In the aftermath of Saturday’s governorship election in Imo State, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially declared Governor Hope Uzodimma as the triumphant candidate.
The announcement came from the state Returning Officer, Prof. Abayomi Fasina, and took place at INEC’s state collation center in Owerri on Sunday morning.
Governor Uzodimma, representing the All Progressives Congress (APC), secured victory with an impressive 540,308 votes.
Samuel Anyanwu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) trailed behind, securing a distant second place with a total of 71,503 votes. Athan Achonu of the Labour Party claimed the third spot with 64,081 votes.
Other notable candidates in the race included Anthony Ejiogu of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, who garnered 6,392 votes to secure the fourth position, and Jack Ogunewe of the Action Alliance, who claimed the fifth spot with 5,756 votes.
Prof. Abayomi Fasina, the Returning Officer, formally declared Uzodimma as the winner, stating, “I, Prof. Abayomi Fasina… hereby declare[d] the winner of the election and returned elected.”
The election results revealed a clean sweep for Uzodimma, as he secured victories in all 27 Local Government Areas of the state. Following this decisive win, Governor Uzodimma is set to be inaugurated for a second term on January 14, 2024.
However, the electoral process was not without controversy, as the State Agent of the Labour Party, Callistus Ihejiagwa, was reportedly assaulted and expelled from the state Collation center for contesting the results.
The State Agent of the PDP, Kissinger Ikeokwu, also left the collation center in protest.
Despite the victory, both the PDP and LP had called for the outright cancellation of the poll, alleging electoral irregularities and rigging in favor of the APC candidate.
