BREAKING: Anambra Guber: INEC Drops Umeoji, Lists Soludo As APGA Candidate

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has replaced Michael Umeoji with Chukwuma Soludo as the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the November 6 Anambra governorship election.

Festus Okoye, INEC’s National Commissioner for Information and Voter Education, announced this in a statement on Thursday.

The commission’s decision was in compliance to a court of appeal ruling which declared Victor Oye as APGA’s authentic national chairman

Soludo, a Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, belongs to the Victor Oye-led faction of APGA.

He had scored 740 votes to defeat other candidates in APGA’s primary election conducted by Oye’s faction of the party.

The INEC statement reads, “The commission met today (Thursday August 19 202) and deliberated on a number of issues, including the nomination of candidates for the Anambra Governorship election holding on November 6 2021.

“The timetable and schedule of activities approved by the commission on January 18 2021 provides for the withdrawal/substitution of candidates in line with Sec. 35 of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended).

“Accordingly, by the deadline of July 30 2021 fixed by the commission, seven (7) governorship and eleven (11) deputy governorship candidates were substituted by eleven (11) out of the eighteen (18) political parties.

“Similarly, the commission was served with the judgement of the Court of Appeal (Kano Division) which set aside the judgement of the High Court of Jigawa State on the leadership of APGA and the nomination of its candidates for the Anambra Governorship election.

“The list of substitute candidates is attached to this Press Release. It has also been published on the commission’s website.

“However, the final list of candidates will be published on October 7 2021 as provided in the timetable and schedule of activities for the election.”