By Vincent Ujumadu
AWKA — The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) is set to contest Saturday’s local government election in 20 of the 21 local government areas of Anambra State, with opposition parties failing to field candidates in the affected councils.
The only council where a contest is expected is Anambra East, where a candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) is challenging the incumbent local government chairman.
Speaking at a campaign rally for the election in Otuocha on Wednesday, Governor Chukwuma Soludo attributed the absence of opposition candidates to what he described as their assessment that challenging APGA would amount to a waste of resources.
Soludo said the outcome of the 2025 governorship election, in which he claimed to have secured 73 per cent of the votes, contributed to the decision by other political parties not to participate in the council poll.
“Anambra is a fortress of APGA. Following my 73 per cent score during the governorship election, other political parties felt there is no need for them to waste their money in Saturday’s local government election and that is why they ran away,” he said.
The governor said with no opposition candidates in 20 LGAs, voters in those councils would effectively be affirming the APGA candidates.
“In 20 out of the 21 LGAs, no party fielded any candidate and so in those LGAs, the people will just be doing affirmation because it is democracy.
“In 20 LGAs, no party is challenging APGA and proper election will take place only in Anambra East. Anambra is APGA and APGA is Anambra and so, none of them wanted to waste their time and money,” Soludo said.
The governor also highlighted some of his administration’s programmes, including free education, free antenatal and delivery services, youth empowerment and recruitment into the health and education sectors.
He said more than 300,000 women had benefited from the state’s free antenatal and delivery programme, while over 16,000 youths had been trained and empowered under the “One Youth, Two Skills” initiative.
Soludo added that the state had recruited 1,500 medical personnel and more than 8,000 teachers as part of efforts to strengthen primary healthcare and education.
“We’re on massive acceleration in all the sectors,” he said.
On the 2027 general elections, Soludo said APGA was already preparing for the contests, adding that the party would unveil its candidates at the appropriate time.
“After booting, we launch and when we launch, it will be tsunami. Anambra is APGA land.
“We will unveil our presidential candidate, the senatorial, House of Representatives and House of Assembly candidates at the fullness of time,” he said.
Soludo said the party would commence its campaign for the general elections at the appropriate time, adding that the state would support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the presidential election as part of efforts to sustain collaboration with the Federal Government.
“Our campaign for general elections will come, but you know that apart from the presidential election which will go to our president, others will go to APGA.
“We will vote for the president so that we will continue with our collaboration because there are so many things in the offing, which will enable us get our share from the Federal Government,” he said.
The post Anambra LG Poll: APGA set to contest unopposed in 20 LGAs appeared first on Vanguard News.