* Ohuabunwa

The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has congratulated Senator Mao Ohuabunwa on his victory in the Abia North Senatorial District rerun election.

 Ekwerewmadu who described the victory as a confirmation of Senator Ohuabunwa’s mass appeal and earlier victory, expressed gratitude to the people of Abia North for their abiding faith in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

 In a statement signed by Uche Anichukwu, Special Adviser (Media) to Deputy President of the Senate, Ekweremadu described  Ohuabunwa's victory as one "foretold because in Abia State, the PDP holds the ace and we marketed a quality product, a rich repository of legislative experience. This victory goes to show that the April 2015 victory was never a fluke.”

 Ekweremadu however, reminded the Senator of PDP’s long-standing principle of non-discrimination, urging him to remain an all-inclusive representative, the political choices of some of his constituents notwithstanding.

 Ohuabunwa of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), polled 26,009 votes to defeat candidates of Progressive Peoples Alliance, and All Progressives Grand Alliance, Chief Orji Kalu and Chief Bourdex Onuoha, who polled 25,814 votes and 13,633 votes respectively in Saturday's re-run election in Abia North Senatorial District.

 The  candidates of the All Progressives Congress and Labour Party, Chief Nwanna Okoro, and Chief Oji Nwachukwu, polled 976 votes and 147 votes, respectively.

  Ohuabunwa was declared the winner for polling the highest number of lawful votes cast.

 It will be recalled that the Returning Officer of INEC, Dr Ojike Nwankwo, had at the end of collation of results on Saturday night declared the election inconclusive.

 The Head, Education and Publicity of INEC in the state, Mr Edwin Enabor, said ``the returning officer erroneously declared the re-run election inconclusive.

 ``This was wrong. In a re-run election, a winner must emerge by simple majority.

 ``The margin of lead vis-a-vis the number of registered voters does not arise in a re-run election", Enabor said.

 Meanwhile, the state Chairman of APGA, Rev. Augustine Ehiemere, has described the result as a sham, saying that ``it`s all fraud and unacceptable to us.’’

 Ehiemere said in a telephone interview that ``PDP is in control of the instrument of power and the local government councils where election results are manipulated."

 The PDP state Chairman, Sen. Emma Nwaka, however, expressed delight over the result of the re-run election.

 He said the result had affirmed Ohuabunwa's victory in the March 28, 2015 general elections.