The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has declared the candidate of the Labour Party, Alex Otti, the declared winner of the 2023 Abia state governorship election.
Otti was declared the winner on Wednesday by the Returning Officer for Abia State and Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology Owerri, FUTO, Professor Nnenna Oti.
Otti polled a total of 175, 467 votes to defeat his closest rival, Chief Okey Ahiwe of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party who scored 88,529 votes.
Enyinnaya Nwafor of the Young Peoples Party, YPP, came third with 28,972 votes.
The LP candidate also won 10 of the 17 local government areas in the state, PDP got six while the YPP got one.
Returning Officer said subsequently declared Otti the Governor-elect having polled the highest number of votes and satisfied all necessary conditions.
Prof Nnenna Nnannaya-Oti declared Otti the winner on Wednesday evening at the resumption of the final collation of governorship election results in Umuahia, the Abia State capital over 48 hours after INEC suspended the exercise in the South-East state.
“That Otti Alex Chioma of the Labour Party having satisfied the requirement of the law is hereby declared the winner of the election,” said Nnannaya-Oti.
Otti won on his third attempt. He was the candidate of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) in the 2015 and 2019 elections.
The last time the LP produced a governor in the last 20 years was when Olusegun Mimiko was elected Ondo State governor from February 2009 to February 2017.
Before the announcement, Nnannaya-Oti said she will do the right of the people and protect democratic values.
“I shall stand squarely and unapologetically on these principles. The people’s votes and mandate shall stand.
“The pastor and the mother in me will not permit me to do anything that will adversely affect the future of our children,” said Nnannaya-Oti, who is the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri.
As it stands, the results of 25 of the 28 governorship elections have been announced. APC won in 15 states, PDP in eight, and LP in one while the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) won Kano.
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) won in 15 states, including seven re-elected governors Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq (Kwara), Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe), Mai Mala Muni (Yobe), Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa), Babagana Zulum (Borno).
The party also secured wins for eight new candidates: Umar Namadi (Jigawa), Ahmed Aliyu (Sokoto), Dikko Radda (Katsina), Uba Sani (Kaduna), Bassey Otu (Cross River), Mohammed Bago (Niger), Hyacinth Alia (Benue), and Francis Nwifuru (Ebonyi).
On the other hand, the PDP secured eight victories including two reelected governors: Seyi Makinde (Oyo) and Bala Mohammed (Bauchi).
Six first-term governors were also elected on the platform of the opposition party. They are Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom), Siminialayi Fubara (Rivers), Kefas Agbu (Taraba), Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau), and Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta). In a historic win, PDP’s Dauda Lawal unseated Zamfara State Governor and APC powerbroker in Zamfara, Bello Matawalle. Similarly, Abba Kabir of the NNPP unseated the APC in Kano State.
See results by parties:
A – 1,528
AA – 474
AAC – 298
ADC – 2,529
ADP – 601
APC – 24,091
APGA – 18,119
APM – 572
APP – 11,728
BP – 1,141
LP – 175,467
NNPP – 2,068
NRM – 472
PDP – 88,529
PRP – 168
SDP – 773
YPP – 28,972
ZLP – 1,011
