SAN FRANCISCO, December 06, (THEWILL) – The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Maria Godwin Akwaji has won Saturday’s bye-election into the Obudu State constituency seat of Cross River.
Maria succeeds her husband, Godwin Akwaji who died in June, due to COVID-19 complications.
Akwaji was declared the winner of the poll by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Sunday.
INEC Returning Officer, Prof. Abel Ezeoha said Akwaji won with a landslide victory of 32, 166 votes.
Her closest opponent of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Godwin Agbor Adaje garnered 3, 546 votes.
She becomes the second woman in Cross River, in the last two years, to replace her husband in the Assembly.
In December 2018, Stella Nkoro, also of the PDP, was elected to represent Ikom II constituency, to replace her husband Simon, who died in August of the same year.