by Oge Okonkwo

The Governor-elect of Anambra state, Willie Obiano has attributed his victory in the just-concluded elections to the hard work of Gov. Peter Obi.

Obiano said it was the commitment of the outgoing governor in bringing about development in the state that assisted in ensuring his victory.

He said that Obi’s “good work actually led us to victory and I must commend him for his exemplary show of support”.

Vanguard reports:

Obiano, the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the polls, said this while reacting to his victory, which was announced by the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) in Awka on Sunday.

The governor-elect also commended the people of the state, the Chairman of the party, Chief Victor Umeh, other party stalwarts and the security agencies for their commitment to their duties during the conduct of the election.

He also commended President Goodluck Jonathan for ensuring credible polls in the state and assured him of his unflinching support.

“I am assuring the people of Anambra that I will continue with the great strides of Obi in moving the state forward,” Obiano pledged.

On his part, Umeh said: “We dedicate this victory to the evergreen memory of our great leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Ojukwu, whose dream and legacy have been sustained.

“The light that shines when he was alive is now shining gloriously.’’

The chairman also commended President Jonathan for “keeping faith with democracy’’, saying  “If it was not Jonathan, we could have had problems now.

“The victory did not come as a surprise, it came as a result of the superlative performances of Gov. Obi”, he added.

Umeh, who assured the president of the party’s continued support, also commended the INEC for “doing an excellent job’’.

He, however, urged opponents in the contest to give peace a chance and consider the interest of the state before their personal interests.

“I congratulate them for contesting; some of them worked hard but the people of the state have spoken.

“This is the time to show that they have the interest of the state at heart by congratulating the winner,’’ Umeh said.

Also reacting, Gov. Obi expressed gratitude to President Jonathan for remaining committed to democracy, fair play, free and credible election in the state.

“For us in APGA, we have every reason to show appreciation to President Jonathan because this is the second time after 2010 that he is ensuring credible polls.

“He is our presidential candidate and we will continue to give him support,” Obi said.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Obiano the winner of the contest after polling 180,178 votes while the People’s Democratic Party candidate, Mr Tony Nwoye, had 97,700 votes to emerge second.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Sen. Chris Ngige, with 95,963 votes, placed third while Dr. Ifeanyi Ubah of Labour Party scored 37,495 votes.

The declaration of Obiano as winner of the polls followed the completion of the supplementary election in the state on Saturday in areas where election did not hold on Nov. 16.