All eyes are on Anambra State as voters head to the polls on Saturday to elect their next governor. The electorate will decide whether to return incumbent Governor Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) or hand power to a challenger from another political party.

Political analysts say eight local government areas with the highest number of registered voters are likely to determine the outcome of the fiercely contested race.

Leading the pack is Idemili North, with 246,318 registered voters, followed closely by Awka South with 217,611. Ogbaru ranks third with 188,016, while Onitsha North follows with 183,647 registered voters.

Others include Onitsha South, a cosmopolitan area with a large population of non-indigenes, and 168,575 registered voters; Ihiala, affected in recent years by insecurity linked to separatist activities, with 156,715 voters; and Aguata, Governor Soludo?s home local government, with 155,881 registered voters.

At the lower end of the table are Anambra West and Dunukofia, with 71,332 and 83,580 registered voters, respectively.

Interestingly, Soludo?s Aguata ranks eighth in voter population, while Anaocha, home of Mr. Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), has 124,075 registered voters.

Nnewi North, the base of LP governorship candidate George Moghalu, has 166,400 registered voters. Nearby Nnewi South, where Nicholas Ukachukwu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) hails from, have 102,907 voters. For Obi and Senator Uche Ekwunife, who once represented the Anaocha, Njikoka, and Dunukofia Federal Constituency, the contest will be interesting, as the three LGAs collectively account for 326,655 registered voters.

In Anambra North Senatorial District, the Young Progressives Party (YPP) candidate, Sir Paul Chukwuma, is also seen as a factor to watch. Anambra East, which is home to both Chukwuma and Senator Tony Nwoye, has 110,482 registered voters.

Nwoye, who currently represents Anambra North in the Senate on the platform of the Labour Party (LP), is expected to throw his weight behind his party?s governorship candidate in Saturday?s election. Other strategic areas in the district include Ayamelum, with 96,947 voters, Anambra West, with 71,332 voters, and Oyi, with 120,717 voters.

With such a spread of voting power across key local government areas, Saturday?s election promises to be a true test of grassroots strength, party structure, and voter loyalty across the state. (The Nation)

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