Brother of murdered LP senatorial candidate wins election to replace him

Kelvin Chukwu, younger brother of the late Oyibo Chukwu, has been elected as the new Labour Party (LP) candidate for Enugu east senatorial district.

Oyibo Chukwu was killed and set ablaze at Amechi Awkunanaw in Enugu south LGA on February 23 after gunmen opened fire on his convoy.

TheCable reported that five of his supporters in the car were also killed in the incident.

Following the murder, Mahmood Yakubu, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), announced the suspension of the election for the senatorial district and rescheduled it to March 11. 

In a fresh party primary conducted on Sunday, Innocent Okeke, LP’s south-east chairman, declared Kelvin Chukwu as the winner

He secured 223 votes to defeat Uchenna Ogbodo, Chinedu Nneji and Christian Onyeni.

Speaking after the announcement, Chukwu promised to fulfil the dreams of his late brother and make the people of Enugu East senatorial district proud.

Kelvin said the family is yet to recover from how Oyibo was gruesomely shot and burnt alongside his personal aide.

Casmir Agbo, the state party chairman, praised the 231 delegates in the senatorial zone for their resilience and support.