INEC Reverses Self, Declares PDP Winner Of Orlu/Orsu/Oru East Poll

The Independent National Electoral Commission (I NEC ) Monday reversed its earlier decision on Orlu-Orsu-Oru East Federal Constituency and declared the People’s Democratic Party candidate, Jerry Alagbaso winner.

The Returning Officer, Professor Innocent Madufor, had earlier declared election in the Constituency inconclusive.

But announcing the results Monday, the Returning Officer disclosed that the PDP candidate polled a total of 21,273 votes to defeat his closest rival of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Edwin Iheanacho, who got 20, 061 votes.

Explaining INEC’s decision to announce the result, despite declaring it inconclusive earlier, the State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof. Francis Ezeonu, stated that the circumstances surrounding that prompted INEC’s earlier decision has been resolved.

He disclosed that elections in some areas were declared inconclusive by the Returning Officer because Card Readers were not deployed.

In his words, “we won’t go back to conduct fresh elections in those areas where Card Readers were not deployed because it is stipulated in the INEC guideline that in those areas where Card Readers were not deployed either as a result of violence or compromise, the result should be returned as zero”.