Anambra election: Soludo leads
*Secures majority votes in 18 of 20 LGAs, as INEC slates Ihiala LGA supplementary poll for Nov 9
*Supporters flood APGA candidate’s country home before announcement of final results
NKIRU NWAGBO, AWKA with agency report
Candidate of the all Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and former Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has extended his early lead in the Anambra State governorship election held on Saturday.
This is even as supporters and well-wishers on Sunday night, gathered at the home of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA)’s candidate in Isuofia, Aguata Local Government Area, as they await final election results.
Out of 20 local government areas results declared by the Independent National Election Commission (INEC) on Sunday, Soludo has won majority of the local government areas.
The eighteen local governments won by the APGA candidate include Dunukofia, Awka South, Oyi, Ayamelum, Anaocha, Anambra East, Idemili South, Onitsha South, Njikoka, and Orumba South.
Others are Onitsha North, Aguata, Idemili North, Ekwusigo, Nnewi South, Awka North, Orumba North and Anambra West.
However, Soludo did not win in Nnewi North local government where Senator Ifeanyi Ubah of YPP won while the Peoples Democratic Party candidate, Mr. Valentine Ozigbo won in Ogbaru local government area.
Senator Andy Ubah of All Progressives Congress (APC) is yet to win any local government area so far.
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has suspended collation of results of the November 6 governorship election in Anambra State pending the conduct of the election in Ihiala Local Government Area.
Prof. Florence Obi, INEC Returning Officer for the Anambra Governorship election made the announcement Sunday night in Awka.
Obi, who is also the Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar, Cross River, announced that the election would be conducted in Ihiala on Tuesday, November 9.
She explained that election could not hold in the LGA due to security reasons.
Quoting relevant sections of the Electoral Act and the nation’s Constitution, Obi said it would be wrong to announce the result without allowing people in 131 polling units in Ihiala to exercise their civic duties.
According to her, it becomes imperative to bring Ihiala at par with other local government areas to make declaration of the result.
”As the Electoral Officer, I hereby announce the suspension of result until elections are held in all the polling units in Ihiala.
”Supplementary election will take place in the area on Nov. 9,” she disclosed.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that before suspending collation, Obi had given total number of votes already scored by candidates.
She said that Prof. Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) polled a total of 103, 946 votes followed by Mr. Valentine Ozigbo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who scored 51,322 votes to emerged second.
Sen. Andy Uba, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate got a total of 42,942 votes to emerge the third position.
Obi said that Soludo won in 18 out of the 20 Local Government Areas of the state already declared.
Obi listed the areas where Soludo won to include Dunukofia, Awka South, Oyi, Anaocha, Ayamelum, Anambra East, Idemili South and Onitsha South.
She also stated that the APGA candidate also won in Njikoka, Orumba South, Onitsha North, Idemili North, Ekwusigo, Aguata, Orumba North and Nnewi South Local Government Areas.
The PDP candidate won in Ogbaru with 3,445 votes, APGA scored second while APC came third in the same council.
Senator Ifeanyi Uba of the Young Progressive Party (YPP) won in his home Local Government, Nnewi North in spite of coming a distant fourth in the overall score card with 20,917 votes.
The returning officer said that no election held in Ihiala must be given chance like others to participate in the process.
Obi stated that total number of valid votes already collated was 229,521, void votes 7,841 while total number of votes cast was 237,362.
She praised all parties for their support, noting that supplementary election would be held only in Ihiala.
Quoting relevant sections of the Electoral Act, she noted that Section 22 of the Constitution provides for re-run in event of security challenge.
She said that the final result will be announced after completing the election in Ihiala.
In a related development, supporters and well-wishers on Sunday night, gathered at the home of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA)’s candidate, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo in Isuofia, Aguata Local Government Area, as they await election result.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced results of 19 out of the 21 Local Government Areas in the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that political associates, youths and women in their hundreds thronged to Soludo’s resident at Isuofia as they await the announcement of the result.
Some of the residents, who spoke with NAN, said that they believed that Soludo would emerge winner at the end of the process.
Mrs Chioma Ocha said she was happy because a governor would emerge from her community.
“We are here to show solidarity to our brother and son while we wait for INEC to announce the final result.
“But I’m particularly happy that my town, Isuofia, will be producing the next governor of Anambra. That is a very big achievement, ” she said.
