CONFUSION OF CANDIDACY AS APC WINS IMO NORTH SENATORIAL BYE-ELECTION

Reporter : CHINAZO ILECHUKWU

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the All Progressives Congress (APC) winner of the just concluded Imo North Senatorial District bye election, without mentioning name of the candidate who won the election.

Declaring the results at the INEC headquarters in owerri, the Returning Officer for the election, Mr. Hakeem Adigun, said APC scored a total of 36, 811 votes to beat the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Emmanuel Okewulonu, who came second with a total of 31, 903 votes.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Professor Francis Ezeonu, said the decision not to declare the name of any APC candidate as the winner was due to conflicting court orders regarding the authentic candidate of APC in the bye-election.

A Court of Appeal sitting in Owerri had on Friday (a day before the election) delivered a judgment disqualifying Senator Ifeanyi Ararume as the candidate of the APC while a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on same day disqualified the Appeal Court recognised candidate, Chief Frank Ibezim, from contesting the election on a suit challenging his eligibility to stand for the election.

Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is yet to react to the outcome of the election.