By: Admin
People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has been declared winner in last Saturday’s local council polls in Rivers State with the highest number of valid votes casts in the 4,442 polling units, and 319 wards across the 23 local government areas.
The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) Chairman, Justice George Omereji, while announcing the results of the elections, Sunday evening at the commissions headquarters in Port Harcourt also declared PDP winner of all 23 chairmanship seats and all the 319 councillorship seats in the state.
Addressing journalists, party agents, independent observers and other stakeholders at the RSIEC office shortly after the announcement of the results, Omereji said the election was free and credible, adding that few challenges arising from distribution of materials and other logistics affected the polls.
He congratulated the winners of the elections and called on the losers to accept the results in good faith and eschew the politics of acrimony and bitterness.
Giving a breakdown of the full results, Omereji said Barrister Benjamin Eke of PDP won the Ahoada East chairmanship contest with 35,483 votes.
PDP also won the 13 wards of the LGA for the councillorship polls.
However, the APC that did not take part in the election got 84 votes.
In Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA, Hon. Job Vincent of PDP scored 52, 484 votes to win the race while SDP garnered 218 votes.
Omereji declared Dr. Chidi Lloyd of PDP winner of the Emohua chairmanship seat poll with 93,980 votes.
The party also cleared the 14 councillorship seats of the LGA.
The PDP’s Obinna Anyanwu also won the Etche chairmanship seat with 27, 883 votes. The party cleared the 18 seats of the wards.
Also, PDP’s Deekor confidence won the Gokana LGA chairmanship seat with 54,578 votes; PDP candidates also clinched all the 17 councillorship seats.
APC got two votes for the chairmanship election.
In Bonny LGA, David Irimagha of PDP won the chairmanship seat with 18,408 votes. PDP also swept all the 12 councillorship seats.
The Returning Officer for the elections in Bonny LGA, Dr Kenneth Miebaka, had announced the initial results at the Local Government Collation Centre at the Ibanise Hall at about 1:00am, yesterday.
He declared the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) winner of the polls having polled 18,408 votes to defeat the African Action Congress (AAC), which polled 443 votes and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) with 206 votes.
The PDP’s Onengiye George also won Asari-Toru chairmanship with 63,727 votes, and PDP won all the 13 wards’ councillorship seats. Accord Party scored 787 votes while Labour Party got 9 votes.
Mr. Rowland Sekibo of PDP won Akuku-Toru with 54, 883 votes for chairmanship, Accord 176 while APC got 1.
In Andoni, the Chairmanship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Erastus Awortu, emerged winner in the just-concluded council poll, having garnered the highest number of 107,658 votes.
The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) Returning Officer, Mr Michael Blessed, made the declaration, last Saturday, shortly after results collation in Ngo, headquarters of the local government area.
The returning officer stated that the election was keenly contested and all the party agents were also on ground to monitor the process.
“The results are as follows: total votes cast was 115,776, total valid votes was 113,776 and invalid votes was 1,487.
“Results breakdown showed that Accord Party had 34 votes, ADP 741, AAC 26, ADC 287, APM 59 votes.
“Others are LP 4,207 votes, PDP 107,658 votes, SDP 247 and 471 votes for ZLP.
“From the results, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has the highest votes amounting to 107,658 votes and returned winner.
“I, Mr Michael Blessed, by the powers bestowed on me as the Returning Officer of Andoni Local Government Area has announced the results of the local government election, today, April 17, 2021,” he stated.
In his acceptance speech, the Chairman-elect, Erastus Awortu, thanked the people for demonstrating confidence in him, and promised to honour the tenets of local government administration throughout his tenure.
In Degema LG, Omereji declared William Michael of PDP winner of the chairmanship seat with 21,223 votes; Accord 94 votes; SDP 247 votes; and Labour 913 votes.
In Oyigbo LGA, Okechukwu Akara of PDP was declared winner of the chairmanship election with 81,052; while SDP scored 31 votes.
In Ikwerre LGA, Engineer Samuel Nwanosike was re-elected chairman with 4,952
Labour Party scored 82 votes, SDP 388 votes, and APC 61.
The PDP candidate, Barrister George Ariolu, also won in Obio/Akpor LGA, with 287,347 votes.
Labour Party scored 122 votes and SDP got 705.
In Opobo/Nkoro LGA chairmanship elections, Enyiada Cookey-Gam of PDP won with 44,434 votes; while SDP got 456 votes.
In Eleme LGA, PDP polled 96,283 votes to win the election, with Accord Party scoring 671; and SDP 2,983 votes.
In Okrika LG Chairmanship contest, PDP’s Tobin Akuro candidate scored 23,890 votes to win the poll. Labour got 10; SDP 53; and APC 9 votes.
The PDP also won the chairmanship seat in Khana LGA with 53,439 votes; Labour Party 15 votes; and SDP 309 votes.
In Ogu/Bolo LGA, the PDP chairmanship candidate won the poll with 34,721; SDP 121 votes; and Labour Party 11 votes.
In Tai LGA, PDP’s Friday Mbakpone scored 53, 423; SDP 268; and Labour 73 votes.
In PHALGA, PDP’s Allwel Ihunda polled 17,747 votes to emerge winner; while Labour Party got 552 votes; and APC137.
The incumbent chairmen and candidates of the PDP for Abua/Odual, Daniel .O. Daniel; his Ahoada West counterpart, Hon Hope Ikiriko; also won the contests in their LGAs.
Omereji, however, advised losers of the elections to accept the result and support the winner to provide good governance at the grassroots while encouraging the winners to carry everyone along.
The RSIEC boss used the opportunity to announce that the Certificate of Returns would be issued to the winners today at the Commission’s Office on Aba Road.
