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Former governor of Abia State and the All Progressives Congress(APC) candidate, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu has defeated Sen. Mao Ohuabunwa, the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) candidate and incumbent senator for the Abia North senatorial seat.
Kalu polled 31,203 votes to defeat Ohuabunwa who secured 20,801 votes.
The returning officer for the senatorial election, Dr. Charles Anumodu declared Kalu winner while the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief David Ogba scored 11,410 votes to come third.
Ohuabunwa has however rejected the result. In a statement issued by Ukpai Ukairo for his campaign Organisation, Ohuabunwa said “the true results” of Abia North senatorial election were still being collated.
According to him, “It has come to our knowledge that INEC operatives in their haste to arrive at a pre-determined conclusion manipulated the electoral process to the shock of all well- meaning patriots who believe in democracy.
“In this respect, it is tragic that INEC could conduct an election without the issuance of form EC40G, a form used to capture cancelled votes and places where there was no voting.
“In the circumstances of the above, we demand that the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Abia State should direct the Returning Officer of the Abia North Senatorial Election to make the requisite declaration in accordance with the dictates of Rule 17E(e) of the guidelines for the conduct of elections issued by INEC by cancelling the elections completely”.
The APC also won in Kalu’s Bende Local Government for the presidential election. President Mahamadu Buhari polled a total of 9,233 to defeat the candidate of Peoples Democratic party, Atiku Abubakar who polled 6,649.
The returning officer for the presidential election in the area, Prof. Nnennaya Ibiam, announced the result at the INEC headquarters in Umuahia, the state capital on Sunday evening.
Also, in Bende federal Constituency, Benjamin Kalu, of the APC polled 9,138 to defeat Chima Anyaso of the Peoples Democratic Party who polled 5591.