INEC’s returning officer, Prof Nwachukwu J. Obiaku from Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka declared the results of the controversial poll.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atigwe Simon as the winner of the rerun election for the Udenu/Igbo-Eze North Federal Constituency of Enugu State.
INEC’s returning officer, Prof Nwachukwu J. Obiaku from Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka declared the results of the controversial poll.
SaharaReporters reported on Saturday that the election was characterised by missing result sheets, causing voters to insist that there would be no election without result sheets.
It was learnt that due to the missing result sheets, the election didn't take place in over 15 polling units in the Igbo-Eze North local government area.
Declaring the results of the election in an undisclosed location, for which a video was made available to journalists on Sunday, Obiaku said that the PDP candidate polled 23,863 votes to defeat Hon. Dennis Agbo of the Labour Party whom he said polled a total of 23,226 votes.
He said, "I, Prof Nwachukwu J. Obiaku hereby certify that I am the returning officer for the 2024 Igbo-Eze North/Udenu rerun election held on February 3, 2024. Two the election was contested free and the candidates received the following votes - Obiora Dennis Obetta of ADC scored 129 votes; A.J Obiagere scored 1,812 votes.
"Elochukwu Hygineus of APGA scored 304 votes; Ngwoke Edwin of APP scored 114 votes, Dennis Nnamdi Agbo of LP scored 23,226 votes; Eke George Ude of NNPP scored 261 votes, Atigwe Simon Chukwuemeka of PDP scored 23,863 votes; Ekwereme Anthony Amechi of SDP scored 40 votes; Ugwuodo Kingsley Chukwuma of ZLP scored 142 votes.
"Atigwe Simon Chukwuemeka of PDP, having satisfied the requirement of the law, is hereby declared as the winner and he is returned elected."
He declared that the election was peaceful, free and fair.
It should be recalled that voters protested against the election following the replacement of the original result sheets meant for the conduct of the by-elections by the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Dr Chukwuemeka Chukwu.
Hundreds of supporters of the Labour Party in the state on Saturday morning protested, demanding that the result sheets be provided before the commencement of the election at Robinson Street, Uwani, Enugu, for the Enugu South Urban state constituency.
The situation was also the same in the Igbo-Eze North LGA of the state where the by-elections for Igbo-Eze North and Udenu Federal Constituency were supposed to take place as voters in Umuida and other communities in Enugu Ezike town, insisted that no election would take place in the area without the original result sheets.
Our reporter who monitored the polls, observed that trouble started when Labour Party stakeholders and supporters got wind of an alleged diversion of the result sheets by the EEC and the PDP.
The demonstrations continued until around noon, when the REC, Dr Chukwuemeka Chukwu, came and addressed the agents of the various political parties.
He told them that the original result sheets had been lost and that he had provided an alternative.
The REC brought out a photocopy of the 2023 general election results sheet and told them that he would sign and countersign for that to be used for the election.
However, the agents of LP vehemently rejected the move by the REC to use the 2023 election result sheets for the by-election.
Speaking to journalists, Chukwu said, "This morning, information reaching to me has it that there's an issue if missing result booklet for voting to start.
"The political party demanded that, in line with the Electoral Act, every material for the election should be shown to them before the voting will commence.
"When I got the information, I quickly ran to this place to calm the situation and proffer a solution to the problem.
"In line with the Electoral Act, if the result sheet is mutilated or missing, what we're going to issue is a replacement.
"So, I'm here to tell the world that whatever any person is saying, in line with the law, if any election material is altered before the election is concluded, INEC has every right to issue replacement result sheets or any material in that category.
"So, here is the replacement of the result sheets. So, I'm going to stamp it and I'm going to sign and countersign it so that voting will commence.
"Voting is going to commence very shortly in this Uwani. What we are conducting here is only polling units."
When journalists asked him how the result sheets went missing, the REC stopped talking and left the interview session.