Politics
Soludo in early lead, wins 7 local governments as voting continues today
The All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA has maintained an easy clearing seven local governments so far concluded and announced BY INEC.
So far, in the 7 LGAs concluded and announced, APGA has won all.
They are
Orumba South
Awka South
Onitsha South
Anambra East
Njikoka
Aguata
Anaocha
The results are accessible on the INEC results platform through the electronic transmission system.
Meanwhile, three top contenders in the yet-to-be concluded Anambra State governorship election, which commenced on Saturday, have won their respective polling units.
This was prior to the announcement by the Independent National Electoral Commission that voting would continue on Sunday (today).
The extension was due to the malfunctioning of the newly deployed Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, which disrupted accreditation and voting in some areas, the commission said.
The top contenders were the candidates of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Chukwuma Soludo; All Progressives Congress, Andy Uba; and Peoples Democratic Party, Valentine Ozigbo.
The APC candidate, who voted at Saint Peter’s Catholic School, Uga Ward 16, Polling Unit 10 of Aguata Local Government, scored 80, followed by APGA with 10 votes, YPP scored five votes while PDP scored two votes.
The candidate of the PDP, who voted at polling unit 010 Social Center, Ward 005, of the Aguata Local Government, Area scored 75 votes, followed by APGA with eight votes while the APC scored two.
The candidate of APGA, who voted at Isuofia Ward 13, Unit 002 in the Aguata LGA, scored 126 votes while PDP scored five and both APC and YPP scored three votes each.
Voter apathy, late arrival of materials, vote-buying mar polls
Meanwhile, the election was marred by voter apathy, vote-buying, late arrival of materials and the malfunction of the BVAS machine.
Despite the efforts by INEC to ensure a hitch-free exercise, there were several complaints from voters in towns like Awka, Onitsha, Nnewi, Isuofia and some other parts of the state.
Voting was expected to start by 8.30am but as of 11am voting was yet to commence in most centres in Awka, the state capital. With over two hours into the voting exercise, the people of Mgbakwu in Awka North were still awaiting voting materials, which later arrived after midday.
Party agents and voters waiting at Central School lamented the absence of materials and electoral officers. The school houses the two polling units in the town.
A party agent, Benneth Aniezeofor, lamented that the development would impact the exercise negatively as people might lose interest.
“Late arrival of materials will disenfranchise many voters and people may run out of patience and leave which is not good for the election,” he added.
Another resident said, “We called them and they told us the materials and polling officers were on the way. We also got the information that the vehicle being used to convey the material developed a fault in the way. One can only hope that the materials will arrive. We have to vote.”
When contacted, the spokesperson for INEC in the state, Reginald Onyeukwu, directed one of our correspondents to his superior.
He said, “I am far away at Aghamelum, please make a report to my HOD in the office, maybe there are some problems.”
Due to low voter turnout at Nkwo Market Square in Akwa Central, party agents were seen going from one house to another and calling family members and friends on the telephone to come out and vote.
One of the party agents, Joseph Nnake, attributed the apathy to fear, saying low voter turnout could mar the exercise. He also described the election as peaceful.
One of our correspondents observed vote-buying at the Nkwo Market Square. Voters were paid N2,500. After voting, the interested voters were ushered to a secluded room to collect the money. A police officer was also heard telling his junior colleague to collect their own share of the money from party agents.
At Ward 19, Unit 8 at the Ezenifite Town Hall, Okpuno in Awka South Local Government Area, voting finally commenced at about 9.35am.
The Registration Area Officer, Ibrahim Ganiyu, disclosed that they worked overnight at the centre to ensure that ad hoc staff moved to the field early on Saturday. He noted that corps members needed further guidance regarding the process.
Reports from other local government areas across the state indicated that voting did not commence at 8.30am. A 63-year-old woman, Madam Theresa, said she would wait till voting started.
