Soludo,
Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State has described the outcome of Saturday’s by-elections in the state as a complete rejection of the Labour Party (LP) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC), declaring both parties “dead” and “non-existent” in Anambra.
Speaking at a victory celebration in Nanka, Orumba North Local Government Area on Sunday, Soludo praised the performance of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), which won both the Anambra South Senatorial seat and the Onitsha North I State Constituency seat.
“The ADC does not exist in Anambra. We showed it yesterday. Labour Party is dead,” Soludo said, to loud applause from APGA supporters. He accused opposition parties of attempting to use the by-elections to test their strength ahead of the 2027 general elections, but claimed the results proved APGA’s firm control in the state.
“They wanted to use it as a test case for the new concoction called ADC in Anambra, but that election was won by APGA. We won with about 77%, a very emphatic statement. The signal we sent was that both ADC and Labour Party are dead in Anambra,” the governor added.
Soludo also made veiled references to Peter Obi, former Anambra governor and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, who openly backed ADC candidates in the rerun elections.
“That’s his state constituency; he lives in Onitsha. They brought in everyone, the senators from different zones, House of Reps members, all to fight APGA. But who were they really fighting? The people,” Soludo said.
In the Anambra South Senatorial District race, INEC declared APGA’s Emmanuel Nwachukwu winner with 90,408 votes, defeating APC’s Azuka Okwuosa (19,847 votes) and ADC’s Donald Amangbo (2,889 votes).
The seat became vacant following the death of Senator Ifeanyi Ubah in July 2024.
For the Onitsha North I State Constituency by-election, APGA’s Ifeoma Azikiwe emerged victorious, defeating candidates from ADC, LP, and APC.
ADC’s Justina Azuka, widow of the slain lawmaker Justice Azuka, came second with 1,909 votes.
Soludo used the opportunity to reassert APGA’s dominance in the state ahead of the November 8, 2025, governorship election, in which he is seeking a second term.
The governor also used the platform to dismiss the emerging opposition coalition linked to Obi and the ADC, suggesting their momentum has already been neutralized in Anambra.
Peter Obi has identified with the ADC-led coalition aiming to build a strong challenge to President Bola Tinubu’s expected re-election bid in 2027.
However, Soludo has dismissed Obi’s campaign as weak and recently criticized politicians proposing single-term presidencies as needing “psychiatric evaluation.”
Soludo, who also recently visited President Tinubu in Abuja, insisted he has “no apologies” for his longstanding friendship with the president, further fueling speculation about his national political alignment ahead of 2027.
