By Nnanna Orji (Abia State Correspondent, in Umuahia)
After days anxiety, suspense and alleged vote re-counting especially in Obingwa area, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Wednesday evening, announced the Labour Party candidate, Chief Alex Otti, as the new Governor-elect of Abia state, South East Nigeria.
Otti, since after the Saturday, March 18, 2023 governorship and State Assembly elections, was expected to be announced by INEC as winner of the Abia guber poll following early results which indicated that the Chairman of Signature Bank and former Managing Director of the defunct Diamond Bank Plc was leading other party contestants in the election.
According to INEC, Otti defeated his main challenger and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Chief Okey Ahiwe, with a total vote score of 175, 467, while Ahiwe garnered a total of 88,529 votes.
The result was announced by Professor Nnenna Oti, the INEC's Presiding Officer and Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO), following the collation of the result of the election in Obingwa Local Government Area which was suspended on Monday arising from controversy over the invasion of INEC’s office in Obingwa by suspected thugs on Sunday.
Otti had won a total of 10 out of the 16 local government area results declared by INEC as at Monday when the result was suspended. He had polled a total of 171,747 votes while Ahiwe scored a total of 79,477 votes after winning five LGAs.
Enyinna Nwafor of Young Peoples Party (YPP) scored a total of 8,839 to win his Local Government Area, Osisioma LGA. NNL.
