Twenty nine-year-old Akarachi Amadi of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been declared winner of the election for Mbaitoli/ Ikeduru Federal Constituency of Imo State after the supplementary election held on Saturday.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) made the declaration late Sunday night.
Also, Modestus Osakwe of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has won the seat for Isu state constituenc, becoming the only opposition member to win any seat in the 27-member legislature.
INEC’s Public Relations Officer for Imo State, Dr Chinenye Chijioke Osuji, confirmed this to our correspondent.
Already, the state chapter of PDP has described the victory as the triumph of popular will, saying “the future is now very bright in Isu with a focused, humane, intelligent, passionate and God-fearing representative like Hon. Osakwe.”
But while announcing the votes polled by the respective candidates at the federal constituency’s collation centre located at Nworuibi in the Mbaitoli LGA, the federal constituency Retuning Officer, Prof Boniface Okoro, said that the APC candidate polled a total of 21,372 votes to defeat his closest rival, Uche Ogbuagu, of the Labour Party, who scored 18,296 votes.
The incumbent and the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Henry Nwawuba, got 7,202 votes, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Usmond Ukanacho, polled 6,681 votes, Chinonso Uba of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), scored 4,100 votes, while Godstime Chukwunuikem of the Social Democratic Party got 246 votes.
There was jubilation by supporters as soon as Amadi was returned as the winner of the election.
The candidate of LP was winning in the February 25 National Assembly election until the election was suspended as a result of violence.