Uzodinma: Anambra Governorship Election Greeted By High Level Of Insecurity, Apathy

By Gideon Njoku

Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma, has given an inkling into what happened during the November 6, 2021, Anambra State Governorship election.

Uzodinma was the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC National Campaign Committee for the election.

However,  the APC made no impact at the polls, considering the number of  high profile defections to it both from the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, and theAll Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA.

The APGA candidate, Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo was declared the winner of the election in a landslide, beating the APC candidate, Senator Andy Uba, to a distant third position. While Soludo won 19 Local Government Areas out of 21, and secured more than 25 per cent in the remaining two, Uba lost in all the LGA’s including his own.

Speaking for the first time on the Election, in his capacity as the APC Chairman for the Election  Campaign Committee, to State House Correspondents after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday, December 7, 2021, the Governor said: “Anambra election, of course, you know the election has come and gone and other things may be post-election activities.”

Asked if he discussed his party’s performance with the President, Uzodinma said: “Of course, I was able to explain to the President, how we tried in the election, we campaigned very rigorously and we also converted a lot of people to APC. The election was greeted by voter apathy and a high level of insecurity in Anambra and the turnout was very low. Other decisions or positions will be taken by the leadership of the party. I’ve done mine as the chairman of the campaign committee.”

He had no opinion, as such,  on the decision of Uba to challenge the outcome of the poll in Court, but he disagreed with those who think Uba should not have challenged the results after Mr President, the leader of the Party  had congratulated Soludo on his victory.

Uzodinma: “Andy Ubah’s going to Court or not going to Court  has nothing to do with Mr. President congratulating somebody, whom INEC has declared winner of the election.

“Of course, he is President of all, he’s not the President of one political party, he’s the President of all political parties and the President of all the candidates in that election. Of course, in every contest, a winner must emerge and in the wisdom of INEC and to the best of their ability, they’ve declared the results of the election.”

He said Soludo has the right to go to Court if he felt aggrieved at its  outcome, especially, as the law allows and supports that.

Uzodinma: “The same Electoral Act that allows INEC to declare results of an election, also, allows aggrieved candidates to seek for redress in Court , if they so desire. But every other thing will be the decision taken by the candidate and the party. I’m not the party, I’m not the Chairman of the party, I’m not the leader of the party, I just did an assignment as the Chairman of the campaign committee.”

A former Governor of Imo State, now a Senator representing Imo West at the Senate, Rochas Okorocha, has a different opinion. He said in a recent interview that Andy Uba has no case to present in Court. Uba was beaten fair and square, he posited, and would only ridicule himself in Court. “I will call him and ask him not to try that”, Okorocha said.