Owerri – The declaration of the APGA candidate in the Imo supplementry governorship poll Rochas Okorocha as winner by INEC has been received with mixed feelings by Nigerians spoken with on Saturday.

Thousands of youths, traders, artisans, tricycle operators took over the major roads and streets of the town in celebration of the candidate’s victory.

Mr Kingsley Chukwu, a trader, said that the victory was made possible by God because “we need a God-fearing governor in this state.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Political Affairs, Chief Rex Anunobi, said that the declaration of the result of the election by INEC without holding election in Oguta Local Government Area was wrong.

According to him, the result of the election in the council area, if held, could change the entire governorship election result.

He, however, appealed to the residents to remain calm because “whoever that is the winner is a son of Imo state”.

The PDP chairman in Imo, Chief Eze Duruiheoma, said that the party was still consulting on the declaration of the result and would make a pronouncement later.

Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwa, member of PDP Board of Trustees (BOT) sais that it was too early to comment on APGA’s victory.

But the PDP chieftain had earlier noted that whoever that was elected among the contending candidates was qualified to govern the state.

He had earlier pledged his support for such a person and urged Imo people to rally round him/her to ensure good governance.

Chief Victor Umeh, APGA National Chairman, who described the victory as “God’s given” said that Imo residents had demonstrated their deep commitment toward enthroning APGA government in the state.

Okorocha, who polled 336,859 votes to defeat his closest rival, Gov. Ikedi Ohakim of PDP who scored 290,496 votes, was declared winner  by the Returning Officer in the election, Prof Hilary Edoga.

“The people have wiped our tears by this gesture and we want to thank them from the innermost part of our heart and we give God all the glory.

“They have made a very wise choice and we assure them that the party will take the sufferings of the people away,” he said.

Umeh added that the party’s candidate was a man of “impeccable charity” who would be very kind to the people and look after the less privileged.

In his reaction, the state Chairman of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Dr Vitalis Ajumbe, said that Okorocha’s victory represented the wish of the people.

Ajumbe called on the governor-elect, to ensure good governance when he assumed duty because “he cannot afford to disappoint the people”.

The chairman urged the people to cooperate with the in-coming APGA government because they voted it in.

On the performance of his party in the election, he said that ANPP did not do well because of some lapses which would be corrected in subsequent elections in the state.

NAN reports that Owerri, the state capital went agog following the declaration of Okorocha as the winner of the poll.

-Vanguard

Posted by admin on May 7 2011. Filed under Elections 2011, Imo, Latest Politics, NNP Elections 2011 Updates, State News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry