EMEKA ONUKAOGA; HEAD OF OPERATIONS, INEC, ANAMBRA, MR OKON EWA AND RETURNING OFFICER FOR 2013 ANAMBRA GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION, PROF. JAMES EPOKE DURING THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF POLL RESULT AT AWKA, ANAMBRA STATE ON MONDAY.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Monday declared Saturday’s gubernatorial election in Anambra inconclusive.
The returning officer, Prof. James Epoke, who made the declaration after collating results from the 21 local governments, said he could not announce the overall winner because of irregularities in some parts of the state.
Epoke, who is also the Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar, said the number of registered voters in the areas where election was cancelled was significant and above the difference between the leading candidate and the closest rival.
According to him, results collated so far showed that Chief Willie Obiano of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) scored 174,710 votes and is closely followed by Mr Tony Nwoye of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) with 94,956 with a difference of 79,754 votes.
Epoke said the figure of registered voters in the affected areas was 113,113.
“For us to have a winner, we must have a result where the difference between the two leading candidates will be more than the number of registered voters in those areas where election did not hold.
“The difference between APGA’s 174,710 and PDP’s 94,856 is 79,754 which is less than the votes in the areas where the election was cancelled. Because of this we cannot return the winner in this election.
“The commission will arrange a date for, not a re-run, but a supplementary election in only those areas that election was cancelled.
“In that case we have this election as inconclusive because the total number of cancelled votes is more than the difference between the candidate with the highest number of votes and the runner up.
“We want to appeal to the political parties to allow the election to go on smoothly whenever it will hold and not disrupt the supplementary election as was done in this case,” he said.
Meanwhile, in the result released so far, the local government areas won by APGA are Aguata, Orumba North, Orumba South, Onitsha North, Onitsha south, Ihiala, Ayamelum, Nnewi South, Njikoka,Ogbaru, Ekwusigo, Awka North, Awka South, Anambra East and Anambra West.
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) won in Dunukofia and Oyi local governments to place second with a total of 94,956 votes.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) won Idemili North and Idemili South with a total of 92,300 votes to place third.
The Labour Party came fourth with 37,446 votes and Progressives Peoples Alliance fifth with 5,056 votes.
The total number of registered voters in the state is 1,763,751; the number of accredited voters was 451,825; the number votes cast was 429,549 while valid votes were 413,005 with 16,544 rejected.
Epoke said that Idemili North had the highest number of cancelled votes with 89,997 from six wards or 160 polling units and other areas affected included Omor and Ayamelum, while in Aguluzigbo, Anocha Local Government Area, a ballot box was snatched.
The other areas involved in the the supplementary election include parts of Onitsha South, Ihiala, Ayamelum, Oyi, Orumba North, Aguata, Idemili South and Awka North.
