Our correspondent
The Candidate of Labour Party (LP) for Ogbaru Federal Constituency Election, Afam Victor Ogene, has been declared winner of the Ogbaru Federal Federal House of Representatives for Anambra State
Ogene defeated the incumbent House of Rep member of the constituency, Chukwuma Onyema of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who is a third term member in the Green Chamber.
Announcing the results at Atani the Headquarters of Ogbaru Local Government Area Saturday night, the Returning Officer, Professor Kingsley Ubaorji of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, said Ogene of Labour Party polled 10,851 votes of the total votes cast, followed by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Hon Chukwuma Wilfred Onyema who polled 10,619 votes,
According to the Returning Officer, Hon Arinze John Awogu of APGA came third with 10,155 votes.
Other Candidates scored as follows: Mrs Nkechi Ismade of APC scored 303 votes, Nwachukwu Victor of ADC scored 39 votes, Obunne Celestine of NNPP scored 124 votes while Nwadialor C of SDP scored 27.
The RO said, “That Hon Afam Ogene of the Labour Party, having satisfied the requirements of the law and scored the highest number of votes cast is declared winner of the election.
Earlier, the PDP led with over a thousand votes in the supplementary election, while APGA came second, followed by LP.
However, when the result was summed up with the previous February 25th election, the Labour Party Candidate came first followed by PDP Candidate, and APGA as second and third.
While the State governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, apparently backed his APGA candidate in the race, Senator Stella Oduah was said to have copiously supported the PDP candidate in the race while the presidential candidate of the Labour Party and former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, solidly supported Ogene.
Obi had some days to the Saturday poll appealed to his supporters in Ogbaru to vote for the LP House of Representatives candidate, Victor Afam Ogene, in the Saturday supplementary election in Ogbaru.
The election in Ogbaru Federal Constituency, was declared inconclusive by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, after the February 25 presidential and National Assembly elections.
Obi told Ogbaru people that “Ogene is a good candidate, who is humble, loyal and honest”, and would ensure that the development of Ogbaru was not neglected.
Obi made the appeal on Thursday, while on a road-show campaign tour of the wards in the Ogbaru Federal Constituency, where INEC slated to conduct supplementary election to determine the ultimate winner of the federal constituency seat.
At the various spots where he presented the LP candidate in the federal constituency, Ogene, to the people of the area, Obi who was accompanied by Senator-elect, Tony Nwoye, and Mr. Oseloka Obaze, told the people that Ogene was committed to his (Obi’s) philosophy of “building a new Nigeria.”
Obi said,“I am here to beg you to vote for us, vote for Labour Party, vote for Afam Ogene, we will support him, and, he will rebuild here (Ogbaru).
“Remember that I built all these roads here when I was governor, if you vote for us in this Saturday re-run election, we will come back to thank you; Afam Ogene will develop here.”
The Labour Party won both the presidential and senatorial elections in Ogbaru in February, while its candidate, Ogene, was also leading other parties comfortably in the House of Representatives election before it was declared inconclusive.
Ogene was a member of the House of Representatives who represented Ogbaru from 2011 to 2015.
