The candidate of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) for the Onitsha North 1 State Constituency, Barr. Ifeoma Mimi Azikiwe has been declared winner of the by-election conducted on Saturday.
According to the result announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Returning Officer (RO), Professor Ibiam Ekpe, Azikiwe pooled 7,774 votes to defeat the candidate of African Democratic Congress (ADC), Mrs Justice Azuka, who garnered 1,909 votes.
Ekpe, who is a lecturer in the Department of Soil Science and Technology, Federal University of Technology (FUTO), Owerri, said that the flag bearers of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Mr Ezennia Chuka Ojekwe and that of Young Progressive Party (YPP), Ms Njideka Ndiwe got 1,371 and 655 votes respectively.
The INEC RO, while announcing the result early Sunday morning, commended the contestants for their peaceful conduct and voters for turning out en-masse to exercise their franchise. Azikiwe would be serving out the remaining two years of the late Justice Azuka who was kidnapped on December 24th, 2024, killed but his decomposing body was recovered around the 2nd Niger Bridge on February 6th, 2025.
She will become the second female legislator in the eighth Assembly upon inauguration by the Speaker, Anambra State House of Assembly, Dr Somtochukwu Udeze. The 30th member Assembly was constituted in June 2023 with only one female legislator in the person of Hon. Nkechi Ogbuefi of Anaocha 1 State Constituency and Labour Party (LP).
