AWKA, NIGERIA — Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, was officially sworn in for a second term in office on Tuesday at the newly renovated Alex Ekwueme Square in Awka, in a ceremony attended by Vice President Kashim Shettima and former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan.
Soludo took the oath of office alongside his deputy, Dr. Onyekachukwu Ibezim, marking the formal commencement of their second tenure following a decisive victory in the November 8, 2025 governorship election.
CDA News Nigeria gathered that the governor secured re-election on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) with an overwhelming mandate, polling 422,664 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Nicholas Ukachukwu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who garnered 99,445 votes. Paul Chukwuma of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) finished third with 37,753 votes.
In a sweeping outcome, Soludo won in all 21 local government areas of the state, underscoring the electorate’s confidence in his leadership.
According to INEC data, 16 candidates contested the election, with 595,298 valid votes cast across the state’s 5,718 polling units.
The inauguration attracted dignitaries from across the country, including Vice President Kashim Shettima, who represented President Bola Tinubu
. Former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan were also present, alongside former Commonwealth Secretary-General Emeka Anyaoku, Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, and other state governors.
Traditional rulers from Anambra’s 179 communities, as well as monarchs from other parts of Nigeria, attended the ceremony, reflecting the significance of the occasion within Nigeria’s political landscape.
APGA mobilized members from all 326 political wards in the state to participate in the event.
In his inauguration speech, Soludo declared that “politics and elections are over,” calling on all Anambra residents to unite for the state’s development regardless of political affiliation.
“It’s time to work together for the development of Anambra. Politics and elections are over,” Soludo stated, adding that his re-election represented a “unanimous endorsement of his programmes and objectives” and promising that his administration would not take the people’s support for granted.
The governor thanked the federal government and the international community for partnering with his government over the last four years and appreciated members of both APGA and the APC, noting that “all progressives are working together”.
Security was heavily tightened across Awka for the ceremony, with personnel from the Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services, Nigerian Army, NSCDC, and FRSC deployed at strategic locations across the state.
Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed that security agencies were on full alert to ensure a peaceful ceremony.
CDA News Nigeria report that the governor and his deputy had marked the end of their first tenure on Sunday with an interdenominational thanksgiving service at the International Convention Centre, Awka, where Soludo thanked God and the people for their support and pledged to deliver more democratic dividends.
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