BREAKING: Hope Uzodinma, APC candidate declared winner of Imo governorship election

Governor Hope Uzodimma of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been proclaimed the winner of the November 11, 2023 governorship election in the state by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

After more than eight hours of compilation of local government results, the state Returning Officer, Prof Abayomi Fashina of the Federal University, Oye Ekiti, pronounced Uzodimma re-elected on Sunday morning around 10 a.m.

“That you Hope Uzodimma of APC having satisfied the law is hereby returned elected,” Fashina said in a statement.

Uzodimma was first declared governor of Imo State by the Supreme Court in January 2020, following the nullification of the election of Emeka Ihedioha of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a situation that drew him more political enemies in a state plagued by the security phenomenon of “unknown gunmen,” abductions, and endless Monday sit-ins by pro-secessionist sects.

Uzodimma, 64, ran for re-election in Saturday’s election and won in all 27 local government units in the state.

Uzodimma defeated the PDP’s Samuel Anyanwu, the Labour Party’s Nneji Achonu, the Action Alliance’s Jack Ogunewe, and 14 other opponents.

The APC candidate received 540, 308 votes, defeating his nearest competitors, PDP’s Anyanwu, who received 71,503 votes, and LP’s Achonu, who received 64,081.

The eight-hour marathon collation of results from 2:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. on Sunday was marred by drama and protest from opposition party agents who complained that the results brought before the state collation center differed from what was uploaded on the commission’s Result Viewing Portal.

Labour Party agents and others urged that the collation be halted, but the returning officer insisted that the collation be completed.

According to INEC, there were 2,419,922 registered voters in the state for the election, with 2,318,919 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) acquired.

Observers say the governorship election in the South-East state on Saturday was marred by vote buying, voter intimidation, violence, and other electoral malpractices, with anti-graft officials detaining party agents with hidden cash.

Kogi and Bayelsa governorship elections, like Imo, were held on November 11, 2023, albeit the consolidation of results in both states has been postponed till Sunday morning.