From Judex Okoro, Calabar
The former commissioner for New Cities Development, Mr Mike Usibe, has emerged the PDP candidate for the House of Representatives by-election for Ogoja/Yala federal constituency, promising to deliver if elected on February 26.
Usibe, the former local government chairman of Yala, pooled 184 votes to emerge winner of the highly-tensed primary election held at Ogoja Recreation Club in Ogoja local government area of northern senatorial district on Thursday.
Declaring Usibe the winner, the chairman of Primary Electoral Panel, Alh Hasan Yakubu, said a total of 235 votes were cast with one invalid.
According to the chairman of the panel, “Mike Usibe pooled 184 votes, Godwin Offiono scored 45 votes and Mrs Magaret Odey got 5 votes.
“Based on the power conferred on me as Returning officer, i hereby declare Mike Usibe as the winner of this primary election.
“It is a novelty exercise and in every contest there must be a winner and a loser as God gives power. I enjoin other contestants who lost out to take it in good fate,” he stated.
“PDP is not a personal estate, it belongs to all of us. I appeal to all to lay down arms and plead with the winner to carry others along.
Responding, Mike Usibe said: “I commend all the stakeholders including the delegates, fellow contestants and everyone who played a part in my emergence. I personally call on the contestants to come and lets work together to deliver the party on Saturday, February 26 by-election.”
On his part, the state chairman, Vena Ikem, Esq, expressed profound gratitude to all members of the party who made the primary a huge success.
“It has been an intensive exercise and i promise that the party would bring everybody who took part in the contest to a around table and see how they can work to deliver the party.
“I love the fighting spirit we witnessed at the beginning of the exercise. That is the spirit of an opposition party ready to win an election. We promise to deliver our candidate,” he stated.
Congratulating Usibe, Mrs Magaret Odey said: “I see the exercise as free and fair and pledged to resolve every difference for the interest of all of us. We are one PDP family and we look forward to working together to deliver the party.”
Speaking also, Offiono Godwin said:” i congratulate Usibe and ask electoral panel to ensure every party has a copy of the result.”