“I am a native of Cross River State but my late husband hailed from this town. I came out to vote. I am not afraid of any kind of harassment or intimidation. Even if they shoot me, I will die and go to where my late husband is,” she said.
At Ward 9, Ezimezi in Amawbia, Awka South Local Government, a mild drama ensued as voters protested the instruction by the presiding officer, Ahmed Abdulahi, who said ‘No facemask, no voting’.
Irked by the order, a former Anambra State House of Assembly member, Chikodi Aghanya, described the instruction as “rubbish”.
A presiding officer however explained that it was INEC’s instruction and they would implement it, while admitting that they were having challenges with the network to operate.
Meanwhile, Governor Willie Obiano and his deputy, Dr Nkem Okeke, hailed the process, describing it as transparent.
The governor, who has cast his ballot at Eri Primary School, Unit 004, Otuocha 1, Aguleri, Anambra East LGA of the state said, “I appeal to Ndi Anambra to come out and vote as the voting exercise would last for only a few hours. I commend the voting process, it was fast and easy. I am optimistic that the entire exercise would be free and fair across the state.”
Why I displayed my ballot paper – Deputy gov
The deputy governor, who had dumped APGA for the APC weeks before the election, displayed his ballot paper to other voters before dropping it in the ballot box.
Okeke, who voted at Ward 3, polling unit 005, Umueze Awozu, Enugwu-Ukwu, said he did so to dispel rumours that he had returned to APGA. He commended INEC for the new technology it deployed for the exercise.
He stated, “I had to reveal my ballot paper because there have been rumours that I had defected back to APGA, which is not true. You just saw that I voted for my party, the APC,” he added.
“I’m impressed with the turnout. The process was transparent. Credit should be given to the Federal Government for providing the enabling environment. The presence of the security personnel gave the people courage to come out to vote.
“This is the easiest voting experience I have ever had; the process is unified. In previous elections, I had issues with fingerprints, but this was different.”
However, at Alor Ward 1 in the Idemili South Local Government Area, scores of voters could not vote as of 11.46am as the BVAS machine did not respond.
The presiding officer, who asked not to be named, said the BVAS could not capture the voters.
The National Chairman of APGA, Chief Victor Oye, expressed reservations over the exercise, especially the poor performance of the BVAS machine.
Oye, while voting at Amawbia ward 3, Polling Unit 003 in Awka South Local Government, said, “With the massive turnout of voters at the polling unit, I am afraid that many eligible voters might be disenfranchised. It appears INEC is working in partnership with APC to rig the election.”
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, who battled with the BVAS for over an hour waited to cast his vote despite the hiccup.
Read Also
Anambra election: NYSC hails corps members
CSO decries vote-buying, low turnout in Anambra election
Anambra 2021: Election like no other
The minister called on INEC to make arrangements for manual accreditation when the machine fails so the people could exercise their franchise.
He said, “I have been here for over an hour without success. I’m not impressed. The failure rate is between 25 and 30 per cent. This is not encouraging. INEC should not be packing the equipment after each election. They should be testing such machines a week before elections in a mock trial. I won’t leave here until I vote.”
Meanwhile, the APC candidate, Andy Uba, who spoke at Otiogba Centre, Ugah Ward 1 polling unit 015, 021, 022, stated that he was optimistic that he would win given the defections into the party before the election.
He added, “I have voted without any problem. The BVAS is working in my polling unit and I am sure INEC is working to fix the problems that have been noticed.”
The PDP candidate, Mr Valentine Ozigbo, called for an extension of voting hours to ensure that no eligible voter was denied the opportunity to vote.
He said, “I call on INEC to extend the voting hours to allow eligible voters to cast their ballot since the delay is not their fault but it is due to the malfunctioning BVAS.”
Also, the candidate of APGA, Charles Soludo, said his party would win the election if the election was free, fair and credible. The BVAS, however, malfunctioned in his polling unit, causing a delay for hours.
Soludo, who voted at 5.10pm after waiting for almost six hours, said he had to remain in the queue for the women and the aged people to vote as soon as the BVAS started working.
