Nigeria Decides: Obi sweeps S-East, S-South
.By Our Correspondents
THE Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Mr Peter Obi is already sweeping like a hurricane in the South-East and South-South states with major upsets recorded in many states.
The impressive performance of both Obi and the Labour Party in Saturday’s elections took many by surprise as those who underestimated him, paid for it at the polls.
The Presidential and National Assembly elections conducted last Saturday showed most candidates, who contested on the platform of the LP, in the South-South and South-East winning their elections courtesy of Obi.
LP clears Enugu polls
In Enugu State, Labour Party won all the Presidential and National Assembly polls conducted last Saturday, except for Enugu West Senatorial district where Mr Osita Ngwu of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was declared the winner for the Senate position.
Enugu East Senatorial district was, however, not conducted due to the death of the LP candidate, Oyibo Chukwu, who was killed two days before the election.
In the Presidential poll, Mr Peter Obi won Enugu State with 428,640 votes, followed by the PDP with 15,749; the APC with 4,772; APGA with 1,548 and NNPP with 1,808.
The Enugu State Collation Officer, Prof Madu Iwe said that the number of registered voters in the state remained at 2,112,793 and accredited voters for the poll were 482,990.
Ugwuanyi defeated by LP
On the National Assembly results, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of the PDP lost Enugu North Senatorial district to Chief Okey Ezea of the LP with Ezea polling 104,492 votes against Governor Ugwuanyi, who gathered 46,948 votes.
Labour Party candidates who won the House of Representatives seats include Prof. Paul Nnamchi for Enugu East/Isi-Uzo federal Constituency; Mr Sam Atu of Enugu North/Enugu South federal Constituency; Mr Dennis Agbo of Udenu/Igboeze north federal Constituency.
Others are Chidi Obetta of Nsukka/Igboeze south federal Constituency; Chijioke Nwodo of Igbo Etiti/Uzo-Uwani federal Constituency; Chijioke Okereke of Oji River/Agwu/Aninri federal Constituency; Mr Sunday Umeha of Udi/Ezeagu Federal Constituency.
Obi leading in 15 Anambra LGs so far declared
Similarly, in Anambra State, Peter Obi has won in 15 local government areas from the results officially announced by the INEC in the state.
Obi also won in Aguata LGA, the hometown of Governor Charles Soludo, scoring 37,478 out of the 40,387 votes cast, beating his closest rival, the candidate of APGA, who scored 712.
The LP candidate also won in Dunukofia LGA, the hometown of a business mogul, Chief Arthur Eze, scoring 18,715 out of the 20,198 votes cast. The PDP scored 428 votes.
Six council areas are still being awaited.
Peter Obi wins in Abia
The LP also made inroads into Abia State as its presidential candidate, Mr Obi won the presidential election in the state.
Obi, who cleared the 17 council areas, scored 327, 085 votes ahead of Atiku Abubakar of the PDP, who came a distant second with 22,676 votes.
The APC candidate, Bola Tinubu, crawled behind with 8,914 votes, followed by the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, which got only 3,943 votes.
According to the results collated by the Deputy Vice Chancellor of Alex Ekwueme University Abakaliki, Professor Abel Ezeoha, the number of registered voters in the state was 2, 120, 808.
He gave the number of accredited voters as 384,468, while the valid voters were 381,683.
According to the State Collation Officer, the total number of rejected voters were 11,646.
Obi suffocates Okowa in Delta, wins 11 LG s
In Delta State, the LP presidential candidate is suffocating the PDP’s Vice Presidential candidate, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa by winning 11 of the 16 council areas announced out of the 25 Local Government Areas by the INEC.
His closest rival, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the PDP has won in six local government areas of the state.
The council areas where Obi won are Ika South, Aniocha North, Ethiope West, Oshimili North, Ndokwa West, Ukwuani, Aniocha South, Ethiope East, Sapele, Ndokwa East and Oshimili South Local Government Areas as announced by the various LG Returning Officers.
Atiku won in Ika North-East, Bomadi, Patani, Warri North and Burutu.
Elumelu bows to LP’s Okolie
Also, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Mr Ndudi Elumelu lost Saturday’s election to Labour Party’s candidate for the Aniocha/Oshimili Federal Constituency, Mr Ngozi Okolie.
