Off Season Elections: Ododo, Uzodimma win In Kogi, Imo as Diri takes lead in Bayelsa
…..Why INEC suspended some polling units in Kogi, fixed Nov 18 for fresh polls
…LP rejects Imo Guber result
…Melaye calls for cancelation of Kogi Guber poll
APC’s Ododo Defeats Ajaka, Melaye To Win Kogi Gov Election
The keenly-contested November 11, 2023 Kogi State Governorship Election has finally produced a winner with the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Usman Ododo, clinching the much-coveted seat.
The State Returning Officer, Prof Johnson Urama, who is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics) of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, announced Ododo as the winner at 10:23pm on Sunday.
“Ahmed Usman Ododo of APC, having satisfied the requirement of the law is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected,” Urama declared in a room crowded with party agents and election observers.
Ododo won with 446,237 votes, defeating his closest rival, Murtala Ajaka of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), who scored 259,052, while Dino Melaye of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) polled 46,362 votes.
Results from the 21 local government areas (LGAs) in the state were collated late Sunday with the APC candidate sweeping over half of the LGAs.
Ododo, an ex-Auditor General of Local Government in Kogi under Governor Yahaya Bello, was the anointed candidate of the governor who is ending his double terms of eight years.
Melaye and some civil rights groups had on Saturday, raised the alarm over “filled result sheets” in the Ogori/Magongo Local Government Area of the North Central state. The PDP candidate also called for the suspension of the exercise over violence and vote buying. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) subsequently suspended election in nine wards in the local government area.
Late Sunday, INEC said fresh polls will be conducted in 59 polling units in the Ogori/Magongo Local Government Area of the state on November 18, 2023.
INEC, however, introduced a condition for the polls to be held in the 59 polling units, saying that “the decision to hold fresh elections is subject to the Returning Officer’s determination of the application of the Margin of Lead Principle”.
In his declaration late Sunday, Urama said the total number of Permanent Voter Cards in the affected polling units was put at 16,247, one that was insignificant to the about 200,000 votes gathered by the APC candidate ahead of his closest rival – Ajaka.
The margin of lead implied that the elections initially scheduled by INEC for next Saturday in the 59 polling units would no longer be held.
Both Ajaka and Melaye have rejected the outcome of the poll, expressing disappointment in INEC and security agencies which they accused of collusion with the ruling APC in Kogi.
INEC adjourns collation of Bayelsa guber results till Monday
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has adjourned the collation of governorship election results in Bayelsa state till 12 p.m. on Monday.
Results from two LGAs – Brass and southern Ijaw – are yet to be collated.
Announcing the development to party agents, election observers and journalists at the collation centre on Sunday, Wilfred Ifogah, head of INEC voters’ registration in Bayelsa, said there are challenges in the collation of results of some polling units and wards of the two LGAs.
Kuta Farouq, the state returning officer, had previously adjourned the exercise and said it would resume at 6 p.m.
Earlier, the All Progressives Congress (APC) that alleged there was an attempt to manipulate the election results of Brass LGA in favour of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
In a statement, Felix Morka, spokesperson of the APC, said INEC has come under pressure from the PDP and Douye Diri, governor of Bayelsa.
Morka said Brass is a stronghold of the APC and Timipre Sylva, its governorship candidate in the state.
In another development, INEC said some of its officials were held hostage in Brass LGA.
The commission, in a statement, said it was closely monitoring the situation, adding that the development was detrimental to credible elections.
The commission also called on security agencies to immediately facilitate the release of the officials.
