The Labour Party (LP) suffered a setback on Saturday as its 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, lost his polling unit to the All Progressives Congress (APC) during e Anambra governorship election.
At polling unit 019, Agulu Ward 11, Anaocha Local Government Area — Obi’s voting centre — APC candidate Nicholas Ukachukwu secured 73 votes to defeat Labour Party’s George Moghalu, who scored 57 votes. The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) came third with 38 votes.
Speaking after casting his vote, Obi expressed disappointment over what he described as the growing trend of financial inducement among voters.
“It is sad that bad governance is fuelling vote buying and selling,” Obi said, noting that reports indicated votes were being traded for between ₦15,000 and ₦30,000 across parts of the state.
The development comes as a surprise, given that Obi had won over 95 percent of the votes in Anambra during the 2023 presidential election. Despite his active campaigning for the Labour Party ahead of the governorship poll, the party struggled to replicate that performance.
Elsewhere, APC’s Ukachukwu also won convincingly in his own polling unit at Umudiala Village, Osumenyi, Nnewi South LGA. At polling unit 12, ward 2, the APC candidate recorded 108 votes, while incumbent governor and APGA candidate Charles Soludo polled just four votes. Two votes were declared invalid, while other parties received none.
The results were sorted and announced by Maduka Evan, the presiding officer of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at the polling unit.
Meanwhile, Labour Party’s governorship candidate George Moghalu also lost in his polling unit at Uruagu Ward 1, Nnewi North LGA, despite earlier alleging widespread vote buying and voter inducement.
Ukachukwu, on his part, had expressed confidence in his performance earlier in the day, saying he was optimistic about the outcome of the election.
As vote counting continued across the state, the results from key polling units pointed to an unexpectedly competitive race in what has traditionally been considered Labour Party territory.
Melissa Enoch
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