#NigeriaDecides2023: Ex-Gov Egwu loses third term senate bid as APC sweeps Ebonyi North

The former Governor of Ebonyi State, Sam Egwu, has lost his bid to return to the Senate for a third term.

Mr Egwu of the Peoples Democratic Party represents Ebonyi North Senatorial District in the Senate. The district, including elections for the House of Representatives seat there, has now been won by the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Mr Egwu lost to a former state chairman of the PDP who later joined APC, Peter Nwebonyi, who was declared the winner by INEC.

Mr Nwebonyi of the APC garnered a total of 65,863 votes. His closest opponent, Ejiofor Chukwu of the Labour Party scored 42,283 votes to emerge second while Mr Egwu came a distant third with 26,569 votes.

The report was announced by the INEC Returning Officer for Ebonyi North Senatorial Zone, Nwogo Obasi, at the INEC office in Abakaliki Local Government Area on Sunday night.

Also, a former state chairman of the APC, Nwachukwu Eze, defeated his Labour Party and PDP opponents to win the Ebonyi/Ohaukwu Federal Constituency seat. He garnered 22794 votes to beat his closest challenger, Ndubuisi Agbo of the Labour Party who polled 14,168 votes

The candidate of the PDP, Victor Aleke, garnered 11,611 votes to place third in the election.

Reacting, Mr Eze commended his constituents for giving him their mandate to represent them.

He thanked President Buhari for keeping to his promise to reform the electoral system to make it free and fair.

“The election has shown that there is future for Nigeria. This election in my constituency has been adjudged the most peaceful and fair since return of democracy,” he said.

He promised to keep to the promises he made during the campaign to the people.

Mr Eze said he will introduce citizen engagement whereby communities and towns in his constituency will decide the projects they need.

“This will help us to identify the needs of the people so that we can cite appropriate projects that will touch the people’s lives,” he said.

PREMIUM TIMES reports that although as a lawmaker, Mr Eze would not have executive powers to execute projects, lawmakers often propose ‘constituency projects’ which are inserted in Nigeria’s annual budgets.

“That way we won’t go and cite projects the people do not need. If the people want school, we won’t go and build hospital,” he said.

The House of Representatives member-elect, Mr Eze, also promised to empower the youth and women in the constituency and by so doing reduce incidences of communal conflict, violence and criminality in the area.

He also commended his opponents for putting up a good fight during the election adding that they are all winners

Mr Eze, however, called on them to support him to enable him to give the people the best representation.

Also, the APC candidate for Abakaliki/Izzi Federal Constituency, Emmanuel Uguru, has been declared the winner of the election for the constituency.

Mr Uguru, a former Chairman of Abakaliki local government, defeated Emmanuel Ezeh of the Labour Party to emerge victorious.

The Returning Officer for the election, Amos Nworie, announced that Mr Uguru scored a total of 41,771 votes.

He said that Mr Ezeh scored 30,877 votes to take the second position.

Mr Nworie, a professor, declared that Mr Uguru having scored the highest number of votes is the winner of the Abakaliki/Izzi Federal Constituency election.