From the figures released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that made Ikedioha winner, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) polled 273,404 vote, while his closest rival Uche Nwosu, the son-in-law of the incumbent governor, Uche Nwosu, who left the All Progressives Congress (APC) to join Action Alliance (AA) got 190,364 votes; followed by Senator Uzodinma of the APC who got 96,458 votes.
Taking a cursory look at the results, adding the figures gotten by Nwosu and Uzodinma together, it would have amounted to 286,822 votes for the ruling party if the duo had not gone their separate ways due to their individual ambitions.
The national leadership of the party would have done better and reconciled the aggrieved members after the party’s states congress which wasn’t a favourable outing. This would have help in maintaining the party structure in the state being the only APC-controlled state in the south-east region.
Moreover, Okorocha whose name was omitted by the INEC from the list of the elected senators, probably due to the fact that the Imo West senatorial district election was announced under duress is another headache for the governor, with this result, APC would have defeated PDP with a paltry 13,418 votes and there could have been a supplementary election.
Moreover, the party might have even garnered more votes if its house was actually in order.
It is high time the ruling party learn from this as all candidates contesting for election have the motives of serving the people.
To ensure an itch-free process, the party would have allowed transparency to be the other of the day in order to enjoy its relevance in the state.
At the end of each electoral process, there is bound to be grievances. All these have to be addressed by the party in order to have a favourable outing at the major polls.
But with this result, the popularity of the party may be dwindling in the state and south-east.
However, with the emergence of a former governor of Abia state, Orji Uzor-Kalu as senator-elect, the party might regenerate its control in the south-east with the huge followers Uzor-Kalu enjoys.
But time is yet to tell on the fate of Okorocha and the party in the state as event continue to0 unfold in the political circle.
POLITICSNGR