After casting his vote, he commended INEC for its efforts to ensure a peaceful and smooth process, while thanking the people for being calm and peaceful in spite of the logistics challenges.
He said, “I voted after a long wait and there was no way I would jump the queue. My 90-year-old father was also in the queue, so allowing them to vote before me was the right thing to do. I believe the will of God will prevail no matter the delay.”
My intention is to become servant leader’
Speaking with journalists on Saturday after voting, Soludo said his people urged him to contest and that his aim was to win the election with a wide margin and be a servant leader.
He said, “I always say that I am an incredible optimist. When we were in court after the primaries, I did make a statement that the judiciary will always come through and that went to the Appeal Court and the Supreme Court. They actually came through.
“It is not just winning, but winning with a wide margin. I’m more interested in the legitimacy of the process, because for me the mandate I seek is people’s mandate to be their servant leader and that is satisfactory to me.”
Also, a former governor of the state, Mr Peter Obi, also said he was disappointed with the malfunctioning of the BVAS and delay in the commencement of voting.
Speaking with journalists after casting his vote at his Umudim Akasi ward 2, unit 019 in Agulu Community, Anaocha Local Government Area of the state, Obi stated, “It took a while for the exercise to start and when it did, the BVAS were not working, which shouldn’t be. I have also been getting calls from across the state.
“For most communities, the problem is the non-arrival of all voting materials and of course here (Agulu town), there was a delay, which shouldn’t be. I have voted and in this boot there is always voter turnout. My appeal is that no eligible voter should be allowed to go without voting.”
Meanwhile, counting of votes began in several polling units on Saturday evening, including Unit 002 Ward 01, Ekwulu Village Hall, Umuona and Units 004, 005, 006 and 007. Also at Units 014 and 013 Ward 001 in Community High School, Nanka in Orumba North Local Government, voting was still in progress as of 5pm.
INEC extends voting till Sunday
Meanwhile, INEC extended voting till Sunday in areas where voting could not be concluded on Saturday.
The state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr Nkwachukwu Orji, said at a press briefing at the commission’s headquarters in Awka, the state capital, on Saturday that the poll would open at 8.30am and close at 4pm on Sunday.
He said the revised closing time would apply to areas where polling units opened after 8.30am.
He said, “In line with existing regulations and guidelines of the commission, any intending voter who is in the queue by 4pm shall be allowed to vote. All Polling Units staff must comply with this directive.
“The time extension arose out of several field reports that voters had problems with accreditation. The commission is currently investigating the reason the accreditation devices, Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, worked perfectly in some polling units but not in others. In some of the cases, it would seem that this resulted from software glitches.
“Our technicians have already built an update for the device software to prevent further challenges. The update is currently being installed in the concerned BVAS and we request voters, candidates and agents to be patient and allow our technical staff to solve the problem.
“The commission wishes to reiterate that in cases of sustained malfunction of the BVAS, the Presiding Officer must inform the voters and polling agents that accreditation and voting for the affected polling unit shall continue tomorrow or at another time determined by the commission.”
The REC promised that no voter would be disenfranchised. He, however, lamented that some ad hoc staff and transporters contracted to move polling materials and personnel failed to show up.
He added, “Our deployment has also been adversely affected by transport challenges in some locations. It must be noted that on account of security concerns, some of the transporters that were mobilised and collected 50 per cent of their sign-on fee backed out at the last moment, leaving some of our ad hoc staff stranded.
“Also, some of the trained ad hoc staff backed out at the last moment. The commission is on top of these challenges and extant regulations and guidelines will be applied on a case-by-case basis.
“Consequently, we are harvesting areas where voting will realistically no longer take place today, including places where substantial disruption has occurred to enable a possible recommencement of voting at another time, in line with extant laws and the regulations and guidelines of the commission.
“We appeal to all voters, candidates, stakeholders, communities and political parties to remain calm and law-abiding. We assure you that the commission is determined to make all votes count.”
