A zoning arrangement is central and in play in the Anambra governorship poll. The arrangement favours Anambra South Senatorial District.
On Saturday, Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State will face Nicholas Ukachukwu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and 14 others seeking his position in the Anambra State governorship election.
Mr Soludo, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate, was elected on 6 November 2021 and sworn in on 17 March 2022. He will conclude his first term in March 2026.
Zoning Arrangement
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A zoning arrangement is central and in play in the Anambra governorship poll. The arrangement favours Anambra South Senatorial District, so it is no wonder almost all the candidates in Saturday's poll hail from the district.
Paul Chukwuma of the Young Progressives Party is the only candidate outside the Anambra South District. He hails from Umueri in the Anambra East Local Government Area within the Anambra North District.
The zoning arrangement began when Chijioke Mbadinuju served as governor of the state from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2003 under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) platform.
Mr Mbadinuju, who died in April 2023, hailed from Uli Community in Ihiala Local Government Area, which is within the Anambra South District. He attempted to return for a second term, but failed to secure the PDP ticket. He then defected to the now-defunct Alliance for Democracy, where he emerged as the party's candidate but lost in the 2003 general elections.
Chris Ngige of the PDP, who was declared the winner of the 2003 poll by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), also hails from Anambra South District. However, on 5 August 2005, the Anambra Governorship Election Tribunal sacked him and declared Peter Obi of APGA the winner of the election.
Mr Obi was sworn into office as governor after an appeal court upheld Mr Ngige's removal in March 2006.
The emergence of Mr Obi, who hails from Agulu within the Anambra Central District, provided the district with an opportunity to take its turn in the zoning arrangement.
Mr Obi served for two terms from 2006 to 2014, although there was a brief interruption from November 2006 to February 2007 when the Anambra House of Assembly sacked him from office. The impeachment and removal were, however, overturned shortly after. His deputy, Virginia Etiaba, briefly held the position of governor during the time, making her the first female governor in Nigeria's history.
In March 2014, Mr Obi handed over to Willie Obiano, who hails from the Anambra North District. Mr Obiano, also an APGA member, governed for two terms, from 2014 to 2022, completing the zoning cycle for all three senatorial districts in the state.
Mr Obiano, on 17 March 2022, handed over to the incumbent governor, Mr Soludo, from Anambra South District, which marked the resumption of another round of rotation among the three zones.
The Major Contenders
Only four of the 16 candidates participating in the 8 November 2025 poll are considered major contenders.
They are the incumbent governor, Mr Soludo of the APGA, renowned entrepreneur, Mr Ukachukwu of the APC, a former managing director of the Nigerian Inland Waterways Authority, George Moghalu of the Labour Party (LP), and a businessman and economist, John Chuma-Nwosu of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
However, the election is considered a two-horse race between Messrs Soludo (APGA) and Ukachukwu (APC).
The candidates: Strengths and weaknesses
Charles Soludo
Mr Soludo enjoys the power of incumbency. The governor also has the financial muscle to mobilise support for his reelection.
As the person who controls the political structures in the 27 local government areas of the state, Mr Soludo is expected to leverage this to achieve victory in the poll.
Also, Mr Soludo enjoys a political alliance with President Bola Tinubu, whom he has repeatedly praised, despite their different political affiliations. While Mr Soludo is of the APGA, Mr Tinubu is a member of the APC.
Additionally, the governor has endeared himself to many people in Anambra due to his infrastructural developments and efforts against insecurity in the state. In January 2025, he launched the Agunechemba Vigilante Group and Operation Udo Ga-Achi to address the rising insecurity in Anambra.
The governor has also recorded some achievements, including the construction of many roads, such as the famous Ekwulobia Flyover (nearing completion), as well as the declaration of free education and the introduction of the state's free antenatal care and delivery policy. Two other vital accomplishments of his administration were the construction of a New Anambra Government House and the transformation of Kpoko, a notorious slum, into a thriving urban area.
Analysts say his achievements may help secure votes for his reelection.
"APGA and Soludo have permeated themselves into the nook and cranny of the state so much. In fact, you would even begin to ask yourself if the civil service in the state is being politicised too," Samuel Ololo, an Anambra-based political analyst, told PREMIUM TIMES in late October.
"Again, APGA has been in power in Anambra and has produced three administrations. And some people see APGA as an Igbo party," Mr Ololo added, suggesting that Anambra residents have embraced APGA because of its link with the Igbos.
However, several obstacles threaten Mr Soludo's reelection bid. Two of the "heavy" obstacles are his frequent hostility against Peter Obi, the 2023 LP presidential candidate, and his repeated dissociation with the Biafra agitation and the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), which appear to have eroded the governor's support and acceptance by the Anambra people.
Many Igbo-speaking people in the South-east, including those from Anambra, strongly admire Mr Obi and secretly support the Biafran agitation.
IPOB is agitating for the secession of the South-east and some parts of the South-south from Nigeria.
Again, the fact that almost all the governorship candidates in the Anambra election hail from the Anambra South District may serve as an obstacle for Mr Soludo's reelection. This means that Mr Soludo will likely share votes with 14 other candidates from the district, which will ultimately reduce the number of votes for governor.
Nicholas Ukachukwu
Mr Ukachukwu has been successful in his construction, real estate, and oil and gas businesses, among other sectors in Nigeria. However, his political career has been patchy.
Aside from Mr Ukachukwu's four-year stint at the House of Representatives, when he represented the AMAC/Bwari Constituency of the Federal Capital Territory from 1999 to 2003 under the PDP platform, he has never occupied any elective office.
