Alex Otti, a banker, gained the office for the Labour Party by a margin of victory over first runner-up and PDP nominee—Okey Ahiwe, the former chief of staff to Ikpeazu.
Originally launched ostensibly to defend ethnic Igbos from herdsmen and government attacks, the separatist organization Indigenous People of Biafra's Eastern Security Network began violently enforcing economically destructive weekly lockdowns in 2021 and swiftly were criticized for committing human rights abuses against civilians it was meant to protect.
[19][20] Politically, the 2019 elections were categorized as a solidification of the Abia PDP's control but a slight expansion of the APC on the federal level.
For the presidency, Abia was easily won by PDP nominee Atiku Abubakar with about 68% but still swung towards the APC and had strikingly low turnout.
[22][23] At other points during his administration Ikpeazu was criticized for poor waste management, his unfounded initial dismissal of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, and the unilateral sacking of three local government chairman in June 2020 while being praised for expanding access to clean water.
[5][6] It was expected that the APC National Working Committee and/or litigation would decide which primary was legitimate but the state party quickly lined up behind Emenike.
[74] Southern PDP stakeholders also rejected the arrangement with candidate Enyinnaya Abaribe describing it as unjust imposition meant to exclude him from the primary.
[83] When their appeals to the national party for intervention failed, seven candidates withdrew on the date of the primary in protest of its conduct including Abaribe and Oko Chukwu.
[96][97] On 27 January, the state PDP announced the first part of the new gubernatorial primary schedule, with expression of interest and nomination forms being sold until 1 February.
[103] In the days after the primary, reporting revealed that Ikpeazu planned to drop Ikonne's running mate—Okey Igwe—in favour of Jasper Uche to placate the Theodore Orji-led intraparty bloc.
[104] Although Igwe loudly protested the move and claimed that his nomination had not been voided by Ikonne's death, the PDP submitted Uche's name to INEC and he was listed as the deputy gubernatorial nominee.
[105][106] Candidates' vote share Prior to the formal campaign period start in October 2022, analysts noted the deep divides within the state PDP due to the fallout from the primary and the jettisoning of zoning.
Observers claimed the crisis provided an opportunity to Emenike and Ibe along with the more prominent minor party nominees—Sunday Onuoha (ADC), Alex Otti (LP), and Enyinnaya Nwafor (YPP).
The next month, on 7 November, the first public poll—conducted by NOI Polls and commissioned by the Anap Foundation—was released for the race with it showing a substantial lead for Otti while Ikonne, Ibe, and Emenike trailed in second, third, and fourth, respectively.
[113] In the weeks afterwards, ThisDay profiled Otti's campaign and chances while The Guardian analysis focused on the election's potential impact on future zoning and the state Charter of Equity.
[117][118][119] However, opponents claimed that Ikonne's health status was far worse than Ikpeazu had stated and the PDP was concealing his true condition.
[14] Amid the continued APC crisis and the renewed PDP divides surrounding its new primary, pundits noted that the divisions in the two parties gave other candidates a much better chance of victory.
Although the result was unsurprising—Abia is in Obi's southeastern stronghold and projections had favored him—the result led to increased attention on Otti's chances in the gubernatorial race with the EiE-SBM forecast projecting Otti to win "based on the outcome of the presidential elections and the state's evolving voting patterns.
"[124] On 26 February 2022, the Independent National Electoral Commission released the timetable, setting out key dates and deadlines for the election.
[2] Months later on 27 May 2022, INEC made a slight revision to the timetable, allowing parties extra time to conduct primaries.