OSBC Osun State Broadcasting Corporation
APGA candidate wins 18 of 20 councils •YPP, PDP take one each •Final results after supplementary poll holds in Ihiala tomorrow
The All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate, Prof Charles Soludo, is coasting home to victory in the Anambra State governorship election.
According to the results so far released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the professor of economics and former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor has won majority votes in 18 out of 20 local governments declared so far.
Collation of results will continue after tomorrow’s supplementary election in Ihiala Local Government Area, where the election did not hold.
Returning Officer, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calabar, Prof Florence Banku-Obi, said a valid declaration of a winner could not be made without the supplementary poll.
“It is important to complete the election before a determination can be made,” she said, explaining that the election did not hold in Ihiala due to logistics challenges caused by security threats.
The Young Progressives Party (YPP) candidate, Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, won Nnewi North council, while Valentine Ozigbo of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) won Ogbaru council.
Soludo defeated the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige in his Idemili South local government.
Otu said he was forced to sign, alleging that even an official of one of the parties insisted he should sign the result or he would not leave there.
He said: “My experience was pathetic, but I thank God I’m alive. I signed the results, but I didn’t believe in the results. I was tear-gassed and almost collapsed. The situation was so bad that they didn’t even allow me to go and ease myself.”
LGA APC APGA PDP YPP
•Dunukofia 1991 4124 1680 1360
•Awka South 2595 12891 5498 919
•Oyi 2830 6133 2484 900
•Anaocha 2085 6911 5108 868
•Anambra East 2034 9746 1380 559
•Ayamelum 2409 3424 2804 407
•Idemili South 1039 2312 2016 752
•Onitsha South 2050 4281 2253 271
•Njikoka 3216 8803 3409 924
•Nnewi North 1278 3369 1511 6485
•Orumba South 2060 4394 1672 887
•Onitsha North 3909 5587 3781 682
•Aguata 4773 9136 3798 1070
•Ogbaru 1178 3051 3445 484
•Idemili North 2291 5358 2312 902
•Ekwusigo 1237 2570 1857 727
•Nnewi South 1307 3243 2226 1327
•Anambra West 1233 1918 1401 357
•Awka North 755 1908 840 381
When asked by the Returning Officer, Prof Florence Banku-Obi, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calabar, to produce the results, Otu insisted he did not believe in the result, and at such would not go ahead.
But, the Electoral Officer accused Otu of inexperience, saying that he should be replaced.
She said: “He has never had the experience of how to collate results. He does not know the difference between conducting an election and collation.
“When collation officers finished their work, this man spent two hours on each. This man does not know his left from his right.”
Lamenting the incident, Obi said: “This is the only Local Government Area I got a distressed call from during the election.
“I had to call the commissioner of police that the life of my staff was in danger.”
APGA agent Senator Victor Umeh accused the collation officer of being “hired to destroy this election.”
He maintained his party won the election in the LGA, adding that there was nothing to sustain Otu’s allegations.
But, APC agent Chief Chibuzor Obiakor and his PDP counterpart, Dr Alex Obiogbolu, called on INEC to investigate the matter thoroughly.
Submitting the result sheets for the Orumba North, the Collation/Electoral Officer, Dr Michael Otu, said he was forced to sign them under duress.
