HOPE WINS IMO GUBER POLL AS OPPOSITION STAGED WALK OUT

 
REPORTER: CHINAZO ILECHUKWU

The Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in yesterday’s governorship election in Imo State, Chief Hope Uzodimma has been re-elected for a second term office.

Declaring the result in Owerri, the Returning Officer and Vice Chancellor Federal University Oye-Ekiti in Ekiti State, Professor Fashina Abayomi, said he polled a total of 540,308 votes to defeat Senator Samuel Anyanwu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who scored 71,503 votes to emerge second in the contest.

Professor Abayomi stated that Chief Uzodimma scored the majority number of lawful votes cast in the election and therefore is returned elected.

Seventeen political parties fielded candidates in the election, which saw Senator Athan Achonu of the Labour Party taking the third position having scored 64,08 votes.

Meanwhile agents of the major opposition political parties were not available to sign the result sheets, having staged a walkout over the refusal of the Returning Officer to oblige their request of reviewing the result which they argued was at variance with what was uploaded in the data base of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The state has been calm even after the declaration while those that lost the election are expected to issue an official statement.

 EDITED BY CHUKWUBUIKE MADU