PDP’S IHEDIOHA EMERGES IMO STATE GOVERNOR ELECT

[1:36 PM, 3/12/2019] C. Mmadu: The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Chief Emeka Ihedioha of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) winner of last Saturday’s Governorship election in Imo state.

Chief Ihedioha polled a total of 273,404 (two hundred and seventy three thousand four hundred and four) votes to defeat his closest opponent, chief Uche Nwosu, of the Action Alliance (AA) who scored 193,064 (one hundred and ninety thousand three hundred and sixty four) votes.

Announcing the result at INEC headquarters in Owerri, the Returning Officer and Vice Chancellor Micheal Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike, Professor Francis Otunta, said Chief Ihedioha scored the highest number of valid votes in an election contested by 70 candidates.

Professor Otunta, who declared the result in the presence of security agents, representatives of political parties, election observers and the media said of the 739,485 (seven hundred and thirty nine thousand, four hundred and eighty five) votes cast in the election, 25,130 (twenty five thousand, one hundred and thirty) were invalid.

All the agents of political parties who were present at the collation signed the result sheets used in the declaration.

The declaration, which was made around midnight, sparked jubilation among residents of the state, especially those of them from Imo East Senatorial District, who insist that it was their turn to produce the next governor of the state.

CHINAZO ILECHUKWU