The candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) (YPP) for Ikono/Ini Federal Constituency of Akwa Ibom State, Emmanuel Ukpong-Udo has been declared the winner of the National Assembly election in the state.

Mr Ukpong-Udo, who is the incumbent lawmaker representing the area in the National Assembly, polled a total of 19,926 votes to defeat his closest opponent and candidate of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, Glory Edet, who scored 15,765 votes.

The final votes were the product of merged results of the 25 February and the 15 April supplementary National Assembly election held in the state, an official of the Independent National Electoral Committee (INEC), Ekom Umoh, confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES.

The result was declared on Friday in Uyo by the INEC Returning Officer, Patrick Aderorho.

Mr Ukpong-Udo was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2019 under the PDP platform but later defected to the YPP where he secured a return ticket after he boycotted the PDP primary citing a court order.

The Electoral body had declared the 25 February election in the area inconclusive and fixed 15 April for the supplementary election.

The commission again cancelled the supplementary election saying it was characterised by violence and ballot box snatching.

Explaining why the results sheet is dated 15 April when the supplementary election held on the said date was cancelled, Mr Umoh, an official in the publicity department of INEC in the state, said the units where violence occurred the second time are recorded zero.

“The (polling) units that violence still occurred in the second time (during supplementary election) are recorded zero.

“The valid results of 25 February and the 15 April supplementary election are merged together for a winner to emerge,” Mr Umoh said.

The PDP candidate, Mrs Edet, did not respond to requests for comments on whether she would accept the outcome of the election.

With the results of all the elections in the state now declared, PDP, the ruling party in the state, has lost four National Assembly seats – a Senate seat won by former Governor Godswill Akpabio of the APC and three House of Reps seats – two to the APC and one to the YPP. The PDP also lost two seats in the State Assembly.