Imo: Uzodinma Wins Second Term Re-election Bid

Governor Hope Uzodimma of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has won his second term re-election bid into Imo State Government House.
The Independent National Electoral Commission announced Uzodimma as the winner of the off-cycle governorship poll held on November 11, 2023.
State Returning Officer for the election, Prof. Abayomi Fasina, who is also the Vice-Chancellor of Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State, announced the results on Sunday morning at INEC’s state collation centre in Owerri, the state capital.
He declared Uzodimma winner of the election with 540,308, votes while Samuel Anyanwu of the Peoples Democratic Party came a distant second with a total of 71,503 votes.
Athan Achonu of the Labour Party polled 64,081 votes to emerge third in the election.
The All Progressives Grand Alliance candidate, Anthony Ejiogu garnered 6,392 votes to come fourth while Jack Ogunewe of the Action Alliance emerged fifth with 5,756 votes.
Fasina noted that Uzodimma having scored the highest number of votes and satisfied the requirements of the law was declared the winner of the election and returned elected.
In the results, Uzodimma cleared the entire 27 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state and will be sworn- in on January 14, 2024.
Recall that the State Agent of the LP, Callistus Ihejiagwa was beaten to stupor and bundled out of the state collation centre after he protested the results announced by the returning officers in the LGAs.
He insisted that the results were manipulated in the favour of the APC candidate.
The state agent of the PDP, Kissinger Ikeokwu also stormed out of the collation centre.
But the LP and PDP had on Saturday night requested the cancelation of the election.
The deputy governorship candidate of the LP, Tony Nwulu lamented that the security agents provided enough security for INEC staff and APC members to rig the poll.
He stated that the position of his party was for INEC to cancel the election.
Addressing a press conference, the PDP candidate, Samuel Anyanwu maintained that the election was rigged in the favour of Uzodimma.