Security agents commended for tight security
Our correspondents observed that in spite of the apprehension over the election, the exercise was peaceful. Voters, party agents, candidates and other stakeholders commended the security agents for a peaceful poll. Security was tight in different parts of the state and at the polling units.
It was also observed that three policemen were assigned to each polling unit while soldiers and men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps patrolled the major highways and streets.
Also, INEC headquarters in the state where the final results would be announced was heavily guarded by policemen and soldiers as of the time of filing this report.
A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, noted that the presence of the security personnel helped to curb violence. “It is good that the many security personnel were brought to the state for this election. There was no problem and no violence was recorded,” he said.
As of 7.41pm, patrol teams were on the Onitsha/Enugu highway to ensure that the state remained peaceful.
A former Kano State Governor and leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, Rabiu Kwankwaso, says northern political leaders conducted a deliberate assessment of potential allies before settling on Peter Obi as the most capable partner to prosecute the 2027 presidential campaign.
He dismissed concerns about a hidden power struggle between his camp and Obi’s.Politics
Kwankwaso made the disclosure in an interview on Arise TV on Monday, offering one of his most detailed accounts yet of how the North-Southeast political alliance within the NDC was formed.
“I looked around together with our leadership in the north to say, okay, who do we think is capable? Who can come and work together with us honestly so that we can move this country? Along the line, we realised that Peter Obi is at the forefront of it. That’s why we all accepted to work together,” he said.Political candidate profile
Kwankwaso, a two-term former governor of Kano State and the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party in 2023, leads the Kwankwasiyya movement, a grassroots political force with deep loyalty across Kano and parts of northern Nigeria.Nigeria travel guide
He left the NNPP amid internal disputes before joining the NDC alongside Obi earlier this month.
Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, ran on the Labour Party platform in 2023 and drew massive youth-driven support across the South and urban centres, though he did not win.
Both men formally joined the NDC on Sunday, May 3, defecting from the crisis-hit African Democratic Congress.Politics
At the party’s national convention on Saturday in Abuja, Kwankwaso backed the NDC’s decision to zone its 2027 presidential ticket to the South, describing it as a step toward fairness, healing and national cohesion.
Responding to a question about whether the alliance concealed a quiet rivalry between both camps, Kwankwaso argued that friction between principals and their deputies was a product of greed, not structural tension.
“The problem people are having, especially leaders, is that they are too greedy to the extent that they begin to have issues. There is so much to do. You don’t have to fight your deputy,” he said.
He said his record as a former deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, and later as governor of Kano State, showed that political partnerships could hold under pressure.
“I had an opportunity to work with my speaker and we worked very well. I was in Kano for eight years despite the difficulty of my then deputy governor. We were able to work for eight years amicably to the extent that I handed over to him,” he said.
Kwankwaso extended the argument beyond his personal experience, saying the same principle applied at the federal level.
In the Senate and other places, in the NDDC, we worked amicably with people. There is so much to be done and that’s why you have even ministers, other executives, advisors and so on. I don’t see from my experiences of the past why deputies or vice would fight with the president or governor,” he said.
He grounded the alliance in Nigerian political history, tracing a lineage of productive North-Southeast partnerships from the first republic to the present.Nigeria travel guide
“Right from the beginning, this sort of alliance has been in existence. Now we are going back to what Tafawa Balewa did during their time,” he said.
He also referenced the collaboration between former Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa and leaders of the NCNC, as well as that of former President Shehu Shagari and his vice president, Alex Ekwueme, in the second republic.
“So also in the second republic, immediately after the war, our leaders, Shagari and others, worked very closely with the southeast, with Alex Ekwueme as his vice president. They are our friends. We want to work together with them,” he said.Politics
Kwankwaso also noted that subsequent administrations had shifted power-sharing away from the South-East, a pattern he suggested the current alliance was correcting.
