INEC Declares Hope Uzodinma Winner of Imo State Governorship Election

Hope Uzodinma of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been declared the winner of the Imo State governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The election results, announced on Sunday, revealed Uzodinma’s sweeping success across all 27 Local Government Areas of the state.

The state Returning Officer, Prof. Abayomi Fasina, who is also the Vice-Chancellor of Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State, disclosed the results at INEC’s state collation center in Owerri, the state capital.

The election, which featured candidates from 18 different parties, was primarily characterized as a four-horse race, with Governor Uzodimma seeking re-election under the APC, Samuel Anyanwu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Athan Achonu of the Labour Party, and Jack Ogunewe of the Action Alliance.

As the results unfolded, it became evident that Uzodinma’s dominance was unparalleled, with none of the other candidates securing victory in any local government.

Imo State, with a total of 2,419,922 registered voters and 2,318,919 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) collected, witnessed a keenly contested election. Prof. Fasina presided over the collation process, which briefly halted at 08:30 am on Sunday before reconvening to announce the final results.

Governor Uzodimma emerged victorious with 540,308 votes, while Samuel Anyanwu of the PDP secured a distant second with a total of 71,503 votes. Athan Achonu of the Labour Party polled 64,081 votes to claim the third position in the election.

Anthony Ejiogu of the All Progressives Grand Alliance secured 6,392 votes to come fourth, and Jack Ogunewe of the Action Alliance rounded off the top five with 5,756 votes.

In his declaration, Prof. Fasina stated, “I, Prof. Abayomi Fasina, I was the Returning officer for the Imo state governorship election held on November 11, 2023. That the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Good Hope Uzodimma, having scored the highest number of votes and satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner of the election and returned elected.”

The breakdown of results from the various LGAs illuminated the scale of Uzodinma’s triumph:

Oru West LGA

Accredited voters: 42,965
APC: 38,026
LP: 1,867
PDP: 987
Total valid votes: 41,373
Total votes cast: 42,318

Njaba LGA

Accredited voters: 12,098
APC: 8,110
LP: 995
PDP: 2,404
Valid votes: 11,736
Total votes: 12,030

Owerri North LGA

Registered voters: 134,555
Accredited voters: 18,398
APC: 8,536
LP: 4,386
PDP: 3,449
Valid votes: 17,440
Total votes cast: 18,016

Nwangele LGA

Registered voters – 55535
Accredited voters – 33259

APC – 29282
LP – 895
PDP – 2132

Valid votes – 32597
Votes cast – 32959

Owerri Municipal LGA

Registered voters – 134169
Accredited voters – 11110

APC – 5324
LP – 2914
PDP – 2180

Valid votes – 10813
Votes cast – 11054

Orsu LGA

Accredited voters – 19139
APC – 18003
LP – 813
PDP – 624
Valid votes 19589
Votes cast 19795

Okigwe LGA

Registered voters – 75410
Accredited voters – 63935
APC – 55585
LP – 2655
PDP – 1688
Valid votes – 62970
Total votes cast – 63935

Ideato South LGA

Registered voters – 79361
Accredited voters – 21935
APC – 16891
LP – 1649
PDP – 2469
Valid votes – 21370
Total votes cast – 21650

Onuimo LGA

Registered voters – 36717
Accredited voters – 18405
APC – 13434
LP – 1753
PDP – 2676
Valid votes – 18240
Total votes cast – 18276

Ngor-Okpala LGA

Registered voters – 102048
Accredited voters – 22111
APC – 14143
LP – 2716
PDP – 3451
Valid votes – 21492
Total votes cast – 22003

Oru East LGA

Registered voters – 85080
Accredited voters – 74324
APC – 67315
LP – 3443
PDP – 2202
Valid votes – 74286
Total votes cast – 74290

Isu LGA

Registered voters – 55203
Accredited voters – 15974
APC – 11312
LP – 1253
PDP – 2508
Valid votes – 15776
Total votes cast – 15932

