Gov’ship polls: Winners emerge as INEC releases results

…Abdulrazak, Ugwuanyi, Ikpeazu, Yahaya, Sanwo – Olu, Bagudu, Bello, Badaru, Umahi, Makinde win in Kwara, Enugu, Abia, Gombe, Lagos, Kebbi, Niger, Jigawa, Ebonyi, Oyo
As the results of the governorship and the state Houses of Assembly elections held last Saturday across the country as released by the Independent National Election Commission (INEC) continue to trickle in, winners have begun to emerge.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has won in three states, Kwara, Gombe and Lagos with the major opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) winning the two states of Enugu and Abia in the South East.

In Kwara State, the APC governorship candidate, Abdulrahman Abdulrazak defeated the PDP’s Abdulrazak Atunwa to emerge as the governor – elect, just as his counterpart in Gombe State, Mahamud Yahaya, was also elected as governor – elect.

Declaring the results of the governorship poll in Kwara State, the INEC Returning Officer and Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Lafia, Nasarawa State, Prof. Muhammad Liman, said Abdulrazaq polled 331, 546 votes to emerge as the winner of the election. He defeated his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) counterpart, who polled 114, 754 votes to emerge as the runner-up.

From the official results declared in the 16 local government areas of the state, Abdulrazak led Atunwa with a margin of 216,792 votes.

Prof. Liman said that the APC defeated PDP in all the local government areas in the state, adding that out of the 1, 376, 372 registered voters in the state, 464, 393 voters were accredited.

In Gombe, Mahamud Yahaya of the APC was declared winner polling 364, 170 to defeat his PDP counterpart and former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Bayero Nafada, who polled 222, 868 votes.

In Enugu State, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate and incumbent Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, won the governorship poll in the 17 local government areas of the state.

The results announced at the state collation centre by the INEC Returning Officer, Prof. Joseph Ahanaekwe, the vice chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, stated that the Ugwuanyi polled 449, 935 while the APC candidate, Sen. Ayogu Ezeh polled 10, 423 votes.

He said the total registered votes stood at 1, 944, 803, but only 478, 241 voters were accredited, declaring Ugwuanyi of the PDP winner, adding that in all the 17 local government areas of the state, no violence was recorded or complaints from any of the political parties.

Ugwuanyi polled a total of 449,935 votes to defeat the APC’s candidate, Se. Ayogu Eze, who scored 10, 423, votes despite boycotting the exercise.

Our correspondent who was at the INEC collation centre reports that no name was mentioned as the candidate of the APC in the election.

Announcing the result at the INEC collation centre for the 2019 gubernatorial election, the state returning officer for the election, Prof. Joseph Ahanekwu, said having scored the highest number of valid votes cast in the election, Ifeanyi Lawrence Ugwuanyi of the PDP, is hereby “declared winner of the governorship election.”

A total of 42 political parties participated in the election.

The Daily Times reports that Sen. Ayogu Eze had on Election Day boycotted the poll over the non – inclusion of his name on the final list of governorship candidates by the INEC.

Sen. Eze had said he could not participate in the exercise after INEC failed to publish his name in the final list of candidates, declaring that “we are protesting because of the delisting of my name. You can see I’m being held hostage here by angry voters, who are protesting that INEC has not treated their candidate fairly.

Also, the Governor of Abia State, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu has been re – elected for a second term based on the election results as declared by INEC on Sunday.

Ikpeazu of the PDP polled 261, 127 votes to defeat his closest rival, Dr. Uche Ogah, who polled 99, 574 votes and Dr. Alex Otti of the APGA who polled 64, 266 votes.

Ikpeazu won in 11 local governments while Ogah won in four council areas and Otti won in two council areas. The total votes cast was 444, 376; valid votes 433, 315 and voided votes 11, 061.

Prof. Benjamin Ozurumba, the returning officer for Abia State governorship poll, made the declaration in the presence of security chiefs, party agents, observers and journalists.

Meanwhile, at a joint press briefing few hours before the announcement of the results by INEC, Dr. Ogah and Dr. Otti rejected the outcome of the election, calling on INEC to cancel the election, which they said was rigged by PDP in connivance with INEC and security agencies in the state.

As the results were being announced, members of some opposition parties in Abia and Inter Party Advisory Council, IPAC, tendered two separate petitions and called on INEC National Chairman, Prof. M. Yakubu, to cancel the governorship and state assembly elections in the state.

Reacting to his re – election, Governor Ikpeazu thanked Abians for the renewed confidence and mandate given him to serve for another term, assuring that his administration will witness greater development in all fronts.

Briefing the press on his resounding victory at the Government House, Umuahia, shortly after being declared the winner of the governorship poll, Ikpeazu said that his government will mainstream women and youth.

