· APC, PDP share spoils across states
· INEC, APC has undermined democracy – Atiku
· LP warns of protests
By Emmanuel OGBECHE, Sarah NEGEDU, Laraba MUREY
The March 18 governorship and House of Assembly elections have been characterised by upsets, intrigues and violence.
The elections, which held in 28 states of the federation, according to observers and some Nigerians fell short of expectations.
6 incumbent governors re-elected
OYO
Incumbent governors of Oyo, Ogun, Kwara, Yobe, Lagos and Adamawa all emerged winners, winning for themselves another term of four years in office.
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State was the first to be declared by the INEC.
One of the G-5 governors of the PDP, there were speculations about his fate. However, by early Sunday afternoon, Makinde silenced his critics with his closest rival, Teslim Folarin of the APC trailing far behind.
The Oyo governor, according to INEC, polled 563,756 votes against Folarin’s 256,685 votes.
The governor won in 31 local government areas, while Folarin won in two local government areas.
Ogun
In Ogun state, Governor Dapo Abiodun also won his re-election bid having polled 276,298 to defeat his closest rivals, Ladi Adebutu of the Peoples Democratic Party who scored 262,383.
The APC candidate was declared winner by Prof Kayode Adebowale, the state returning officer of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
“That Abiodun Adedapo Oluseun of APC, having satisfied the requirements of the law is hereby declared the winner and is returned election,” Adebowale stated.
Kwara
The INEC also declared Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of Kwara State as the winner of the governorship race to serve a second term of another four years in office under the platform of the APC.
Abdulrazaq won in all the 16 local government areas of the state in the election results declared by the INEC Returning officer for the polls, Prof. Isaac Itodo, the Vice Chancellor, University of Markurdi, Benue state.
Prof. Itodo announced that Abdulrazaq pooled 273,424 votes to beat his closest rival, Yaman Abdullahi of the PDP who scored 155,490 votes in the election.
Yobe
In the North East, Governor Mai Mala Buni, was re-elected having won in all the 17 local government areas of the state with a total of 317,113 votes to defeat the PDP candidate, Alhaji Sharif Abdulahi, who came a distant second with a total score of 104,259.
Announcing the results, at the INEC office in Damaturu, the Returning Officer for the Gubernatorial election in the state, Prof. Umar Pate, the VC of the Federal University Kashere, Gombe state, said accredited voters are 459,492, valid votes 444,567 and total votes cast are 457,781.
Lagos
Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, of the APC, is also leading by a wide margin as he has won 18 out of the 19 LGAs declared Sunday evening, while Labour Party’s Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour won only one.
Sanwo-Olu has won in all the LGs except Amuwo-Odofin claimed by the LP candidate and Eti-Osa local government which was being collated as at the time of filing this report.
Meanwhile in Adamawa State, Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of the, PDP, was in early lead after winning seven out of the 10 LGA results announced by INEC late Sunday evening.
PDP won in Guyuk, Jada, Gombi, Shelleng, Ganye, Demsa and Lamurde LGAs of the State, while the candidate of the APC, Aishatu Binani, won Mayo-Belwa, Maiha and Mubi-North LGAs so far.
Results from 11 more LGAs were being awaited as the time of filing this report with Fintiri so far getting 186,536 votes while Binani has 179,264 votes.
Jigawa
The candidate of the APC and incumbent deputy governor of Jigawa, Malam Umar Namadi, was also declared winner of the Jigawa governorship election.
Namadi scored 618,449 votes to beat his closest rival, Mr Mustapha Sule Lamido who polled 368,726 votes.
The Returning Officer for the poll, Prof. Umar Zaiyan of Federal University Birnin Kebbi, announced the result on Sunday in Dutse.
The 60-year-old politician also defeated Malam Aminu Ringim of the New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP, who clinched 37,156 votes.
Gombe
Governor Muhammadu Yahaya of the APC was declared as the winner of the governorship election held in Gombe State.
The incumbent governor polled 342,821 to emerge the winner having defeated his closest challenger and candidate of the PDP, Muhammad Barde, who scored 233,131 and the New Nigeria Peoples Party’s Khamisu Mailantarki, who recorded 19,861 votes.
Announcing the result at the collation centre, the state returning officer, Professor Maimuna Waziri, who doubles as the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University Gashua, Yobe State, said the APC candidate emerged winner having polled the highest votes.
Upsets
Yobe
It was upset in Yobe state as the Speaker, Yobe State House of Assembly, Hon Ahmed Mirwa Lawan, lost his seat to Lawan Musa, a 35-year-old candidate of the PDP for Nguru II Constituency.
Lawan, who has been in the house since 2003 when he was elected as House member under the All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, was declared defeated by the Returning Officer of the election, Dr Habib Muhammad.
He said the speaker polled 6, 466 votes as against 6, 648 by Musa of the PDP.
Plateau state
The bid of the Speaker, Plateau State House of Assembly, Yakubu Sanda, to return was halted by the candidate of the PDP, Mrs Happiness Matthew Akawu.
In the Pengana State Constituency seat, the PDP candidate scored 9,926 votes to defeat the Speaker who polled 7,936 votes.
Kwara
It is a dream come true for 26-year-old Rukayat Shittu who won a seat in the Kwara State House of Assembly.
Rukayat – a former Senate President of Congress of NOUN Students (CONS) – will represent the Owode/Onire constituency, Asa local government of Kwara State.
In the result announced by the INEC Returning Officer, Professor Hakeem Ijaya, Rukayat, who contested on the platform of the APC, scored 7,521 votes to beat her PD rival, who polled 6,957 votes.
Enugu
In Enugu, a former governor and incumbent senator representing Enugu East, Dr Chimaroke Nnamani, lost his re-election bid to the Labour Party candidate, Kelvin Chukwu.
The LP candidate polled 69, 136 while Nnamani of the PDP scored 48, 701 votes.
Chukwu replaced his brother, Oyibo Chukwu, who was gruesomely murdered a few days before the February 25, presidential and National Assembly elections.
Atiku cries foul
The presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, has accused INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, of collaborating with the ruling party APC to undermine Nigeria’s democracy.
A statement from Atiku’s media office on Sunday said Mr Yakubu’s compromise was the reason results were not uploaded to INEC server on the same day the presidential election was held on 25 February.
A statement by Mr. Phrank Shaibu, Atiku’s special assistant on public communication, said, “Rather than improve on this, Prof Yakubu put his personal interest far and above that of over 200 million Nigerians. He claimed before the election at Chatham House that the electoral system he put in place was so advanced that the human body odour could be used for voter accreditation if he wanted. But this was all part of his grand deception.
“Despite receiving higher allocations than any other INEC chairman in history, Prof Yakubu could not conduct a credible election. This is indeed shameful for a man who over 200 million Nigerians saw as their last hope.”
