•Early returns favour Darius Ishaku in Taraba
• PDP Senator Uzodinma, INEC officials arrested for thumb-printing
• PDP Senator Uzodinma, INEC officials arrested for thumb-printing
voters in Imo state yesterday re-elected Governor Rochas Okorocha for a second term in office, endorsing him ahead of his closest opponent, Honourable Emeka Ihedioha of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Okorocha who accumulated 385,671 votes as against Ihedioha’s 306,142 , a difference of 79529, at the close of voting on April 11,got an additional 31,326 votes yesterday leaving 13,624 for Ihedioha in yesterday’s supplementary election.
The election took place in 200 Polling Units across 23 local government areas.
Of this number of LGAs,Okorocha won in 21.
His performance defied efforts of the PDP to manipulate the process through rigging .
Poll returns announced last night are as follows:
Nkwerre Local Government. Re-run held in two wards.
APC: 255
PDP: 164
Oru West
APC: 395
PDP: 129
Okigwe (re-run in two wards)
APC: 603
PDP: 76
Orlu (re-run held in three wards)
APC: 687
PDP: 179
Ihite Uboma (re-run held in one polling unit)
APC: 131
PDP: 66
Nwangele (re-run held in three polling units)
APC: 279
PDP: 55
Orsu (re-run held in three polling units)
APC: 471
PDP: 218
Njaba (re-run held in six polling units)
APC: 1,095
PDP: 236
Obowo (re-run held in two wards)
APC: 697
PDP: 505
Owerri North
APC: 674
PDP: 620
Onuimo
APC: 412
PDP: 207
Ezinhitte Mbaise (re-run held at four polling units)
APC: 213
PDP: 715
Ihime Mbano
APC: 604
PDP: 393
Abo Mbaise
APC: 686
PDP: 939
Owerri West
APC: 1,342
PDP: 793
Ohaji Egbema
APC: 1,210
PDP: 996
Mbaitoli
APC: 3,997
PDP: 2,422
Oru East
APC: 7,154
PDP: 118
Ngow Okpala
APC: 4150
PDP: 323
Isu
APC: 2,773
PDP: 979
Similar governorship supplementary elections took place in Abia and Taraba states.
Dr Okezie Ikpeazu of the PDP was in a comfortable lead in Abia with Dr Alex Otti of APGA trailing,while Mr.Darius Ishaku of PDP was coasting to victory in Taraba ahead of Senator Aisha Al-Hassan of APC.
A serving senator of PDP,Mr.Hope Uzodinma, was arrested by the police in connection with illegal thumb printing of ballot papers in a private house in Oru East Local Government Area of Imo as the election got underway yesterday.
Arrested with him were his uncle ,elder sister and fake INEC officials were yesterday arrested by security men while thumb printing ballot papers in a private home at Oru East Local Government Area.
The Senator who was later released on personal recognition, was said to have mobilized hoodlums who set bonfires on the road to prevent security men from taking away the suspects.
It took a reinforcement of soldiers and men of the Department of State Security to rescue the Policemen and take the suspects to the Police Headquarters in Owerri, where they were detained.
Also arrested were fake INEC officials who posed as Returning Officers at the Collation Centre.
The Edo State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mike Igini, who was among the INEC team deployed for the election, said that the fake INEC officials were arrested at Umumma Primary School Ward 10 Polling Unit 008, Polling Unit 003 and three others.
He said: “myself accompanied by the Assistant Inspector General of Police and Commissioner Police have arrested poll officials in Oru East involved in mass thumb printing and have now been taken to Owerri.
“Upon my suspicion, an imposter who claimed to be lNEC staff without proof ,acting as a presiding officer, l ordered his arrest and it was effected by the Police”.
At another location, an APC chieftain was shot by hoodlums when he resisted their plan to hijack the election materials.
Another victim and a supporter of the APC, Chief Rex Anunobi, who was kidnapped from his home by the PDP thugs at the instance of a PDP Senator, was rescued by policemen led by an AIG.
