Nicholas Ukachukwu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the Anambra governorship election, has painted a dramatic picture of last Saturday’s poll, describing it as marred by intimidation and irregularities, even as he vowed to consult his supporters before taking any post-election action.
While Professor Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) was declared the winner with 422,664 votes, Ukachukwu, who came second with 99,445 votes, suggested that the election was far from a level playing field.
Speaking at a press briefing in Awka, he alleged that “my supporters, including my running mate, were intimidated by thugs and prevented from casting their votes. One of our agents was detained until after the election.”
Ukachukwu said the alleged harassment and violence, including the burning of an APC supporter’s house, could not be ignored.
“Whatever decision I make, I must carry those 99,445 voters who voted for me along. They voted because they want Anambra to move forward,” he said.
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Despite the setbacks, Ukachukwu stressed the APC’s resilience and emerging strength in the state.
“For the first time in the history of the election, the APC scored almost 100,000 votes without any inducement. The people spoke, and APC is here to stay,” he added.
He also questioned the widespread accusations of vote-buying, insisting that the party’s candidates had no capacity to manipulate voters financially.
“If the APGA candidate bought votes, the result would have been obvious. The violence targeted our supporters,” Ukachukwu said.
The candidate concluded that the party is still gathering detailed reports from its agents and would carefully weigh the next steps, signalling that the post-election period in Anambra could still see political maneuvers and challenges to the declared results.