Labour Party’s governorship candidate, Alex Otti, has emerged winner of Abia State governorship election, beating other contestants, including the Peoples Democratic Party candidate, Okey Ahiwe, to secure the number one job in the Southeast state.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced the result Wednesday evening, after worrisome prolongation that got voters saying that the electoral body wanted to manipulate the result.
Otti polled 175,467 to defeat Okey Ahiwe, his closest rival, who scored 88,529 votes.
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“With deep humility and a profound sense of responsibility, I wholeheartedly accept your mandate to be your chief servant for the next 4 years,” he tweeted after the result was announced, thanking residents of Abia State for voting him.
With deep humility and a profound sense of responsibility, I wholeheartedly accept your mandate to be your chief servant for the next 4 years. pic.twitter.com/pyTwgvrXvv
— Alex Otti (@alexottiofr) March 22, 2023
The state governorship election took a turn on Monday after thugs invaded Obingwa LGA collation center, forcing INEC officials to suspend the collation of results. The thugs, who held INEC officials hostage for sometime before they were released, prompted the electoral commission to call for a review of the process. Otti was reportedly leading, having more than 80,000 votes at the time.
Abia State residents have taken to the streets to celebrate the result. The state has been under the leadership of the PDP since 1999, and is rated among the most poorly-governed states in Nigeria. The LP’s victory, which happens to be the party’s one and only in the governorship election, is thus seen as a liberation of the state from misrule.
Meanwhile in Enugu, another Southeast state, INEC has declared PDP’s Peter Mbah winner of the governorship election through a result being contested.
INEC said Mbah polled 160,895 votes, just 3,343 votes above his closest rivals – LP’s Chijioke Edeoga, who scored 157,552. Other candidates, Frank Nweke Jr of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), got 16,683 while Uche Nnaji of the All Progressives Congress (APC) got 14,575 votes.
“That Mbah Peter Ndubuisi of Peoples Democratic Party, having satisfied the requirement of the law is hereby declared the winner and returned elected,” the Returning Officer, Prof Maduebibisi Ofo-Iwe, who is the Vice Chancellor of the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike, announced.
Like in Abia State, collation of results was halted in Enugu following notable discrepancies. The INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, said the move is to review the results for Nsukka and Nkanu East Local Government Areas of the state.
The suspension of collation prompted a protest by the LP supporters, who trooped to INEC’s office, alleging that the electoral body was attempting to thwart the result of the election in favor of the PDP.
Mbah was anointed by the outgoing governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.