, deployment of polling officials, and low voter turnout.  The UK is encouraged by the use and transparency of INEC’s result viewing portal in the electoral process.    

“We encourage any party or individual who is dissatisfied with the process to seek redress in a peaceful manner and through the appropriate legal channels,” British High Commission said.

The United Kingdom further said that as a long-standing partner of the Nigerian people, it would continue to support Nigeria and its civil society in drawing lessons from the elections and the deepening of its democracy, including the integrity of its elections.

British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing, said: “Credible and inclusive elections are fundamental to Nigeria’s democratic growth.  I encourage INEC and all stakeholders to continue improving the electoral system and to ensure meaningful participation of young people, women and citizens generally in the democratic process.”

Kalu tasks Soludo on inclusiveness

Former governor of Abia State and Chief Whip of the Senate, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, has also congratulated the governor-elect.

Kalu, who commended the candidates of all the political parties for the level of political maturity demonstrated before, during and after the poll, urged politicians to live up to expectations.

The former governor while calling on the governor-elect to run an all-inclusive government, urged the people of Anambra State to support the political class in taking the state to enviable heights.

Kalu cautioned politicians against heating the polity, adding that politics should not be seen as a do-or-die affair.

“Following the outcome of the November 6 governorship election in Anambra State, I felicitate with the governor-elect, Soludo, of APGA.

“All the candidates were patriotic and selfless before, during and after the election. The governor-elect should embrace a participatory approach in governance. I urge sons and daughters of Anambra State to embrace peace and unity despite political differences.”

Kalu applauded INEC, security agencies, the media, non- governmental organisations and other stakeholders for ensuring a hitch-free election.

NLC hails INEC

resourcefulness

Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) also hailed Soludo on his victory and commended the resoluteness of INEC.

According to NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, a few days to the election, there were calls from some quarters for the Anambra governorship polls to be postponed.

“It is important to note and commend the INEC which insisted the governorship election in Anambra State must go on.

“INEC went on to pledge its commitment to a transparent electioneering process in Anambra State. The commitment by INEC was also backed by the resolve of President Muhammadu Buhari to deploy adequate security to ensure nothing scuttled the electoral process. 

“We commend the resolve of Anambra people to put the enemies of democracy to shame.” 

He called for deeper reforms to democratize the appointment of the leadership of INEC, establish an Electoral Offences Commission and the institutionalize Proportional Representation in Nigeria’s constitution and electoral law.

Babangida hails poll

Former military president, Ibrahim Babangida, has said the success of the election was a bold statement on the desire of Nigerians to live together.

“Going by our present political crises across the country, particularly in the South East, the fact that election held in Anambra despite initial fears is an eloquent statement that we all desire to live together as one indivisible country.

“What is required in my humble view is how to utilize our potential and talents to drive national narrative through consensus building, cohesion and homogeneity of purpose. I am sure, we can make a deeper meaning from the outcome of the Anambra election through dialogue and constructive engagement to move the country forward. I have no doubt in my mind that Charles Soludo would join that national narrative to deepen our democracy to endure the test of time.

“I look forward to seeing the positive impacts that he would assuredly bring to bear in Anambra State leadership in particular, and Nigeria in general.”

The statement issued in Minna, Niger State, yesterday added: “The contest was keen, the campaigns were tense and tough, the outcome has proven, once again, that if anyone desires gold, he must dig deeper into the mould. After all the tempers and palpable fear of a violent election, I am excited that Anambra people disappointed all bookmakers by making sure the election turned out free, fair and credible. What is most gratifying for me is that the deserved winner, Soludo, has extended his hand of fellowship to his fellow contestants to create the right atmosphere for a robust leadership engagement for Anambra State.

That is the way to go in contemporary leadership contestation in a democracy to champion inclusive leadership that caters for all. The “battle” and contestations are over, this is the time to forge ahead in the light of so many challenges that deserve urgent attention.

“Let me congratulate Soludo on his victory after such a hard fought political battle, travelling round all the 21 local governments to solicit votes. Aside from being such a brilliant mind, his understanding of the intricate logic of the Nigerian federation, having served in various capacities, would help broaden his horizon as he contends with the leadership of governing the good people of Anambra State.

“As a man who understands the nexus between promise and performance, he must immediately jumpstart the process of collating ideas on how to confront the developmental challenges facing Anambra State. He must reach out to great minds cut across the state to stimulate the right ideas and attract capable hands that would help him to actualise his manifesto. Victory is one, being able to achieve the purpose of governance is another. I wish him well.”

Ihedioha lauds electorate, salutes Ozigbo

Immediate past governor of Imo State, Emeka Ihedioha, has commended residents of Anambra State over what he described as resilience of the electorate.

In a statement he personally signed, he felicitated with Soludo, even as he commended the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Valentine Ozigbo for his impressive outin.

“I am delighted to note that, in the spirit of sportsmanship and patriotism, most of the candidates of other political parties in the contest have called to congratulate Soludo on his victory. I wish to urge him to be magnanimous in victory and take steps also to reach out to his co-contestants for the good of the state.

“Once more, I commend the spirit. It is the spirit that should pervade our polity, especially the South East. This victory is not for Anambrarians alone, but for our region and democracy.”

Nwoye calls on Anambrarians to support him

Tony Nwoye has described Soludo’s victory as an idea whose time has come and called on Anambrarians to  rally round him as the development and growth of the state should be top on their priorities, especially now that the state needs a concerted effort to regain the pride of place in the comity of states in Nigeria.

He commended the security personnel’s and INEC for being upright in the discharge of their duties and also urged Soludo to be magnanimous in victory as there are enormous work to be done.