Anambra Rerun: Umeh Declared Winner, Ngige Threatens INEC

File Photo: Chief Victor Umeh

The candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Victor Umeh has been declared the winner of the Anambra Central Senatorial rerun election which held on January 13.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced the former APGA national chairman as the winner.

Naija News gathered that Umeh emerged victorious, defeating the candidate of the Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Chris Ngige, the current Minister of Labour and Employment, with a wide margin.

The INEC Returning Officer, Prof. Charles Esimone, said Umeh polled 64, 878 votes while Ngige got 975 votes.

Esimone said the Progressive Peoples Alliance had 116 votes, the Mega Progressive Peoples Party, 111 votes; Labour Party, 95; National Conscience Party, 72; Alliance for Democratic Congress, 57; United Progressives Party, 55; Green Party of Nigeria, 48 and Action Congress for Democrats, 33.

Ngige, according to Punch, had told his supporters to boycott the election, saying he had written to INEC to inform it of his withdrawal from the race.

The minister therefore, expressed his displeasure at INEC, saying the commission”mischievously included his name on the list of contestants” after he had since January 2016 written the electoral body that he had withdrawn from the race.

He threatened to sue INEC for trying to ridicule him and use his name to give credibility to the election.