Anambra Governorship Election: Obiano declared winner

The All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Chief Willie
Obiano, has been declared winner of the governorship election
in Anambra State.

The returning officer, Prof James Epoke said Obiano satisfied
all the requirements of the law "and is hereby declared
winner. "

The result showed APGA polled 180,178 votes, PDP polled
97,700 votes; APC got 95,963 votes,

while LP had 37495 votes.

Before yesterday's supplementary election conducted in 210
polling units in 16 local councils across the state where the
exercise was cancelled during the November 16 exercise,
Obiano was already coasting home to victory, having scored
the highest number of votes and securing 25 per cent in 18 of
the 21 local government areas of the state.

The 16 local government areas where INEC conducted
the supplementary election are Aguata, Awka North, Awka
South, Anambra East, Anambra West, Ayamelum, Anaocha,
Ekwusigo, Idemili North and Idemili South. Others are Ihiala,
Nnewi South, Onitsha North, Onitsha South, Orumba North
and Oyi.

Though there was restriction of movement in the affected
areas, some people were still doing their normal businesses
and traffic was light on the roads in all the areas.

Soldiers were stationed along all the roads leading to Idemili
North local government area and Onitsha South local
government area, which had the highest number of polling
units of 160 and 17 respectively where the supplementary
election took place.

APC, LP agents take part

Though the All Progressive Congress, APC, the Labour Party,
LP, and the campaign organization of the Peoples Democratic
Party, PDP, candidate, Comrade Tony Nwoye, said they
would not participate in the exercise, their agents were seen in
many polling units. However, while APGA and PDP agents
wore tags, those who claimed to be APC agents did not wear
their tags. At Abatete in Idemili north, agents of the PDP and
LP were at the polling units.

Voters' apathy

In all the polling units where the supplementary polls took
place yesterday, there was very low turnout of voters and
heavy presence of security operatives.

In most polling units visited by Sunday Vanguard, electoral
officials and sensitive electoral materials arrived early. But,
despite the early arrival of these materials, the number of
eligible voters, who came out for the accreditation exercise,
was very low compared to the turn-out during the November
16 and 17 elections.

Early results

At Zik Avenue, Onitsha polling units 8, 9 and 10, APGA
scored 18 votes, APC – 8, while PDP polled 6. At polling unit
006, APC scored 9, APGA got 26, while PDP scored 2.
REC commends Anambra voters, says there's no boycott
Despite the low turn out, the INEC Resident Electoral
Commissioner in Rivers, Mr. Aniedi Ikoiwak, who supervised
the election in Onitsha South and Onitsha North council areas,
commended the people of Anambra for coming out to vote
yesterday's supplementary governorship election.
I
koiwak spoke at Okija Hall where voting took place in four
polling units.

APC out to cause mischief – PDP chairman

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party,
PDP, in Anambra State, Prince Ken Emeakayi, has accused
the APC of causing mischief and deceiving Nigerians.
Emeakayi spoke with journalists at Akpkogwe polling booth
Ogidi ward 1 where he had gone to observe the supplementary
election.

He said that despite APC's call on voters to boycott the
election, the party has agents in all the polling units.
INEC ignores Ubah's case

Meanwhile, the supplementary poll held, yesterday, in
apparent disregard of a case by the LP candidate in the
November 16 election, Dr Ifeanyi Ubah, seeking to stop it.
A letter by Ubah's lawyers, Olagoke Fakunle, SAN, and Co,
to INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, dated November 29,
2013, notified INEC about the case.

"You would have noticed that amongst the processes is a
Motion on Notice for interlocutory in juntion restraining you
from conducting any further election in Anambra State, with
regard to the office of the Governor of the State, until the
court has had an opportunity to review the legality of your
pre-election processes towards that election", the letter said.

"It was for the reason of the urgency and importance of this
action that the Federal High Court, on 28th November 2013,
made an order to abridge the time within which you and other
Defendants may file your responses to both the application for
injunction and the originating summons. The court also
granted accelerated hearing of the matter by adjourning the
hearing to 9th December, 2013.

"We therefore hereby demand that you postpone the proposed
supplementary election for the Governor of Anambra state to
avoid a situation whereby you would have foisted a fait
accompli on the court and the court in response will therefore
be constrained to void everything you have done including the
outcome of the proposed supplementary election, with
attendant waste of national resources.

"The appropriate thing for you to do at this stage, therefore, is
to enter appearance and file your responses to the processes
you have been served with and await the court's determination
of the illegality or otherwise of the pre-election process
leading to your decision to hold a supplementary election for
the Governor of Anambra State, before you continue with any
further plans for the conduct of any election of the Governor
of Anambra State."

Via: Vanguard