(UMUAHIA, 22 March 2023) Chief Alex Otti wins Abia State Governorship elections, gifting Labour Party a lone seat in the 2023 general elections.
With this win, the hard-fighting Otti also terminated the 24-year dominance of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abia politics.
INEC declared Otti winner on Wednesday after recounting votes from the disputed Obingwa Local Government Area.
INEC suspended announcement of the results to clear deal with the issue presented by Obingwa LGA.
The final tally saw the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) tumble into second place with 9,962 votes behind LP’s 3,776 votes in Obingwa.
This win gave Otti and his opposition LP a total of 10 LGAs. PDP picked up six while the Young Peoples Party came up with a surprise LGA.
Chief Otti extended his final haul to 175,466 votes to roundly defeat PDP candidate, Okey Ambrose Ahiwe, who scored 88,526 votes about half of his rival’s.
Consequently, at the final ceremony held in the Commissions headquarters in Umuahia, INEC Returning Officer, Prof. Nnenna Oti, declared Chief Alex Otti winner.
With this win, the hard-fighting Otti also terminated the 24-year dominance of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abia politics.
Victory at last for Alex Otti
Born 58 years ago, Alex Otti is an economist, banker and newspaper columnist. The Isiala-Ngwa native was born on 18 February 1965.
Enugu Metro reported that Chief is running for office for the third consecutive time since 2015.
He mounted a consistent run beginning from 2015 when he was the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
Although he lost on this first attempt, he nearly had his dreams fulfilled when on 31 December 2015, the Court of Appeal upturned Gov Okezie Ikpeazu’s election and declared Otti winner.
Ikpeazu who had already been sworn in promptly appealed the decision and remained on the seat until 3 February 2016 when the Supreme Court reversed the decision of the Court of Appeal.
Undaunted, Otti returned to the contest in 2019, again under the banner of APGA, and lost a second time to the incumbent, Ikpeazu.
On this third attempt, he pitched tenth with the resurgent Labour Party land landed safely ashore on the crest of the Obidient Wave.
On the 2023 campaign trail, he promised to run a purposeful administration, pay outstanding salaries, allowances, and pension within six months as governor and govern without collecting a salary.
“I will use your money to work for you,” he said at his campaign stops.
Slug: Otti wins Abia State 2023 Governorship elections
Author
