Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has made an in-road into hitherto All Progressives Congress, APC-controlled states, winning the governorship elections in Sokoto, Bauchi and Benue states.
Supplementary elections were conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in Sokoto, Plateau, Kano, Bauchi and Benue states at the weekend.
The results of the supplementary elections announced by INEC showed that PDP won in Sokoto, Benue and Bauchi states, bringing the number of states won in the election circle to 12, having won nine during the March 9, governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections.
All Progressives Congress, APC, on the other hands, won in Kano and Plateau states, bringing its own win up to 15 states. It previously won 13 states during the last elections.
Ganduje survives PDP scare to win in Kano
Form: Kolawole Emmanuel, Kano
Governor Abdullahi Ganduje survived the initial threat by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to win the controversial Kano State governorship election.
Ganduje was declared the winner of the just concluded governorship re-run election in the state.
Declaring the winner of the election, the governorship election Collation Officer in the state, Prof. Bello Shehu, said that the APC candidate garnered 1,033,695, while that of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Abba Kabir scored 1,024,713 votes.
He said that the APC candidate defeated the PDP candidate with 8,982 votes margin and therefore declared Ganduje the winner having satisfied requirements of the law by scoring the highest number of votes.
According to Shehu, the winner was declared after the collation of result from all the affected 28 local government areas where the supplementary elections was conducted on Saturday March 23.
He said Ganduje polled a total of 45,876, while Kabir got 10,239 votes during the last Saturday’s supplementary elections in 28 local government areas of the state.
It would be recalled that the governorship election was earlier declared inconclusive following the high number of votes cancelled as a result of violence and over voting.
According to the collation officer, the total number of votes cancelled during the earlier election which led to the declaration of the poll as inconclusive was beyond the margin between the PDP candidate who was leading with 26,000 votes and that of the APC candidate.
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Kabir had 1,014,474 against Ganduje who garnnered 987,819 votes in the March 9 election. Votes cancelled during the March 9 governorship election was 128,572 votes.
Before the announcement of the results, most shops in the ancient city of Kano were under lock and key, as residents were afraid of possible crisis between the winners and losers
The delay in announcing the result of the re-run election compounded prevailing tension, as journalists and both local and foreign observers, who had trooped to the state Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, were kept in suspense for a long time.
Due to this unfolding scenario, most markets in the state refused to open for fear of attack.
Also, most churches in the state were empty, as worshippers stayed away from Sunday service.
Meanwhile, the state’s PDP Chairman, Alhaji Suleiman Rabiu – Bichi, had rejected the entire re-run election, especially that of Gama in Nassarawa Local Government Area.
The PDP chairman further described the election processes as shameful and called for the immediate cancellation of the exercise.
According to him, the party will not accept the result, therefore refused to sign it.
Tambuwal wins with a margin of 342 votes in Sokoto
Governor Aminu Tambuwal was declared the winner in Sokoto State after winning the supplementary poll by a small margin of 342 votes.
According to the Chief Collation/Returning Officer, Prof. Fatima Mukhtar, Tambuwal secured the highest votes of 512,002, defeating Alhaji Ahmad Aliyu of APC, who polled 511,660 votes.
“PDP candidate, Aminu Tambuwal having scored the highest votes in the election, is hereby declared winner and returned elected according to law,” Mukhtar said.
Mukhtar, who is the vice chancellor of Federal University, Dutse, Jigawa State, said the votes were tallied along with previous ones recorded after the March 9 election.
The election then was declared inconclusive because the vote difference between Tambuwal and his challenger was lower than the cancelled votes.
The total number of registered voters was 1,887,767, while 1,083,413 voters were accredited.
Total number of valid votes was 1,036,332 and the total number of rejected votes was 31,662. The number of total votes cast was 1,067,994, Mukhtar said.
According to her, during the re-run election, PDP’s Tambuwal polled 22,444 votes, while Aliyu scored 25,515 in the 135 polling units where supplementary elections were conduced.
She further explained that 49 candidates from other participating parties shared the remaining votes cast.
However, the APC agent at the collation centre, Alhaji Maigari Dingyadi raised the complaints the party made to INEC earlier about the malfunctioning card reader at a polling unit in Tambuwal.
Dingyadi added that election was repeated at the polling unit, after lawful election was conducted on March 9.
The PDP agent, Alhaji Umar Bature, dismissed the objections on the ground that the collation centre was not the right place to lodge the complaint.
However, Prof. Mukhtar noted the complaint and said that it would be reflected in the final report.
Lalong retains seat on the Plateau
…As Useni heads to court
Incumbent Governor Simon Lalong of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has been re-elected for a second term, after he was declared winner of the re-run gubernatorial election in the Plateau State.
Lalong secured 595,582 votes to win, with his closest rival, Jeremiah Useni, a retired Army General and senator, who was the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, polling 546,813 votes.
