From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
Labour Party (LP), has ended People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP) 24 year rule in Abia State, as the Independent National Electorial Commission (INEC) declared Dr. Alex Otti, the candidate of LP winner of Saturday’s election amid wild jubilation.
Otti who scored 175,465 votes, defeated Okey Ahaiwe of PDP who scored 88,529 votes.
Declaring Otti winner, the Returning Officer for Abia, Prof Nnenna Oti said after reviewing and collating the contentious Obingwa LGA votes, the LP candidate satisfied the constitutional requirement to be declared the winner.
Declaration of the winner of the election in Abia was delayed for five days as a result of the controversial 108,000 votes from Obingwa LGA, the home LGA of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, which was rejected by the Returning Officer who incidentally alerted Abuja on the development.
After INEC officials from Abia were invited to Abuja and the result of Obingwa was reviewed, it was discovered by INEC that Obingwa had 20,000 valid votes.
Out of the valid votes, PDP scored 9,962 and not 108,000, while LP got 3,772 in Obingwa.
In his acceptance speech, Otti declared, “We have broken down the gates of hell in Abia State and set the people free”.
The Governor-elect regretted that Abia has  been held captive for many years by enemies of the State and agents of PDP.
He stated that the task of rebuilding Abia was enormous, adding that “we must take back our State”.
Otti who dedicated his victory to God and Abians, extended his hand of fellowship to those who wronged as he said he would not embark on vendetta mission.
He promised to pay workers  and pensioners promptly while assuring that Abia would witness quantum leap in infrastructural development.
It was his view that no section of the state would be left undeveloped under his watch as Abia Governor, including tackling the erosion menace in Abia.
Otti promised that the era of profligacy was over in Abia assuring that every money accruing to the State would be used for the benefit of the people.
Immedately Otti was declared winner, wild jubilations erupted in parts of the state as people celebrated along the streets of major cities in the state.