The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has released the Abia Central Senatorial Zone result declaring Governor Theodore Orji as the winner with 65,653 votes. The result was announced at Umuahia North Local Government Headquarters used by INEC as collation centre.
According to the Returning Officer (R O), Dr. Innocent Okoro, a lecturer at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Barrister Ahamdi Nweke scored 46,070 while the APC scored 10.
The incumbent member of the House of Representatives Uzor Azubuike lost the Aba North and Aba South federal Seat to the All Progressives Grand Alliance in what many say is one of the upsets of the poll.
As at the time of this report, sources at the Abia State Headquarters of INEC disclosed that the results of the two outstanding senatorial zones of Aba south where the winner is expected to emerge from the APGA or PDP as well as Abia North had reached the electoral umpire but that it came in late.
In Abia South incumbent Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe of the PDP is slugging it out with Chris Nkwonta of APGA, while in the North it is between former Governor Orji Uzor Kalu of PPA, former member of the African Parliament Mao Ohuabunwa of PDP telecommunications giant Dr. David Ogba Onuoha of APGA.
Prior to the announcement of the results security operatives had cordoned off the Umuahia North Local Government Headquarters used as the collation centre, even as supporters of the two dominant parties danced at a safe distance.