From Okey Sampson, Umuahia

Abia APGA governorship candidate Prof Gregory Ibe has congratulated Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe on his victory in the National Assembly election of February 25.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday announced Sen Abaribe winner of the 25 February Senatorial election for Abia South.

Declaring the result, the Returning Officer Prof Georgina Ugwuanyi announced that Abaribe of APGA polled a majority vote of 49,903 to overcome competition by the Labour Party candidate, Chinedu Onyeizu, who came second and Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of PDP who took a third position.

In a statement by his media adviser, Sleek Ogwo, Prof Ibe applauded the doggedness of voters who defied such debilitating challenges as scarcity of new Naira notes, high fuel prices and late arrival of voting materials to troop out in their numbers to cast their vote for their preferred candidate.

Prof Ibe noted that Abaribe’s victory was significantly resounding, being a conquest over an incumbent governor.

He contended that by this victory, the APGA has made a bold political declaration of intent to take over the Umuahia Government House in the forthcoming gubernatorial election.

Ibe enjoined Abaribe not to relent in his characteristic delivery of quality representation at the red chamber but to be invigorated by the fresh mandate on the platform of APGA to attract more dividends of democracy to the people.