“There was a change during the third republic where for many obvious reasons an election was annulled and the government under the military decided to bring in Shonekan from the South-West.
Even after that, the military and other leaders worked together and brought in Chief Olusegun Obasanjo from the South-West again. Even Bola Tinubu probably is a beneficiary of all that,” he said.
He was emphatic that the choice of Obi was not driven by regional sentiment alone.
“It wasn’t just because we are going to the South-West just because of the South-West. No. We realised that Peter Obi is at the forefront of it and that’s why we all accepted to work together,” he said.Political candidate profile
The movement of both men into the NDC has triggered a wave of defections, with senators, House of Representatives members and political blocs aligned with their former coalition gravitating toward the new party, rapidly reshaping calculations ahead of the 2027 elections.
The alliance pairs Kwankwaso’s northern grassroots structure and disciplined voter mobilisation with Obi’s national youth engagement and urban electoral momentum, positioning the NDC as one of the main opposition platforms set to challenge President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress in 2027
Former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso has dismissed suggestions that his exit from the African Democratic Congress has created a damaging split in the opposition.
He said he and Atiku Abubakar may yet work together before the 2027 general election.
Kwankwaso spoke in an interview on Arise TV on Monday, responding to concerns that his move to the Nigeria Democratic Congress alongside Peter Obi had effectively divided the opposition into two competing blocs ahead of the polls.
“Now, we may still work together before the election. I personally, and I think even Obi himself, decided to leave ADC not because we are fighting with Atiku or anybody there. We decided to leave that party because we realised that there are some issues,” he said
He said the ADC was contending with three major unresolved problems that he believed would make it difficult for the party to field candidates, without specifying what those issues were.
“Whether they will be able to field candidates in that party or not is just a matter of time. It’s not like we had a primary election,” he said
The remarks come after Atiku recently claimed on Arise TV that Kwankwaso’s popularity was confined to Kano State and further divided there by Governor Abba Yusuf.
Atiku, who is seeking the presidency on the ADC platform, also described himself as the most popular politician of northern extraction, saying none of his contemporaries, including Kwankwaso, Aminu Tambuwal and Nasir El-Rufai, commanded a voter base across the North as wide as his.
Kwankwaso did not engage the slight directly, but made clear he bore no grudge.
“Politics is just like a game. I’m not fighting anybody and I’m not expecting anybody to fight me. I have no issue with that. I think we are past that level now,” he said.
He challenged those predicting a vote split in Kano to wait for the election result before drawing conclusions.
“Let’s wait for the election and see whether votes are split in Kano or not,” he said.
Kwankwaso also acknowledged a history of working with Atiku, recalling that he served as the former vice president’s northern coordinator during the 2019 presidential election.
“There was an election in 2019 in Port Harcourt. He won the election. I was his coordinator for the north. We worked for him,” he said.
He traced his broader relationship with Atiku to the 2015 APC presidential primary in Lagos, where he placed second behind Muhammadu Buhari, with Atiku third.
By Okey Maduforo, Awka
The Anambra State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has expelled 30 members of the party for instituting legal actions against the party.
The affected members include some aspirants for the National Assembly, and their expulsion may disqualify them from participating in the party’s primary elections.
Disclosing this shortly after the meeting of the State Executive Committee (SEC) of the party, the State Publicity Secretary, Dr. Sir Valentine Iyiegbu, told reporters that the decision was in line with Section 21, Subsection 5 of the party’s constitution.
“The party discussed those who took the party to court, and many of them are contesting for the House of Representatives tickets of the party,” he said.
“The matter comes up tomorrow, and the SEC stated that what the party constitution stipulates would be followed, which is outright expulsion from the party under Article 21, Subsection 5.”
“The SEC actually ratified their expulsion because they did not exhaust all the internal avenues provided by the party to resolve their grievances,” he added.
Iyiegbu noted that the only reprieve available to the expelled members would be for them to withdraw their court cases.
