By-Elections: APGA’s Landslide Wins Signal Confidence In Soludo
By Law Mefor
With the November 8 Anambra governorship election fast approaching, the outcome of the just-concluded by-elections has sent a clear message: Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, CFR, is firmly in pole position for re-election.
The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) delivered a clean sweep, with Chief Emma Nwachukwu (Onodugo) winning the Anambra South Senatorial by-election and Barrister Mimi Ikpeazu-Azikiwe triumphing in the Onitsha North 1 House of Assembly race.
Both victories came by landslide margins, with APGA candidates securing around 70% of total valid votes.
The results left opposition candidates reeling. Their much-publicised boasts ahead of the polls collapsed under the weight of APGA’s unity, grassroots strength, and Soludo’s performance in office. As Napoleon Bonaparte once observed: “In politics, stupidity is not a handicap.”
Unity, Strategy, and Performance
Governor Soludo approached the by-elections as a strategist, ensuring a transparent primary process that produced consensus candidates and avoided rancour.
This unity within APGA translated into overwhelming support at the ballot box.
The contests also became a referendum on Soludo’s first-term achievements.
From road infrastructure and urban renewal projects in Ekwulobia, to the near-complete nursing school in Isuofia, the governor’s development agenda has touched lives across Anambra. Importantly, he has delivered without resorting to borrowing, a rare feat in Nigeria today.
So impressed were Anambra’s three senatorial zones that they not only rallied behind APGA but also honoured Soludo with the title Oluatuegwu (“man wey no dey fear work”), underscoring his reputation as a workaholic reformer.
Onitsha North: People Over Sentiment
Perhaps the most emotionally charged contest was in Onitsha North 1, where the African Democratic Congress (ADC) fielded the widow of the late Hon. Justice Azuka.
Some campaigners framed the seat as a family inheritance, even issuing death threats against voters who refused to back her.
But the electorate resisted this manipulative rhetoric, voting overwhelmingly for Ikpeazu-Azikiwe, whose candidacy reflected the people’s endorsement of Soludo’s transformation of Onitsha.
A Partnership That Works
The by-elections also highlighted the growing alignment between Soludo and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu under the banner of Progressives Working Together. Federal security agencies, particularly the police, maintained neutrality and professionalism, preventing thuggery from undermining the process.
November 8: A Fait Accompli?
Given APGA’s dominant performance and the dismal showing of ADC and Labour Party, Soludo’s path to re-election looks almost assured. Elections, after all, are not won on social media but at the grassroots, where APGA remains deeply rooted.
As the Solution Governor himself noted, individuals without even the basic qualifications required to be employed as drivers in Anambra cannot expect to be entrusted with the governorship of Nigeria’s most forward-looking state.
Anambra is APGA. APGA is Anambra. And the by-elections have once again proved the unbreakable bond between Ndi Anambra and the party that embodies their political identity.
Final Word
The message is loud and clear: APGA’s landslide victories are not just wins for Nwachukwu and Ikpeazu-Azikiwe, but a resounding vote of confidence in Soludo’s leadership. Opposition candidates may do well to rethink their strategies or even their ambitions.
As things stand, November 8 already feels like a formality.
Dr. Law Mefor is the Anambra State Commissioner for Information