Okolie was declared the winner by the Returning Officer for the Federal Constituency, Professor Kenneth Abaraibe, at the INEC collation Centre in the Oshimili South Local Government secretariat.
The LP candidate scored 53, 879 votes to defeat his closest rival, Mr Ndudi Elumelu who polled 33, 466.
Similarly, the candidate of the PDP, in the Ethiope Federal Constituency, Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu, clinched the House of Representatives seat for the constituency.
Ibori-Suenu, daughter of former Delta State Governor, Chief James Ibori, was elected and secured 20,814, while her closet rival, Halims Agoda of the APC polled 15,172 votes
In the Ndokwa/Ukwuani Federal Constituency, the PDP candidate, Mr Nnamdi Ezechi clinched the House of Representatives seat for the constituency.
Ezechi polled 22,622 votes while the APC candidate, Chief Johnson Opone scored 14,958.
Obi wins in Edo
Hurricane Obi also swept through Edo State where the LP candidate has been declared winner in the state.
INEC’s collation officer in Edo State, Prof. Nyaudoh Ndaeyo said Obi polled 331,163 to win the state, while the APC candidate, Bola Tinubu scored 144,471. The PDP candidate, Atiku Abubakar came third by scoring 89,585, Rabiu Kwakwanso of the NNPP scored 2,743, while the ZLP scored 4082.
Ndaeyo said 603, 894 voters were accredited out of the 2,501,081, who registered for the exercise, the valid votes were 581,266, rejected votes were 19,129, and the votes cast were 600,395.
The 12 LGs won by Obi include Igueben, Esan Central, Esan North-East, Egor, Esan South-East, Esan West, Uhunmwonde, Orhionmwon, Ovia South-West, Oredo, Ikpoba-Okha and Ovia North-East, while APC won in six LGAs of Owan West, Owan East, Akoko-Edo, Etsako Central, Etsako West and Etsako East.
At the end of the collation agents of LP, PDP and APC, of the 18 participating political parties, signed the collated results.
LP wins senatorial seat in Edo
The same feat was recorded in Edo State where the Labour Party candidate, Mr Neda Imasuen, won the Edo South Senatorial District election.
Imasuen was announced the winner of the contest defeating both the APC and PDP.
Announcing the results, yesterday, INEC’s Returning Officer, Professor Julius Obasuyi said Imasuen polled 167,250 votes while his closest rival, Mr Matthew Iduoriyekemwen of the PDP garnered 61,749, while Valentine Asuen of the APC scored 57,933.
Obi’s victory sign Nigerians are fed up —Abia Elders
Reacting to the impressive performance of the Labour Party in Saturday’s elections, the Abia Elders Consultative Forum attributed it to the failure of the two major political parties in the country.
Chairman of the forum, ArchBishop Princewill Ariwodor, in a chat with Vanguard, said it was a demonstration of people’s disenchantment with the mega parties.
Ariwodor said: “The mega parties have failed the people. They have betrayed the people enough and they have no other choice than to go for a total change.
“So, the Labour Party provided the platform for the needed change. This is the first time people are coming out en mass to vote.
“This is a demonstration of how bitter the people are over the rape of democracy in the country. The mega parties have abused democracy.
“And if this was not demonstrated, politicians won’t learn their lessons. People are prepared to demonstrate more if their mandate is tampered with.
“They are prepared to show their bitterness if any attempt is made to subvert their will.”
INEC official shot dead in Delta
Meanwhile, the Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, in Delta State, Rev. Monday Udoh-Tom, yesterday, confirmed the killing of an election official after Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly elections in the state.
Udoh-Tom, who spoke with newsmen in Asaba, stated that the unnamed official was shot on his way to deliver election results on Saturday at Ukwani Local Government Area of the state.
The REC said: “There was an attack in Ukwani LGA where one of our staff was shot on his way with the election results after the election.
“The gunmen opened fire at their bus and unfortunately killed the INEC official and others sustained injuries.
“The other ad hoc staff who were injured were identified as members of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC.
“The NYSC corps members are now receiving treatment, but we are planning on how to move them to a hospital in Asaba,” Udoh-Tom.”
Additional report: Vanguard
