The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Imo State, Monday, declared Jerry Alagboso of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) winner of the Orlu/Orsu/Oru-east federal constituency election.
About a fortnight ago, the INEC had earlier declared the election inconclusive, but the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof. Francis Chukwuemeka Ezeonu, later reversed the decision and declared Alagboso winner.
The REC, who gave reasons for the reversing the earlier decision, said that the Returning Officer did not apply the electoral guidelines properly in declaring the election inconclusive.
According to him, the electoral guidelines had stipulated that areas where card readers were not deployed, either as a result of violence or compromise, such areas should have zero returns.
According to him, some of the areas the RO declared inconclusive actually had results, while others did not, adding that this realization was what necessitated INEC to have a rethink and apply the electoral law, as stipulated.
In announcing the result, the Returning Officer, Prof. Innocent Madufor, said that Alagboso polled 21273 to defeat the AA candidate, Dr. Ikenna Ihezuo, who polled 2,171 votes and APC’s Edwin Iheanacho, with 20061 votes.
Following the announcement, the candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC), All Progressives Grand (APGA) and The Action Alliance (AA), promptly protested against the result alleging that the INEC had been compromised.
They also accused the electoral umpire of bias and insisting that they would seek further legal redress to correct the perceived wrong.
