FLASHBACK: How Anambra Governor-Elect, Soludo Escaped Assassination Eight Months Before Election Victory

Florence Obi, Returning Officer of the Anambra Governorship Election, had announced the result at the INEC office in Awka, Anambra State.

A former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Prof Charles Soludo, was on Wednesday declared winner of the Anambra governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Florence Obi, Returning Officer of the Anambra Governorship Election, had announced the result at the INEC office in Awka, Anambra State.

“That Charles Chukwuma Soludo of APGA, having satisfied the requirements of the law is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected,” Obi declared.

Interestingly, his victory came months after he narrowly escaped death.

Recall that on March 31, unknown gunmen attacked Soludo in Isuofia, Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra state, killing at least three policemen attached to him.

Soludo, 61, won with 112,229 votes beating Valentine Ozigbo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who garnered 53,807 votes to second place and Andy Uba of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who garnered 43,285 votes to third.

Ifeanyi Ubah of the Young Progressive Party (YPP) came fourth with 21,261 votes.

SaharaReporters had gathered in March that Soludo was, at the time of the attack, in the community for an interaction session.

“A couple of minutes ago, unknown gunmen disrupted the interactive session between Isuofia youth and Prof Chukwuma Soludo. In the process, three policemen were killed and one kidnapped, their rifles were also carted away. There is a serious stampede in the town centre right now,” a resident had told SaharaReporters.

The governor-elect had said his victory calls for the remembrance of the slain officers.

Soludo, who prayed for the souls of the officers to continue to rest with the Lord, also lauded the Federal Government for allowing the people of Anambra State to make their choices during the election.

He said, “At this moment we must remember and must continue to remember all those who died during the course of this moment, especially the three policemen who were killed by unknown gunmen during our town hall meeting with youths in my ward. May God continue to grant their soul eternal rest.”

Soludo is expected to be sworn into office in March 2022 after the expiration of Governor Willie Obiano’s second term in office.