GOMEP Commends 2025 Anambra Governorship Outcome as Validation of 2024 G.A.T.I Findings
Awka, Anambra — The Guild of Online Media Editors and Publishers (GOMEP) Nigeria has commended the Saturday, November 9, 2025 outcome of the Anambra governorship election, describing it as a practical confirmation of the findings in the 2024 Governance Accountability and Transparency Index (G.A.T.I) for the state. In a press statement jointly signed the group’s National President, Dr. Dozie Nwankodu, and the National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Dominic Edem, the guild said the electoral outcome — carried out peacefully and within the rule of law — reflects citizen confidence in the state’s governance trajectory that the 2024 G.A.T.I report had earlier documented.
“The recent Anambra’s election process and its outcome demonstrate voters’ willingness to consolidate gains in transparency, service delivery and institutional accountability.
“The G.A.T.I report provided a snapshot of where the state was on the transparency and accountability indices in 2024; and the recent election outcome indicates those improvements resonated with the electorate,” GOMEP said.
GOMEP’s statement highlighted three key points:
1. Validation of the G.A.T.I assessment: The guild said the transparent and orderly conduct of the poll, and the government’s responsiveness to civic demands align with the G.A.T.I findings that placed Anambra among the better-performing states on accountability and transparency metrics in 2024.
2. The role of media and civil society: GOMEP thanked media practitioners, civil society groups and election officials for safeguarding the integrity of the process, noting that independent reporting and civic oversight were instrumental in translating administrative gains into electoral trust.
3. Call for consolidation: While celebrating the positive signal, GOMEP urged the Governor Soludo administration and state institutions to consolidate progress by deepening open-data practices, strengthening public finance transparency, and sustaining citizen engagement.
The Governance Accountability and Transparency Index (G.A.T.I) is an index launched to annually assess the perceived levels of accountability and transparency across Nigeria’s 36 states. The maiden 2024 edition ranked a group of states — including Anambra — among the top performers, based on indicators that measure proactive disclosure, access to public information, fiscal transparency and service delivery perceptions.
GOMEP pointed to those rankings as the baseline that helped citizens evaluate government performance ahead of the election.
GOMEP’s message was echoed by several local civil society actors who told reporters they saw the election as a referendum on governance reforms and fiscal management that had been taking root in the state under the Soludo administration.
Media commentators also noted that GOMEP’s recognition of the Governor Soludo with Excellence in Leadership Award, during the group’s official project assessment tour of the State in June 2025, a routine carried out by the group on leading-performing governors, and an effort tied to the G.A.T.I initiative — demonstrates that the rewards measurable improvements in governance.
GOMEP framed its commendation as more than praise for a single poll result. The guild argued that when an index like G.A.T.I shows measurable progress, and that progress is affirmed by popular choice at the ballot box, it strengthens democratic accountability, and citizens are more able to reward or sanction leaders based on observable performance, and governments are incentivised to maintain transparency and good governance practices.
To translate the validation into durable gains, GOMEP concluded by urging the Soludo administration administration to consolidate on publishing timely and user-friendly budget and procurement information, expanding channels for proactive disclosure and public feedback, institutionalisation of independent performance audits and publishing results, and strengthening collaboration with media and civil society for continuous monitoring.
