It is no longer news that Mr. Peter Obi coasted home to victory last Saturday in the much publicized Anambra governorship election, it may however be news to know that Prof Chukwuma Soludo has conceded defeat in the election.

Ukpaka reports have however learnt that the Peter Obi victory is not unconnected to the withdrawal of support for PDP by acclaimed Anambra king maker, Chief Chris Uba. Uba who was very disenchanted with the process that brought Soludo as the flag bearer of the party had threatened to ‘deal’ with Soludo for taking over the party structure from him in the state.

A source who spoke with our correspondent on condition of anonymity said that though Chris Uba’s elder brother, Andy was in the race, he preferred to leave the position of the governor to Obi when some federal sources rejected his brother as the man for the job.

Rather than have Soludo win the race, Uba the source said accepted Obi who they worked for behind the scene to ensure his victory over Soludo as a way of humiliating him. The victory of Obi was facilitated by some federal sources who preferred to placate APGA with just Anambra state.

The rigging which was done very professionally we gathered was suggested by the Anambra king maker, Chris who was said to have tendered a voters register that was initially prepared to be used to favour his faction of  PDP until he withdrew his support for the party when Soludo was chosen to fly the party’s flag.

The voters register it was learnt was what was used to conduct the Saturday Anambra election which succeeded in disenfranchising 75% of the Anambra voting population to favour M. Peter Obi.

There is allegation that INEC came to Anambra with a standing order to return Governor Peter Obi to the position. The inability of most of the voters to find their names in the voters register, according to the allegation, was said to be a deliberate attempt to disenfranchise supporters of the AC, PDP and PPA to clear the coast for APGA. Ukpakareports is not certain of the facts behind the allegation. But it was gathered that huge sums of money were expended to ensure that a fake register was used for the conduct the Saturday election so as to undermine the victory of Prof Soludo.

Soludo was however said not to be unaware of the plot against him and had immediately the result was announced in favour of Obi called his lawyers to get ready for a legal battle, but an order from the national headquarters of his party dissuaded him from taking any legal action as he was threatened with sanction from the party.

In a crowded press conference held yesterday, Soludo affirmed that the voter’s register was manipulated to thwart his victory. He however said that he would not go to court to contest Obi’s victory but expressed sorry for his supporters who were denied their voting right with the fake voters register.

Soludo had shortly before the press conference concluded a meeting with top shots of the PDP, where the national headquarters of the party was also said to have been phoning-in to give directives.

The candidate complained bitterly that he saw in most polling centers tens of thousands of his supporters who could not vote because their names were not on the voters register.  

According to Soludo, “this is a new way of rigging elections, and this has shown me how much our country desperately need electoral reforms. A situation where people can just bring a voters register of a neighbouring state to conduct election in another state, and also put in names of supporters of a particular party to ensure their victory is unacceptable. How can we be seeing Sules, Ibrahims, Danjumas, Fawehinmis and all sort names in a register that is meant for Anambra state.”