INEC declares Okorocha winner in Imo state

Rochas Okorocha, incumbent governor of Imo state, has been declared winner of the Imo state governorship election after Saturday’s supplementary effort.

Okorocha, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), polled 416,996 votes ahead of Emeka Ihedioha, current deputy speaker of the house of the federal representatives, who was the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Ihedioha had 320,705 votes.

As at the time when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the election of April 11 inconclusive, Okorocha was clearly ahead of Ihedioha and he expressed optimism of winning.

“Not getting re-elected would mean that Imolites do not value the ‘Imo Rescue Mission’, which is not true,” he had told Channels Television.

When asked when he wanted the election to hold as INEC had not fixed any date then, his response was: “Tomorrow”.

The rescheduled poll held in four local government areas: Isiala Mbano, Isu, Oguta and Ikeduru).

APC now has 20 states under its control, while PDP is tipped to win two more states in addition to the seven it won during the April 11 election.

As at press time, the PDP candidates in Abia and Taraba were clearly ahead of their APC counterparts in the results so far declared by INEC.