Agbodike Wins Ihiala Fed Constituency

AFTER a very busy two-day session of voting and collation of votes, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced the results of Ihiala Federal Constituency elections it conducted yesterday and today in Ihiala Local Government Area (LGA).

In the results announced by the Returning Officer for the Constituency, Anthony Okoye, eight parties participated with their candidates in the election but there were two valid votes cast for the party, ANPP which did not have a candidate in the contest.

Giving a breakdown of the results, Prof Okoye announced that the party, ADC got 12 votes; APC 351; APGA 5,709; LP 3,536; NNPP 22; PDP 2,554; SDP 16; YPP 1313, while there were 2 votes for ANPP.

He informed that due to intelligence report and real security situation, elections were not conducted in six towns, namely: Azia, Isseke, Lilu, Mbosi, Orsumoghu and Ward 1 of Uli town.

After it was confirmed that security agencies indeed deterred INEC from accessing the said areas that had become strongholds of terrorists and gunmen, the RO declared the candidate of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Pascal A. Agbodike as the winner of the contest.

Dr. Agbodike is the current Deputy Speaker of Anambra State House of Assembly.

The announcement made at the Ihiala LGA Collation Centre in the local council’s headquarters which had all its over a dozen buildings bombed and burnt two months ago by unknown gunmen was received with jubilation.

National Light was told that the Agbodike’s victory was equally remarkable because it came even though he hails from Mbosi, one of the towns in which elections were not held.

Corroborating the observation, Dr Agbodike told National Light that it is unfortunate that election was not held in the security-barred areas which he described as his “strongholds”.

While lamenting the fact that there was “nothing anyone can do because no sane person can defy such a serious security advice, not even INEC.”

It would be recalled that the same severe security situation scare scuttled repeated efforts to hold elections in such towns as Orsumoghu and Lilu during Anambra State gubernatorial elections of November 16 and November 19, 2021.

However, another major tonic of the results of the Ihiala Federal Constituency election is that Agbodike defeated the incumbent House of Representatives’ member for the area, Mr. Ifeanyi Momah of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who came a distant third in his hometown, Okija, to secure the victory.

The results were announced in the presence of political parties’ chieftains and leaders of communities in Ihiala LGA , including the president-general of Okija, Chief Ken Emeakai and top government officials from the area.

Also in attendance was the senator, representing Anambra South Zone in the National Assembly, Chief Ifeanyi Ubah.