Voters turn out was generally low.
Voters turn out was not different in Abia State,although polling was generally peaceful .The election which was scheduled to take place in 299 polling units of nine local government areas started in some polling centers as early as 8am while in others it started at about 9am.
The nine local government areas for the supplementary election were Aba
North and South, Ikwuano, Ohafia, Osisioma, Ugwunagbo, Umuahia South
Umunneochi and Bende, while Umuahia North was for state House of Assembly.
In Umuobutu/Saint Silas Primary School, Old Umuahia and Umuezeala in Umuahia South council areas, accreditation started at about 9am while in Umuobia it started by 11:30am because of delay in rectifying the card reader which developed a little fault.
The restriction order for vehicular movement was not strictly enforced
as vehicles, other than those on election duty, were seen plying the roads. Inter and intra city Commercial buses and tricycles did their normal business.
The PDP governorship candidate,Dr.Ikpeazu said the tension occasioned by the supplementary election was more artificial than natural.
He told reporters in Aba that if the results of the governorship election conducted on April 11, 2015 had been declared, there would have been no tension in the state.
He however expressed the hope that “the tension will diffuse naturally because that tension was created, it was not natural, it was artificial.”
The candidate, who expressed confidence that he would win the p election, also advised political aspirants to be less desperate in order to reduce tension in the polity.
Voters turn out in Taraba was high and reports last night said Mr.Ishaku was well ahead in the early returns from the polling units.
Winner of the elections is expected to be announced today by INEC.
At the close of voting on April 11, Ishaku, an architect and former Minister of State for Power, Environment and Niger Delta Affairs, was leading with 54,812 votes. He won the election in nine of the 16 local government councils with 317,198 votes, while Alhassan, a lawyer and got 262,386 votes garnered in six local government areas.
127,125 voters were registered in the 10 local government areas of the state where the supplementary election took place yesterday.
Senator representing Southern Taraba Emmanuel Bwacha boasted yesterday that Ishaku would be returned as winner.
“If you like conduct this election 10 times, the same result would be produced; because the people will not change their opinion of the candidates,” Bwacha said.
Poor outing in Delta
The supplementary election in Delta Central Senatorial District was also characterised by low voter turnout, despite prompt despatch of electoral officials and materials.
In Unit 9, 10 of Ward 9 and Unit 8, Ward 10 all in Ekpan community, the atmosphere was very calm. In Effurun Ward 1, Unit 10, the same was the case. Electoral officers complained of poor voters turnout, but added that there was no issue of violence, as those who came out conducted themselves in an orderly manner.
Agents of the three major political parties in the state, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Labour Party (LP) who spoke to newsmen said the exercise was going smoothly and materials were intact.
Speaking with journalists at his country home in Jesse, Ethiope West council area, Hon. Halims Agoda, the APC senatorial candidate said he was optimistic that he would come out victorious in the election.
“Every human being is incurably optimistic. Why shouldn’t I be when I know that out of the three of us, I am the most credible candidate to represent Delta central,” he stated.
“I spent 12 productive years of my life in the House of Representatives. I will continue to render services to my people. Whatever you hear is a masquerade of the PDP.
“There are currently 17 federal positions for Delta state. They won’t come through Okowa, those will come through APC. Very soon, the PDP hierarchy will be looking towards APC.”
Candidate on the platform of the PDP, Chief Ighoyota Amori who spoke in his Mosogar residence noted that although there was no supplementary election in his area, reports so far gathered from their agents indicate that the process was “peaceful and favourable” to his party.
Lamenting the poor turn out of voters, he said, “We don’t blame the electorates because they have gone through two to three elections and are tired of coming out. The enthusiasm cannot be the same.
“All the same, PDP faithful came out and we are very hopeful. We are waiting to see the units that we will lose in this re-run. If big figures emerge, INEC will be blamed.”
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