He sought to represent Anambra South District in the Senate in 2003, 2011 (he was substituted before the 2011 general election), and 2019, as well as the Nnewi North/South/Ekwusigo Constituency in the House of Representatives in 2007, but failed in all.
Before now, Mr Ukachukwu had run for governor three times, in 2007, 2010, and 2013 (losing in the primary).
In his unsuccessful bids to become Anambra governor, he has been affiliated with various political parties, including the APGA, PDP, and the defunct Progressive Peoples Alliance. He joined the APC in January 2025.
Despite the recent defections of top politicians in the South-east to the APC, the party does not enjoy wide acceptance in the region, particularly in Anambra. The unpopularity of the APC among many residents of Anambra may hamper Mr Ukachukwu's chances of victory.
However, he hopes to leverage some advantages to unseat Mr Soludo. The former AMAC chairperson will be banking on the influence and support of the APC-led federal government. However, analysts say Mr Soludo's romance with Mr Tinubu could frustrate such anticipated support.
Another of Mr Ukachukwu's advantages in the poll is his running mate, Uche Ekwunife, a former senator. Mrs Ekwunife has been a grassroots politician in Anambra for a long time.
After two unsuccessful attempts to become governor of the state, the 54-year-old politician decided to run for deputy governor in the 2025 election.
Her involvement in the poll will undoubtedly shape the process for many reasons. First, Mrs Ekwunife has a strong support base in the state and is known for her empowerment of women, especially widows and the less privileged, which endeared her to many.
Second, as an active politician since 1999, the former senator has the political networks and contacts that could ensure their victory. She also understands the game of politics and may deploy different strategies and tactics, having unsuccessfully contested for the position twice.
Third, Mrs Ekwunife's husband hails from Nri, Anaocha Local Government Area, within the Anambra Central District, which she first represented in 2015 under the APGA, before her election was nullified by the tribunal in December of that year. But she was reelected in 2019 under the PDP platform, serving until 2023. Like in Anambra Central, the former senator enjoys a massive following in Anambra South District, where she originally hails from. This means that Mrs Ekwunife may garner substantial votes from the two districts against Mr Soludo in the poll.
"Ekwunife is a household name in Anambra State. She always had a way of making herself relevant in the political space in Anambra State. So you cannot wish her away," Onyeka Orakwe, an analyst, observed.
In summary, Mrs Ekwunife's partnership with Mr Ukachukwu will certainly strengthen their joint ticket and may cause an upset against Mr Soludo's reelection bid.
George Moghalu
Mr Moghalu was a founding member of the APC, where he served as the party's national auditor before defecting to the LP in October 2024. Although he has been a politician for years, the former managing director of the Nigerian Inland Waterways Authority had never contested any election in Nigeria. He is, therefore, a new face in the governorship contest.
Mr Moghalu is mainly relying on the support from Obidients, supporters of the 2023 LP presidential candidate, Mr Obi.
Mr Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, scored over 70 per cent of the votes in the South-east, including Anambra, during the 2023 elections. Although he did not win the presidential election, his involvement in the race was believed to have helped the party to pull surprise victories in the region, including the emergence of Alex Otti as the Abia State governor under the LP platform.
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However, the wave of the Obidient Movement faded following Mr Obi's losses in the poll, the legal battles after the election, and the intense national leadership crisis that has torn the LP apart.
Analysts say the LP's leadership crisis may affect the party's chances of winning the poll, as it lacks a unified front.
Although Mr Obi took part in the LP's Anambra governorship campaign flag off in July, his membership in the LP has been controversial. Earlier in July, the former Anambra governor joined the new opposition coalition group, which adopted the ADC as its platform for the 2027 general election. But he has continued to claim membership in the LP.
Besides, some political opponents argue that Mr Moghalu's candidacy is flawed, given that the disputed LP National Chairperson, Julius Abure, was sacked by the Supreme Court before the LP primary that produced him as a governorship candidate.
"From all indications, Obi is campaigning for the Labour Party candidate, George Moghalu, but is that one a candidate? Does he have a ticket?" Ndubuisi Nwobu, the ADC deputy governorship candidate, told reporters in September.
Mr Nwobu continued: "From my knowledge, he emanated from a primary election conducted by Julius Abure, but the Supreme Court had ruled there was no leadership at the time. You can't stand something on nothing. If you don't have leadership, who conducted the primary? He knows he is not a candidate."
John Chuma-Nwosu
Like Mr Moghalu, the ADC candidate John Chuma-Nwosu has not held an elective position in Anambra before now.
Mr Chuma-Nwosu appears to be hoping to leverage Mr Obi's association with the ADC to gain the support of the Obidient Movement in the coming election. Mr Obi, however, has not publicly declared support for Mr Chuma-Nwosu's candidacy.
The businessman also appears to be banking on the support of top politicians from the ADC coalition to convince voters in Anambra to choose him.
The ADC candidate recently deposed to an affidavit stating that he would serve for only one term if elected governor of the state, apparently to woo voters to his side.
However, the strategy is unlikely to be a plus, given that other candidates, such as Mr Ukachukwu, have made the same vow.
Based on the foregoing, the ADC's victory in the forthcoming Anambra poll is unlikely.
The 2025 Anambra governorship election is likely to be a two-horse race between the APGA candidate, Mr Soludo, and his APC counterpart, Mr Ukachukwu. One of them is expected to win the Saturday poll.
