Abaribe defeats Ikpeazu by wide margin to return as Abia south senator

Enyinnaya Abaribe, the incumbent senator representing Abia south district, has been re-elected.

Abaribe, a former minority leader of the upper legislative chamber, who was formerly in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), ran on the platform of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA).

The senator defected to APGA after Okezie Ikpeazu, governor of Abia, clinched the PDP ticket for the senatorial ticket.

While declaring the election results on Tuesday, Georgina Ugwuanyi, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) returning officer, said Abaribe polled 49,693 votes to defeat the other contestants for the seat.

Ugwuanyi said Chinedu Onyeizu, candidate of the Labour Party (LP), polled 43,903 votes to come second and Ikpeazu of the PDP polled 28,422 votes to come third.

The results were eventually announced after elections were rescheduled in some polling units.