The Independent National Electoral Commission Returning Officer for Imo State, Prof. Oye Ibidapo-Obe, has declared the 2015 governorship election in the state inconclusive.

He made the declaration before journalists and agents of the various political parties that were involved in the election after the collation of results at the office of INEC in Owerri, the state capital, on Sunday.

Ibidapo-Obe said the election was inconclusive because the total number of votes in the areas where the election did not take place was higher than the margin between the two leading candidates, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Governor Rochas Okorocha, and his Peoples Democratic Party’s counterpart, Emeka Ihedioha.

Protests about widespread irregularities and manipulation of results in some wards in the state, were also some of the reasons why the results of some polling units were cancelled.

In the result announced by the Returning Officer, Okorocha, polled 385,071 votes, while Ihedioha, got 306,142 votes.

Ibidapo-Obe said supplementary election would soon hold in the affected areas.