Prof Richard Kimbir, the Returning Officer, presented the result on Sunday in Jos on behalf of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
“The valid votes totalled 1,159,954, with the rejected votes standing at 16,188, while the total votes cast was 1,176,142,” he said.
The margin of victory between Lalong and Useni was 48,769 votes.
The gubernatorial election held on March 9 in the state was declared inconclusive.
This had led to a rerun election in 40 polling units in nine local government areas of the state.
Meanwhile, Sen. Useni has vowed to challenge the re-election of Governor Lalong.
The defeated candidate said that he and his team had gone through both the official results released by INEC and the documents submitted by the party’s field staff and had reservations.
“We have every reason to believe that justice has not been done to our people in this election because there was massive rigging and electoral shortcomings.
“After due consultation, I hereby state that the result announced by INEC is not acceptable to us.
“Consequently, we have requested our legal team to activate all the due processes to reclaim our cherished mandate.
“I give you my word that we will pursue this matter diligently, and by the grace of God, we will overturn and recover the people’s mandate,” he said.
The PDP flag bearer expressed appreciation to the people of Plateau for their massive support to him and the party in their preference for good governance.
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Useni said that they did this, in spite of all manner of challenges.
He added that their determination was a clear testimony of their desire to get rid of a non-performing administration that had long turned its back against their welfare and security.
“I assure you that such massive support will not go in vain,” he said.
“I appeal to all of us to unite all the more now and avoid any bickering and blame-giving. Let us remain focused on the struggle and avoid anything else that will distract and divide us.
“I want you to know that it is not yet over. This is only a temporary setback. We have entered another critical stage,” he said.
Ortom wins second term in Benue
Governor Samuel Ortom has won the keenly contested Benue State governorship election held on March 23.
Ortom, who contested on the platform of the of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, polled 434,473 votes to defeat his closest rival, Mr. Emmanuel Jime of the All Progressives Congress, APC, who polled 345,155 votes.
The INEC Returning Officer for the election, Prof. Sabastine Maimako, declared the result on Sunday in Makurdi.
“Ortom, having polled the highest number of votes at this election is hereby declared winner,” he said.
Maimako said the total registered voters were 2,471,894, total accredited voters were 858,947, while total valid votes stood at 830,954.
He sad total rejected votes were 15,268 while the margin of lead between the winner and his closest rival was 89,318 votes.
Bala Muhammed beats APC’s serving governor in Bauchi
…Promises good governance
The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Bauchi State, Sen. Bala Mohammed, defeated the incumbent governor Muhammed Abubakar of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
Mohammed polled 6,376 votes as against 5,117 garnered by Abubakar in the supplementary election, which took place in 15 local government areas of the state.
Result of the re-run was announced in Bauchi on Sunday by the governorship election Returning Officer, Prof. Mohammed Kyari, Vice Chancellor of Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola.
Kyari, however, said he was not in a position to make any pronouncement, regarding the overall winner of the governorship election in the state due to the suit before a Federal High Court, Abuja, over the collation of results in Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area.
The outcome of the election in respect of 19 out of the 20 local government areas in the state, earlier conducted on March 9, indicated that Mohammed polled 469,512 votes, while Abubakar scored 465, 453 votes.
With the release of the re-run election result, conducted in 36 polling units across 15 local government areas, the total votes scored by Mohammed increased to 475,888 votes, while that of Abubakar rose to 470,570 votes, a difference of 5,318 votes.
With the conclusion of the supplementary elections, INEC is awaiting the decision of the Federal High Court in Abuja on the collation of results of Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area, before determining the governor-elect.
Abubakar, the incumbent governor, had gone to court to challenge the decision of the electoral body, directing the continuation of collation of results of the area, having earlier declared same as inconclusive.
Judgement on the matter had been fixed for Monday, March 25.
But Mohammed has promised to bring back good governance denied the people of the state, following his victory.
The governor-elect made the promise during a press conference in Bauchi on Sunday, shortly after the announcement of the supplementary poll.
“Today is a very auspicious day for us in Bauchi and on behalf of the party, I wish to express gratitude and appreciation to God Almighty.
“The collation of the supplementary poll that has just been concluded by INEC is a work of God and we owe it to him.
“We also owe it to the people of Bauchi, who have stood very firm on the threshold of freedom and liberty and have shown that they are the icons of democracy and liberty.
“Words alone cannot express my appreciation to them all,” the governor-elect said.
Muhammed also said that the auspicious achievement recorded by the PDP in the supplementary election deserved to be celebrated.
He, however, called on all his supporters to celebrate in peace.
“They should all go out to celebrate but they should celebrate in peace and with gratitude to God because what we want is peace and tranquility, harmony and good relationship with one another.
“We do not have any acrimony or hatred against anybody, even those who didn’t vote for us, we want them to join us in this celebration because this is democracy,” he said.
Muhammed also appreciated the security agencies in the state, promising to continue to work with them, as they had shown they were the key partners of the society.