“It is only when the matters are withdrawn from the court that the party can consider listening to them,” he said.
Speaking on the party’s primary elections, he explained:
“In the case of those contesting for the tickets of the Federal House of Representatives, all the eleven positions have aspirants, while for the Senate, the three positions are also being contested. The screening committees were here to perform their duties,” he noted.
The party also ratified the appointment of a five-man Primary Elections Committee headed by Sir Izuchukwu Okeke, the State Organising Secretary of the party.
By PETRUS OBI
Frontline aspirant for the Aninri/Awgu/Oji-River Federal Constituency seat, Anayo Onwuegbu, has successfully completed the screening exercise conducted by the All Progressives Congress House of Representatives screening panel in Abuja ahead of the party primaries scheduled for Friday, May 15, 2026.
Speaking after the exercise, Onwuegbu expressed satisfaction with the screening process, describing it as a reflection of the party’s commitment to internal democracy, transparency, and credible leadership selection ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The aspirant, who is seeking to represent Aninri/Awgu/Oji-River Federal Constituency under the platform of the APC, stated that he remains focused and prepared to continue to offer quality representation to the people of the constituency.
According to him, “The process once again highlights our party’s commitment to internal democracy, transparency, and the emergence of credible leadership as we prepare for the 2027 general elections.”
He reaffirmed his dedication to the development of the constituency, pledging to serve the people with commitment and purpose if elected.
The APC House of Representatives primaries are expected to hold nationwide on Friday as aspirants battle for the party’s tickets ahead of the 2027 elections.
By Okey Maduforo, Awka
Ten communities that make up Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra State are set for a showdown with their traditional rulers following the alleged suspension of the zoning arrangement for the Anambra State House of Assembly elections.
Recall that on April 7, 2022, the traditional rulers, in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), resolved that the House of Assembly seats for Anaocha I and Anaocha II constituencies would rotate among the ten communities, with each town occupying the seat for two terms.
The traditional rulers further resolved that the rotation would subsist irrespective of the political party through which lawmakers emerge, noting that the arrangement was aimed at ensuring that all ten communities have the opportunity to produce members of the State Assembly in the interest of equity and fairness.
However, the Anaocha Equity Forum, shortly after its meeting, expressed concern over the alleged suspension of the zoning arrangement.
Speaking, the Convener of the Anaocha Equity Forum, Mr. Valentine Okoye, said the forum would not take kindly to what it described as acts capable of destabilising the council area, adding that any such move would be resisted.
“This is a Memorandum of Understanding signed by our traditional rulers, and it has been respected until now. We in the Anaocha Equity Forum see this as a slap on the sensibilities of the ten communities that make up the area,” he said.
“We urge members of the public, political parties, and stakeholders to disregard the alleged position of the traditional rulers, as it does not represent the views and aspirations of our people.
“Our traditional rulers should be mindful of their roles as fathers of their respective communities. They should also understand that they would be held responsible for whatever backlash or consequences may arise from this recent position.
“We call on Governor Charles Soludo to call the traditional rulers to order so that the peace currently enjoyed in Anaocha Local Government Area will not be disrupted,” he stated.
-
News3 days ago“Go and Verify”: How Sunday Umeha Is Redefining Representation in Ezeagu/Udi
-
News3 days ago
Chief Sir Paul Chukwuma Lays His Beloved Sister to Rest
-
Politics4 days ago
Anambra Communities Boil As Group Carpets Traditional Rulers Over Zoning
-
Crime5 days agoAnambra Police Burst Gunmen Armoury in Orumba
-
News5 days agoEnugu, SSDO advance domestic resource mobilisation for climate responsive budgeting
-
News4 days ago2027: Anambra ADC Intact Despite Obi, Kwankwaso Departure – Guber Candidate
-
Tech2 days agoHow Chatgpt Detector Tools Are Changing Content Verification
-
Politics19 hours agoAPC House of Reps Screening: Onwuegbu Clears Exercise Ahead Of Primaries