After the re-run of the controversial Ogbaru Federal Constituency election on Friday, May 6, the returning officer, Peter Chimezie Nnanwa, declared the candidate of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, Victor Afam Ogene, winner.

The declaration broke the deadlock that followed the initial election on April 9, which was pronounced inconclusive by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, because of the problems that trailed the election in Ogwu Ikpele Ward.

Incidentally, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Wilfred Chukwuka Onyema, who is also a current member of the House, is from the area.

Although PDP won the rerun in that ward by 495 votes to 396 for APGA, the total result declared by INEC showed that APGA had a comfortable win over all the other parties, having recorded 10,153 votes.

The second spot was taken by PDP with a total vote of  8,543. The other parties had their scores as follows: All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, 234; Accord Party, AP, 2,871; Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, 1,919; Labour Party, LP, 91 and Congress for Democratic Change, CDC, 78.

The intrigue that characterised the election in Ogbaru was so obvious that, at a point, it took the personal intervention of Professor Athahiru Jega, INEC Chairman, to stall the alleged plot of some  elements in Anambra office of the commission to cancel the entire result when it became clear that the preferred candidate of some political kingpins in the state was losing the election.