In Kebbi State, the INEC returning officer, Prof. Armiya Bichi, declared the incumbent Governor Atiku Bagudu of the APC as winner having scored 673,717 while his opponent of PDP, Senator isah Galaudu scored 106, 633 votes.

Governor Bagudu won the entire 21 local governments in the state to be returned elected. The state Public Relations Officer of the APC, Alhaji Sani Dododo, thanked Kebbi electorate for entrusting the governor with another four years. He maintained that APC’s victory at the poll is a clear manifestation of good governance and called on the opposition to close ranks and work with the governor to move the state forward.

Also. the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the governorship and House of Assembly election in Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has been declared winner of the of the election, beating his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) opponent in the race, Mr. Jimi Agbaje to the second position.

Sanwo-Olu was declared winner of the election and Governor-elect of Lagos by the Returning Officer of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the state, Prof. Eyitope Ogunbodede, having polled a total of 739,445 votes to defeat his closest challenger and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Jimi Agbaje who got 206,141 votes. He defeated Agbaje by a vote margin of 533,304 votes.

The governor-elect won the election in all 20 local government areas of the state.

This is even as the APC also won all the 40 House of Assembly constituency seats in the state.

Meanwhile, Agbaje has already called Sanwo-Olu to congratulate him on his victory in the poll.

Also, the Lagos State governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, has congratulated the APC governorship candidate, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his running mate, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, as well as the 40 House of Assembly candidates of the party for their resounding victory at the polls.

Governor Ambode, in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Habib Aruna, said the feat was a reward for the vigorous campaign embarked upon by the APC candidate and his running mate across the length and breadth of the state.

Also, incumbent governor, Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State, was on Sunday, declared winner of Saturday’s governorship election across the 25 local governments in the state.

Bello, who is the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), polled a total number of 526,412 votes to defeat his closest contender, Umar Mohammed Nasko, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who scored a total number of votes 298,065.

The Returning Officer for the governorship election in Niger State, Professor Angela Freeman Mary, Vice Chancellor, Federal University, Lokoja, declared the result and announced Governor Bello winner at the end of the collation exercise at the INEC State office, David Mark Road, Minna, the state capital.

APC won in all the 25 local government areas of the state.

Also in Jigawa State, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Sunday, declared Governor Muhammad Badaru, winner of Saturday’s governorship election in the state.

Badaru will serve another four years in office after defeating his major challenger, Aminu Ibrahim Ringim, in a landslide victory.

The returning officer, Azubike Nwankwo, announced that Muhammad Badaru polled 810, 933 votes to defeat his closest opponent, Aminu Ibrahim of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who got 288, 356 votes.

“Mr. Badaru having scored the highest number of votes is hereby declared returned elected,” he said.

The Independent National Electoral Commission has also declared the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), David Umahi, as the winner of the governorship election in the state.

Umahi, who was elected for a second term, won in all the 13 local government areas of the state.

Declaring the results in Abakaliki, the state Collation Officer/Returning Officer, Prof. Frank Chukwuemeka-Eze, said that the PDP governorship candidate scored a total of 393, 043 votes to defeat his challenger, Sonni Ogbuoji, of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who got 81, 703 votes.

The returning officer, who is the vice chancellor of Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO), announced that Umahi scored the highest number of votes and therefore, declared the winner of the governorship election in Ebonyi State.

Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Mr. Seyi Makinde, has emerged winner of Saturday’s governorship election in Oyo State.

INEC Returning Officer in the state, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, declared the result on Sunday evening at the State headquarters of INEC in Ibadan, the state capital.

Ogundipe said that Makinde scored 515,621 votes to defeat his closest rival, Mr. Adebayo Adelabu, of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who garnered 357,982 votes.

The Returning Officer, who is the Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, disclosed that there were 2,934,107 registered voters in the state with 940,211 voters accredited for the election.

“The governorship election recorded 916,860 valid votes, 20,685 rejected votes and 937,545 total votes cast.

“PDP candidate won in 28 of the 33 local government areas of the state while Adelabu of APC won in five local government areas,” he said.

However, according to reports from the Sokoto State, Governor Aminu Tambuwal, was coasting home to victory in the results of the governorship election announced as at press time on Sunday.

Tambuwal, who is seeking re-election on the platform of the PDP, had won five of the six local governments results announced in the state as at press time. The governor is contesting against his closest rival, Ahmed Aliyu, of the APC, who has won one local government thus far.

In the results of the six local governments declared on Sunday afternoon at the Sultan Maccido Institute Collation Centre, Tambuwal won in Bodinga, Binji, Silame, Kware, Tureta local governments, while his closest rival, Ahmed, won in Rabah Local Government Area.