ABIA GUBER: Alex Otti Unseats PDP After 24 Years With Over 80k Vote Margin
The power of incumbency which has played out in Abia state politics for the past 24 years has been upturned as Dr. Alex Otti of the Labour Party has been declared the winner of the March 18, 2023 governorship election in Abia State.
Otti who had contested the governorship position in 2015 and 2019 finally won the battle in 2023 having polled a total vote of 175,467 to beat his closest rival, Chief Okey Ahiwe of the PDP who is also the preferred candidate of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu.
Alex Otti won Ahiwe with a margin of 86,938.
Declaring Otti the governor elect, on Wednesday, March 22, 2023 (four days after the election), the Abia state collation officer, Professor Mrs Nnenna Otti said;
“that Otti Alex Chioma of Labour Party having certified the providence of the law, is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected”.
Earlier before the final declaration, the controversial Obingwa LGA result which INEC subjected under review, was announced thus;
Number of registered voters- 157390
Accredited voters -27664
valid votes – 20000
rejected votes- 510
Total votes cast – 20510
APC- 721
APGA – 1445
LP 3776
PDP 9962
YPP 3101
Meanwhile, the collation agent of the PDP, Charles Esonu was absent at the final declaration of results, while the APC collation agent, Prince Anthony Obinwa Eze, refused to sign the results sheet, accusing the Labour Party of rigging the election across Local governments.
Eze who claimed that the APC has evidence to prove that Labour Party rigged the election, added; ” the results does not reflect the figures accounted by our agents”.
