The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, has been declared winner of the governorship election in Abia state.

The INEC returning officer in the state, Prof. Benjamin Ozumba, while announcing the result at about 4:54am Sunday, in Umuahia, said Mr. Ikpeazu polled a total of 264,713 votes to beat his closest challenger Alex Otti of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, who garnered 180, 882 votes.

Mr. Otti is a former Managing Director of Diamond Bank.

The election, which was first held on 11 April was declared inconclusive, with Ikpeazu already polling 248, 459 votes to Otti’s 165,406 votes.

Results, as announced by INEC, from the eight local government areas of Abia State where the supplementary governorship elections held showed that in Aba North PDP got 754 while APGA polled 857; in Ikwuano PDP 1,748, APGA 2179; Ohafia, PDP 2,479, APGA 326; Isiala Ngwa North, PDP 60, APGA 60; Aba South, PDP 722, APGA 2536; Ogwunagbo, PDP 1893, APGA polled 1289; Umuahia South, PDP 1377, APGA 4184; Umuahia North, PDP 1,899, APGA 2,376, and Osisioma, APGA 5,322, PDP 1668.

Ikpeazu hails from Obingwa Local Government Area in Abia South Senatorial District.

He holds a Ph.D in Chemistry and taught at the Enugu State University of Science and Technology before going into politics.

He was the Assistant General Manager of the Abia State Environmental Sanitation Agency in charge of Aba until November 2014, when he resigned his appointment to join the governorship race.

Meanwhile, his election has prompted spontaneous jubilation in Obingwa and other parts of Ngwa communities.

A native of the area, Mr Matthias Nwogu, said that the jubilation was “natural, considering that this is the first time the area will produce a governor since the state was created in 1997’’