Also speaking, Mr. Chinedu Ogubuiro said he came to jubilate with Soludo ahead of INEC’s announcement.
“I am one of Soludo’s kinsmen and I want to be on ground to celebrate with him when INEC announce the results of the election,” he said.
Soludo who joined the crowd in singing urged them to be patient as INEC announce the results of the election.
However before INEC late Sunday night announced the suspension of collation of results of the November 6 governorship election in Anambra State pending the conduct of the election in Ihiala Local Government Area on November 9 (tomorrow), two of its collation officers said elections did not hold in Orumba North and Ihiala Local Government Areas on Saturday.
Dr. Michael Otu, a lecturer of Commercial Law from the University of Calabar, was the collation officer for Orumba North.
Addressing the Returning Officer, Professor Florence Obi, at the INEC Collation Centre in Akwa, Otu described his experience as very pathetic, thanking God for being alive.
“To be very frank to you, I want to categorically and unequivocally tell you that there was no election to the best of my knowledge and with the evidence I am going to buttress herein,” he said.
According to him, the total registered voters in 18 registration areas is 93,608.
A drama ensued when he stated that though he collated the figures, he didn’t believe in it because he signed the results under duress.
“93,608 is what we collated, although I signed this document under duress, I don’t believe in it. I don’t believe in it, it is not my will,” he added.
In addition to signing the result under duress, the collation officer also cited security threats and alleged violence as reasons why election did not hold in his domain.
Similarly, the Collation officer for Ihiala LGA, Ahmadu Umar said the governorship election did not hold in his area.
While making a presentation after the result for Aguata LGA was declared, Umar however didn’t state why there was no election in Ihiala LGA.
He gave the number of registered voters in the LGA as 148,407, insisting that the poll did not take place in Ihiala.
Also, an INEC Supervisory Presiding Officer was reported to have “carted away” 41 results sheets of the Governorship election in Idemili South LGA.
The Returning Officer in Idemili South Local Government of Area of the state, Dr. Gabriel Othong, made this known while presenting results at the Independent National Electoral Commission office in Awka on Sunday.
He said that the whereabouts of the INEC official and result sheets were unknown, adding that 41 of the 42 result sheets for 89 polling units were “carted away”.
Othong, who is from the University of Calabar, Cross River, noted that there was no election in Oba Ward 1, Oba Ward 11, and Akukwu ward all in Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra.
The Returning Officer explained that electoral officials were not deployed in some of the polling units due to cases of gunshots.
He said: “One of the SPOs carted 41 Result Sheets out of the 42 result sheets meant for the 89 polling units in the affected wards.
“Over 40, 000 voters were not able to vote in the affected areas due to the development.”
The agent of the All Progressives Congress, Chief Ebere Obiakor, said election held in those places but the results were not collated.
But the collation agent of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr. Alex Obiogbolu, countered the position of the APC agent, saying there was no election in any of the affected places.
Victor Umeh of the All Progressives Grand Alliance corroborated Obiogbolu, insisting there was no election in those areas.
Anambra Governorship Election Results as Announced
- Anambra West LGA – 10RAs
5242 – Accredited voters
62637 – Registered voters
5092- Total valid votes
140 – Rejected votes
5232 – Total votes cast
APGA – 1918
APC – 1233
PDP – 1401
YPP – 357
ZLP – 31
.13PUs affected over BIVAS
- Awka North LG
72036 – Registered voters
4447 – Accredited voters
4061 – Total valid
183 – Total rejected
4244 – Total votes cast
