The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Sunday declared the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Ahmed Ododo, winner of the Saturday’s gubernatorial election.
Professor Johnson Urama, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), and the State Returning Officer, said Ododo polled 446,237 votes to emerge winner, while Social Democratic Party’s governorship candidate, Murtala Ajaka, scored 259,052 votes. According to him, Dino Melaye of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) got 46,362 votes.
Urama said the total vote cast was 791,890.
Before the declaration of Ododo as governor-elect on Sunday, INEC’s local government electoral officers said APC scored 101,156 votes in Adavi LGA, while SDP got 268 votes.
In Ankpa LGA, APC scored 8,707, while SDP got 43,258. Bassa LGA: APC, 9,515; SDP, 7,543. Dekina LGA: APC, 9,174; SDP, 47,480. Idah LGA: APC, 2033; SDP, 20,059. Igala Mela LGA: APC, 2,975; SDP, 23,185. Ijumu LGA: APC, 10,524; SDP, 356. Kabba/Bunni LGA: APC, 12,376; SDP, 942. Kogi Koton Karge LGA: APC, 14,769; SDP, 8,441. Lokoja LGA: APC, 19,105; SDP, 1,038.
Mopamoro: APC, 5,077; SDP, 253. Olamaboro LGA: APC, 5,572; SDP, 22,173. Ogori Magongo LGA: APC, 362; SDP, 195. Omala LGA: APC, 2,902; SDP, 18,160. Ofu LGA: APC, 5,245; SDP, 28,768. Okene LGA: APC, 138,416; SDP, 271. Okehi LGA: APC, 53,062; SDP, 153. Yagba East LGA: APC, 7,096; SDP, 312. Yagba West LGA: APC, 7,969; SDP, 1,002, and Ibaji: APC, 6,991; SDP, 16,984.
Diri Coasting Home To Victory, Leads Sylva With 64,402 Votes
Governor Douye Diri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is leading his main challenger, Timipre Sylva of the All Progressives Congress (APC) with 64,402 votes in Saturday’s Bayelsa governorship election.
The results of two local government areas, Brass and South Ijaw, are still being expected, with results from six councils so far declared.
Diri has won five of the local government areas while Sylva has won one.
The governor polled 35,501 votes from Sagbama LGA to win the council. Sylva scored 6,608 votes to come second while the LP’s candidate got 217 votes.
Sylva won in Nembe LGA with 22,248 votes, with Diri polling 4,556 and LP, 113 votes.
In Ekeremor, the governor won, polling 23,172 votes, while Sylva scored 8,445 votes to come second, with LP garnering 50 votes.
In Kolokuma Opokuma, which is Diri’s local government area, he defeated Sylva by wide margin.
Diri polled 18,465 votes to win the council, while Sylva scored 5,349 votes and LP’s Udengs Eradiri, 22 votes.
The governor also won in Ogbia Local Government Area, which is the council of former President Goodluck Jonathan. He garnered 18,435 votes to beat Sylva, who scored 16,319 votes, while Eradiri got 57 votes.
In the state’s capital, Yenagoa, Diri polled 37,777 votes to floor Sylva, who got 14,534 votes while Eradiri garnered 244 votes.
Meanwhile, INEC has adjourned collation of the Bayelsa State governorship election till 12 noon today.
This was announced at the state collation centre in Yenagoa, Bayelsa capital, on Sunday night.
PDP, SDP Call For Cancellation Of Kogi Guber Election
The candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dino Melaye, and his Social Democratic Party’s (SDP) counterpart, Muritala Ajaka, in the Saturday governorship election in Kogi State have called for total cancelation of the election due to alleged “irregularities that marred the election”.
Senator Dino Melaye in a press conference on Sunday in Lokoja said that the irregularities that marred Saturday’s election in all the three Senatorial Districts were unprecedented in the history of the state and should not be allowed to stand.
He described the exercise as “shameful and unhealthy”, regretting that INEC has not learnt any lesson to realise, ameliorate and palliate the problem they created to democratic process during the general elections in the country, noting that they are still repeating the same in the governorship election.
“Yesterday in the five local government areas of Central Senatorial district in Kogi State, there was no election in the end. Surprisingly, accreditation was done manually, the BVAS was not used. Prepared sheets manifested even before accreditation and evidence is all over the media.
“INEC, as a matter of urgency, must cancel the election. Many areas where I won, my agents were told there were no available result sheets to enter the result and we have evidence to back up these claims.
“As I speak to you, it is shameful that this is what our democracy has descended from. INEC has manifested ever than before, that they cannot be trusted. They are biased, they are compromised and they cannot be neutral umpire,” he said.
According to him, INEC officials, youth corps members were caught on Saturday with prepared result sheets even before the commencement of the processes.
“A youth corps member was arrested with prepared results and N1 million.
“There was deliberate suppression of my votes in Lokoja and Kogi local government areas. This was deliberately done by Governor Yahaya Bello and APC to make sure that even their orchestrated arrangement, I don’t come second. Because they do believe that there will be a second ballot and they believe if there is a second ballot, I have influence and tremendous support in the central and I can make an inroad in the East. So they preferred any other person to become second,” Senator Melaye posited.
Also, the Kogi State chapter of SDP has called for the cancellation of results of the November 11 governorship election in the state.
SDP made this call at the gubernatorial election collation centre where the party’s collation agent, David Edibu, submitted a petition to INEC, calling for cancellation of results in Okene, Okehi, Ogori Magongo, Adavi, Ajaokuta local government areas as well as some parts of Lokoja, alleging corrupt practices, vote buying and over voting.
He added that agents of the party were not allowed to get close to the polling units in the local government areas.
The state returning officer, Prof. Johnson Urame, received the petitions on behalf of the commission and assured the party that the petition will be reviewed.
The PDP has said that they are keying into the petition of the SDP. The collation agent, Abubakar Mahmood, added that the number of malpractices in the said local government areas were alarming.
Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) while reacting to the call for cancellation, said that the PDP cannot blame anyone for not bringing agents to the polling units.