Imo guber: INEC returns Hope Uzodimma as winner

Hope Uzodinma, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has won the Imo governorship election by a landslide.

Uzodinma secured the majority of votes cast after sweeping all 27 LGAs in the state.

The APC candidate polled 540,308 votes to beat Samuel Anyanwu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who scored 71,503 votes; and Athan Achonu of Labour Party (LP) who secured 64,081 votes.

Some of the LGs Uzodinma won are Ideato South, Onuimo, Okigwe, Orsu, Ihitte Uboma, Mbaitoli, Owerri municipal, Nkwerre and Ahiazu Mbaise.

Abayomi Fashina, returning officer of the Imo gubernatorial poll, declared Uzodinma winner of the election on Sunday morning.

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“I, Professor Abayomi Sunday Fashina, the returning officer, hereby, declare that Hope Uzodinma of the All Progressives Congress (APC), having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and he is returned elected,” Fashina said.

Uzodinma became governor in January 2020 following a Supreme Court verdict that nullified the election of Emeka Ihedioha. He was seeking re-election in Saturday’s vote.

Earlier, a fight broke out between party agents at the collation centre for the Imo gubernatorial election.

The violence resulted in the party agent of the LP being beaten and bundled out of the hall while the PDP agent was ushered out.

The party agents had alleged that some of the results were “manufactured”.

Fashina had urged the agents to return to their seats and accused them of disrupting the coalition exercise.

Achonu, the LP candidate, has described the election as an “attack on democracy”.