APGA – 1908
APC – 755
PDP – 840
YPP – 381
ZLP – 47
Challenges in 7RAs
- Dunukofia LGA – 14RAs
74855 – Registered voters
10134 -Accredited voters
10092 – Voters
APGA – 4124
APC – 1991
PDP – 1680
YPP – 1360
ZLP – 36
- Awka South LGA
176812 -Registered voters
23854 – Accredited voters
10092 – Voters
22802 – Valid
875 – Invalid
23677 – Total votes cast
APGA – 12891
APC – 2595
PDP – 5498
YPP – 919
ZLP – 272
- Oyi LGA
100764 – Registered voters
13241 -Accredited voters
10092 – Voters
12643 – Total valid
492 – Rejected
13135 – Total votes cast
APGA – 6133
APC – 2830
PDP – 2484
YPP – 900
ZLP – 80
- Ayamelum LGA – 11RA
87128 Rregistered voters
9754 -Accredited voters
10092 – Voters
9534 – Total valid
117- Rejected
9651- Total votes cast
APGA – 3424
APC – 2409
PDP – 2804
YPP – 407
ZLP – 296
- Anaocha LGA
APGA – 6911
APC – 2085
PDP – 5108
YPP – 868
ZLP – 50
109860 – Registered voters
15940 – Accredited voters
15483 – Total valid
440 – Rejected
15923 – Total votes cast
.Low deployment of officers
- Anambra East LGA
98426 – Registered voters
14419 – Accredited voters
14044 – Total valid
302 – Rejected
14346 – Total votes cast
APGA – 9746
APC – 2034
PDP – 1380
YPP – 559
ZLP – 44
.Over voting and BVAS challenge
- Idemili South LGA
112652 – Registered voters
6622 – Accredited voters
6402 – Total valid
207 – Rejected
6609 – Total votes cast
APGA – 2312
APC – 1039
PDP – 2016
YPP – 752
ZLP – 28
.No election in 3RAs
- Onitsha South LGA – 17RAs
156775 – Registered voters
9406 – Accredited voters
1145 – Total valid
195 – Rejected
9340 – Total votes cast
APGA – 4281
APC – 2050
PDP – 2253
YPP – 271
ZLP – 37
- Njikoka LGA
103715 – Registered voters
17934 – Accredited voters
16958 – Total valid votes
725 – Rejected votes
17683 – Total votes cast
APGA – 8803
APC – 3216
PDP – 3409
YPP – 924
ZLP – 81
.No election in one polling unit
- Nnewi North LGA – 10RAs
139368 – Registered voters
137517 – Accredited voters
13124- Total valid votes
439 – Rejected votes
13563- Total votes cast
APGA – 3369
APC – 1278
PDP – 1511
YPP – 6485
ZLP – 72
.No deployment of personnel in some
- Orumba South LGA – 18RAs
74690 – Registered voters
10554 – Accredited voters
10132- Total valid votes
399 – Rejected votes
10531- Total votes cast
APGA – 4394
APC – 2060
PDP – 1672
YPP – 887
ZLP – 10
A – 779
.Two incidents
- Onitsha North LGA – 15RAs
158804 – Registered voters
14806 – Accredited voters
14346 – Total valid votes
373 – Rejected votes
14719 – Total votes cast
APGA – 5587
APC – 3909
PDP – 3781
YPP – 682
ZLP – 104
- Aguata LGA – 22RAs
144766- Registered voters
20809 – Accredited voters
195548 – Total valid votes
654 – Rejected votes
20202 – Total votes cast
APGA – 9136
APC – 4773
PDP – 3798
YPP – 1070
ZLP – 120
Voting didn’t take place in 13 PUs
- Ihiala LGA
No election in the 20RAs
- Idemili North LGA – 12RAs
210689- Registered voters
12621 – Accredited voters
11807 – Total valid votes
290 – Rejected votes
12197 – Total votes cast
APGA – 5358
APC – 2291
PDP – 2312
YPP – 902
ZLP – 649
Election didn’t take place in 2RAs
- Ekwusigo LGA
82236 – Registered voters
6864 – Accredited voters
6553 – Total valid votes
216 – Rejected votes
6769 – Total votes cast
APGA – 2570
APC – 1237
PDP – 1857
YPP – 727
ZLP – 13
.8 PUs cancelled in 4RAs
- Nnewi South LGA – 10RAs
89357 – Registered voters
9598 – Accredited voters
9225- Total valid votes
319 – Rejected votes
9544- Total votes cast
APGA – 3243
APC – 1307
PDP – 2226
YPP – 1327
ZLP – 33
.No election in 7RAs
- Orumba North
No election. Collation officer, Dr. Michael Otu alleged he signed documents under duress. He cited three reasons for the rejection: Police crisis (Election shifted to Police Area Command); Mutilation of score sheets; and BVAS challenge
93608 – Registered voters
9598 – Accredited voters
9225- Total valid votes
319 – Rejected votes
9544- Total votes cast
APGA – 3243
APC – 1307
PDP – 2226
YPP – 1327
ZLP – 33
- Ogbaru LG
169053 – Registered voters
9117 – Accredited voters
8457 – Total valid votes
309 – Rejected votes
8766- Total votes cast
APGA – 3051
APC – 1178
PDP – 3445
YPP – 484
ZLP – 43
