Okeize Ikpeazu has been declared as the winner of the 2015 Abia gubernatorial election.

OFFICIAL: INEC Declares Winners Of Imo, Abia Polls

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The Peoples Democratic Party’s Dr Okeize Ikpeazu has been declared as the winner of the 2015 Abia gubernatorial election.

The official results were declared by the INEC returning officer in the state, Prof. Ozumba at 4:54am Sunday, in Umuahia.

Prof. Ozumba revealed that Ikpeazu polled a total of 264,713 votes to beat his closest challenger, the former managing director of Diamond Bank, Alex Otti of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, who got 180, 882 votes.

Meanwhile in Imo, the All Progressives Congress finally won a guber position in the South East, as Rochas Okorocha was re-elected to his position.

Okorocha won convincingly and secured 20 out of the 23 local government areas in the state where the supplementary election was held, polling a total of 31,326 votes.

The PDP’s Emeka Ihedioha could muster only 13,624 votes.

The outcome of Saturday’s polls maintained the trend of Okorocha’s early lead in the polls.

Ihedioha had trailed Okorocha with 79,525 votes in the original election a fortnight ago.

However, due to electoral issues, the election was declared inconclusive by the returning officer, Oyewusi Ibidapo-Obe, two weeks ago, because the margin of victory between the top two contenders – the APC and the PDP – was less than the number of registered voters in areas where elections were not held or were cancelled due to irregularities, thus necessitating a supplementary election, as required by the electoral law.

Oyewusi Ibidapo-Obe declared Okorocha the winner, having polled the highest number of votes and having satisfied the requirements of the law.

Okorocha polled a total of 416,996 votes out of the total 806,764 votes cast in the election.

Coming a second was Ihedioha with 320,705 and Emmanuel Ihenacho of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in distant third with 28,434 votes.

Okorocha supporters at the INEC office began singing a Christian praise titled “My helper” immediately he was announced winner.

“We want to assure the Imolites that their votes count and the expression of their gratitude in the works of His Excellency Owelle Rochas Okorocha has been clearly registered through their votes,” said Alfred Anunugba, the APC agent.

“I’m optimistic that we are yet to see the best of Owelle Okorocha at work. So the Imolites are in for something greater, something more reassuring and something enduring,” Mr Anunugba added.

The Imo state governorship election on April 11 experienced some systemic snags, with both major parties exchanging allegations of widespread rigging, ballot box snatching, violence, and sundry other electoral offences.

Source :naij.com