Ahiazu Mbaise LGA

Registered voters – 98887
Accredited voters – 16097
APC – 8369
LP – 2214
PDP – 3507
Valid votes – 15353
Total votes cast – 15878

Nkwerre LGA

Registered voters – 59926
Accredited voters – 26993
APC – 22488
LP – 1320
PDP – 2632
Valid votes – 26764
Total votes cast – 26906

Aboh Mbaise LGA

Registered voters – 111207
Accredited voters – 16084
APC – 9638
LP – 2455
PDP – 1724
APC – 9205
LP – 2597
PDP – 3305
Valid votes – 15712
Total votes cast – 16223

Isiala Mbano LGA

Registered voters – 99076
Accredited voters – 15911
APC – 10860
LP – 2419
PDP – 1659
Valid votes – 15202
Total votes cast – 15531

Obowo LGA

Registered voters – 68690
Accredited voters – 22214
APC – 17514
LP – 3404
PDP – 712
Total valid votes – 21907
Total votes cast – 22171

Ezinihitte Mbaise LGA

Registered voters – 91272
Accredited – 16971
APC – 8473
LP – 3332
PDP – 2737
Valid votes – 16282

Oguta LGA

Registered voters – 95152
Accredited voters – 64260
APC – 57310
LP – 1941
PDP – 2653
Valid votes – 63675
Total votes cast – 63947

Ikeduru LGA

Registered voters – 119987
Accredited voters – 33662
APC – 22356
LP – 1377
PDP – 7258
Valid votes – 32183
Total votes cast – 32712

Ehime Mbano LGA

Registered voters – 79212
Accredited voters – 13027
APC – 6632
LP – 4958
PDP – 681
Valid votes – 12484
Total votes cast – 12782

Orlu LGA

Registered voters – 103223
Accredited voters – 49229
APC – 37614
LP – 2424
PDP – 3690
Valid votes – 48027
Total votes cast – 48386

Ohaji Egbema LGA

Registered voters – 107456
Accredited – 21366
APC – 14962
LP – 1506
PDP – 3694
Valid votes – 20755
Total votes cast – 21249

Ideato North LGA

Registered voters – 86905
Accredited voters – 9609
APC – 5271
LP – 1522
PDP – 2062
Valid votes – 9161
Total votes cast – 9550

Ihitte Uboma LGA

Registered voters – 52108
Accredited voters – 17537
APC – 11099
LP – 2766
PDP – 3077
Valid votes – 17358
Total votes cast – 17537

Mbaitoli LGA

Registered voters – 153283
Accredited Voters – 24186
APC – 12556
LP – 4007
PDP – 5343
Valid votes 23014
Total votes cast 23986

Following his declaration as the winner, Uzodinma is set to be sworn in for a second term in office on January 14, 2024. However, the outcome has sparked discontent among opposition parties, with allegations of rigging surfacing.

Opposition parties, notably the Labour Party, have expressed disappointment over the election results, claiming that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) favored the incumbent through irregularities. Nathan Achonu, the Labour Party’s candidate, has declared his intention to challenge the result in court, a move supported by the party.

Yunusa Tanko, the spokesman for the Labour Party’s Campaign Organization, voiced their concerns and justified their decision to contest the election outcome. Tanko highlighted instances of harassment, intimidation, and logistical challenges faced by their supporters during the electoral process.

“Achonu is right to reject the election results. Definitely, he will be heading to the court in line with electoral provision to seek redress. That election is nothing but a scam. You know it is something we expected may happen. It is just that we have no power over what is going on in that state,” Tanko stated.

The spokesman further detailed the challenges encountered by the Labour Party during the election, including alleged intimidation of supporters, the booking of hotels preventing accommodation for their personnel, and heightened insecurity.

“We, therefore, support any action our Imo candidate is taking, including going to court,” Tanko affirmed, signaling the party’s commitment to pursuing legal avenues to address their grievances.