Nigeria: APGA candidate wins IMO Governorship poll
By Correspondent Chinyere Ogbonna – The Candidate of All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, has been declared winner of the 2011 governorship election in Imo state.
Owelle Rochas polled 336,859 votes to defeat his closest rival the incumbent Governor and candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Ikedi Ohakim who polled 290,496 while the ACN has over 107,000 votes.
The last of the results from three local governments were declared this morning after voting took place there yesterday.
Elections were not held in the Oguta local government area, which is the fourth local government council which is one of the Local Government Areas where elections were supposed to be held.
In all a total of 26 out of 27 Local Government results were declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
Election into the Imo state governorship was held on Tuesday, the 26th of April but after results from 24 local government councils were announced and declared inconclusive by the Electoral umpire and deferred the poll for the remaining four local governments till the Friday 6th of May.
Following the results declared, the new governor elect, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, a former PDP member takes over from Governor Ikedi Ohakim, on May the 29th.
The declaration of the Imo supplementary elections, the 2011 polls comes to and end.
Meanwhile, US President Mr. Barack Obama has and congratulated President Goodluck Jonathan on his election victory and to commend the people of Nigeria for their resolve and patience during last month’s presidential, legislative and gubernatorial polls.
A statement issued by the Office of the Press Secretary, at the White house says the success of the elections was a testament to Nigerian voters who waited in long lines, stayed to watch their votes counted and were determined that these elections mark a new chapter in Nigerian history.
”Credit also belongs to the Independent National Electoral Commission, the National Youth Service Corps, and Nigeria’s vibrant civil society, all of which must play a role in ensuring that the final results reflect the will of the Nigerian people and that Nigerian authorities investigate and address any allegations of fraud or irregularities”.
The statement adds that while the majority of Nigerians cast their ballots free from intimidation and coercion, the post-election violence that followed the Presidential election on April 16 was deplorable.
President Obama also said that Violence has no place in a democratic society, and it is the responsibility of all Nigerians to reject it, and that as Africa’s most populous country, Nigeria can show what is possible when people of different parties, ethnicities and faith backgrounds come together to seek peace, provide for their families, and give their children a better future.
