Governor Chukwuma Soludo has secured a second term in office until 2030 after he was declared the winner of the November 8 Anambra State governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)

According to the results announced by INEC in the early hours of Sunday, Soludo won by a landslide in the 21 local government areas of the South-East state.  

The State Returning Officer and Vice Chancellor of the University of Benin, Omoregie Edoba, declared Soludo as the winner of the exercise after the collation of results from the local government areas of the state where the election was held.

“I hereby declare that Soludo Chukwuma  Charles of the APGA, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected,” Edoba, a professor, told a gathering at the state headquarters of INEC in Awka, the state capital, where the election results were collated.

Soludo, the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), secured 422,664 votes to trounce his closest rival, the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s Nicholas Ukachukwu, who polled 99,445 votes.

Paul Chukwuma of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) came third with 37,753 votes, while John Nwosu of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) scored 8,208 votes.

George Moghalu of the Labour Party (LP) and Jude Ezenwafor of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scored 10,576 votes and 1,401 votes, respectively.

Shortly after the results were announced, there was jubilation at the residence of the governor in Isoufia community, Aguata LGA.

President Bola Tinubu, on Thursday in Abuja, stated that Nigeria remains on a steady growth trajectory, with more promise of stability and prosperity as economic reforms continue to yield results and gain national and international acceptance.

The President spoke at the Federal Executive Council after the swearing-in of two ministers, Dr Bernard Mohammed Doro, and Dr Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh (SAN). Doro will manage the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, while Udeh will oversee the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology.

On the current state of the economy and the relationship between Nigeria and the United States, President Tinubu assured that the Federal Government was engaging with the world diplomatically.

“The most important thing is the fact that despite the political headwinds and the fear of our people, we will continue to engage with partners.

“The success of the $2.3 billion eurobond that was oversubscribed by 400% is the most assuring. So, the task ahead is immense; we are engaging the world diplomatically, and we assure all of you that we will defeat terrorism in this country.

“The task ahead is immense, but it is our resolve to move forward with unity and purpose, guided by the Renewed Hope Agenda to build a prosperous, inclusive and resilient Nigeria.”

On the security challenges facing the country, President Tinubu, as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, charged Nigerians not to succumb to despair, assuring that the government will defeat every form of terrorism and secure every part of the country.

He called Ministers and other officials to ensure consistency in communication and avoid discordant messaging.
“Do we have problems? Yes. Are we challenged by terrorism? Yes. But we will defeat terrorism. We will overcome the CPC designation. Nigeria is one happy family, and we shall spare no effort until we eliminate all criminals from our society. We want our friends to help us as we step up our fight against terrorism, and we will eliminate it,” President Tinubu assured.

During the cabinet meeting, President Tinubu, who directed Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, to brief the Council on the nation’s economic performance, stated that the government will continue to sustain and consolidate the gains.

Earlier in his address, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy noted that the macroeconomic indicators showed the economy had picked up, with one of the best results in the last decade.

Edun said: “The reforms that have been taken under your Renewed Hope Agenda, so bold and sometimes unpopular, are rooted in a clear objective to build a competitive economy that attracts, creates jobs and lifts millions out of poverty.

“In Q2 2025, Nigeria’s GDP grew by 4.23%, the highest in a decade, outside the COVID rebound. Thirteen sectors recorded growth above 7% up from nine sectors in the previous quarter.

“The industrial sector nearly doubled its growth from 3.72% to 7.45%, reflecting rising productivity and investor confidence. Inflation eased to 18.02% in September 2025. As we know, foreign exchange reserves topped $43 billion, and our trade surplus reached N7.4 trillion.

“Clear examples of macroeconomic stability, as the consumer spending basket published earlier this year shows, our citizens now spend maybe about half of the income on basic needs, food, shelter and clothing, as compared with almost 90% previously.

“This signals a country moving from subsistence towards productivity and indeed affluence.”

The minister said the vision of reaching a one trillion dollar economy by 2030 was achievable by pursuing a 7% annual growth and a commitment to ending poverty as a moral imperative.

“Nigeria’s removal from the Financial Action Task Force Grey List marks a major milestone in strengthening our financial integrity and confidence.

“At the recent World Bank/IMF annual meetings, global leaders commended our reforms, our progress and the revised IMF growth forecast of up to nearly 4% and improved credit ratings,” the minister added.

He said there was an urgency to mobilise domestic resources and provide investment to finance infrastructure, as well as drive sustainability and job-rich growth.

Yesterday’s hugely successful $2.35 billion Eurobond issuance, in which the order book peaked at over $13 billion, is a testament to continued investor confidence in our country, our reform agenda and Mr President’s leadership.

“Despite the political headwinds which we are all aware of, the market shrugged off those political considerations and focused on the economic fundamentals of Nigeria” he stated.

For greater inclusivity, Edun urged ministers overseeing sectors such as infrastructure, mining, education, health, agriculture, the blue economy, digital innovation, arts, and culture to collaborate with sub-national governments to identify and package projects that meet investor expectations.

“Every Naira must be optimised to sustain momentum amid global liquidity constraints. Where there is less funding from multilateral institutions, we must rely on our own resources. The next phase of reforms will remove barriers holding back investors. We will review tariffs and import restrictions to stimulate productivity and investment,” he said.

Courtesy: State House, Abuja

Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has sensationally described U.S. President Donald Trump as a “petty-minded dictator” whose rise to power fuelled hate-driven violence and worsened racial tensions in the United States.

Speaking in an interview with BBC News Pidgin on Facebook on Wednesday, Soyinka said Trump’s presidency exposed the “dark side” of America and emboldened acts of hatred, particularly against minorities.

“This is a petty-minded dictator. You see how he deals with his objects of hate,” Soyinka said, barely two weeks after the Trump administration announced permanent revocation of his entry visa to the country.

“We saw that dark side of the American side. There were more killings, extrajudicial killings by the police of black people, of minorities, during that build-up, during the campaign, and on account of hate rhetoric, the hate rhetoric of this individual,” he added.

The Nobel Laureate noted that Trump’s campaign rhetoric normalised hate speech and created a climate of intolerance that had lasting consequences.

Soyinka recalled that he had earlier warned about Trump’s leadership style, predicting that one of his first actions as president would be to target immigrants.

“I saw it and I said, listen very carefully, and you can go and check this, I said, ‘When that man comes to power, the first thing he will do is cancel even the green cards’,” he said.

The literary icon, who has often criticised authoritarian tendencies in global politics, maintained that Trump’s administration reflected a deep moral and cultural decline within American society, particularly in its treatment of minorities.