By Peter Omopo
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the just-concluded Anambra State governorship election, Jude Ezenwafor, has pledged to work with Governor Chukwuma Soludo to foster peace, development, and inclusive governance in the state.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Monday, Ezenwafor described his relationship with Governor Soludo as “longstanding and cordial,” noting that both men had collaborated in the past.
“I can assist him. I have been assisting him before; he is my friend. I brought him to work in Anambra,” he said.
Ezenwafor revealed that he played a role in encouraging Soludo to contest the governorship while he served as Senior Special Assistant to former Governor Willie Obiano, adding that “there is no perfect person” but that Soludo has done well since assuming office.
While acknowledging the security challenges facing Anambra, Ezenwafor commended the Soludo administration for taking proactive steps to address them. He urged the governor to strengthen security operations and embrace inclusivity in governance.
“Soludo and his security team are working. We have competent security chiefs in Anambra. I’ll advise His Excellency to provide better equipment for security agencies — that will help end insecurity. I believe he will do more,” he said.
The PDP candidate also disclosed that he had congratulated Soludo on his re-election but vowed to hold him accountable if he underperforms. “If he doesn’t do well, I will speak. But I advise him to run an inclusive government so that Anambra will be very safe and prosperous,” he added.
Addressing allegations of vote-buying during the November 8 election, Ezenwafor dismissed the claims as exaggerated and insisted he did not engage in such practices.
“That’s their opinion. I intend to challenge in court whether vote-buying is not election rigging. Almost five political parties were involved, but I didn’t buy votes,” he said.
He further denied being a placeholder candidate, stressing that he genuinely intended to contest. “Nobody will throw away over ₦80 million just to be a figurehead. I had the intention to run. I even survived an assassination attempt and was hospitalised for three months,” he stated.
Reflecting on his political journey, Ezenwafor said he joined the race to revive the PDP in Anambra, which he described as “in a comatose state.”
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Sunday declared Governor Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) winner of the November 8 election, with 422,664 votes. His closest rival, Nicholas Ukachukwu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), scored 99,445 votes, while the PDP’s Ezenwafor finished with 1,401 votes.
According to the State Returning Officer, Professor Omoregie Edoba, 598,229 voters were accredited out of 2.78 million registered voters, with 584,054 valid votes and 11,244 rejected ballots recorded.
