With already-declared results of 24 out of 28 states that participated in the 2023 governorship elections, All Progressives Congress (APC) swept 15 states, leaving eight for rival Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as New Nigeria Peoplee Party (NNPP) gleefully claimed one.
Seven out of the 15 states won by the APC were reclaimed after the governors had served for one-term tenure.
The re-elected governors include Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa), Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq (Kwara), Babagana Zulum (Borno), Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe), and Mai Mala Muni (Yobe).
The first-term governors under APC are Ahmed Aliyu (Sokoto), Umar Namadi (Jigawa), Dikko Radda (Katsina), Uba Sani (Kaduna), Bassey Otu (Cross River), Mohammed Bago (Niger), Hyacinth Alia (Benue), and Francis Nwifuru (Ebonyi).
PDP on the other hand won in eight states including two reelected governors: Bala Mohammed of Bauchi and Seyi Makinde Oyo states.
Six new governors elected on the PDP platform are Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom), Siminialayi Fubara (Rivers), Kefas Agbu (Taraba), Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta) and Dauda Lawal (Zamfara).
NNPP’s Abba Kabir Yusuf unseated APC in Kano, the populous and commercial state in northern Nigeria.
ELECTION IN TWO STATES INCONCLUSIVE
INEC declared elections in Kebbi and Adamawa inconclusive. The inconclusive election result in Adamawa showed that the contest was between Senator Aishatu Dahiru Binani of APC who polled 390, 275 and the incumbent, Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of the PDP scored 421,524.
The electoral umpire declared it inconclusive due to the margin of only 31,249 votes while the total number of PVCs collected in places where elections were not held amounted to 37,016.
Similarly, in Kebbi, INEC says it declared the election inconclusive because there were breaches of electoral laws that led to cancellations of results in polling units.
Prior to the declaration, APC was leading with 388,258 votes, as against PDP’s 342,980 votes.
COLLATION PROCESS IN ABIA, ENUGU SUSPENDED
While collationof resuli were going on inAbia and Enugu states on Monday, INEC spokesman, Festus Okoye announced the suspension of the process.
“The commission met today, Monday 20th March 2023 and reviewed the conduct of the Governorship and State Assembly elections held nationwide on Saturday 18th March 2023. Arising from the meetindecided took the decision to suspend forthwith further collation of the Governorship election results in some parts of Abia and Enugu states.
“It will be recalled that our office in Obingwa Local Government Area was invaded by thugs yesterday Sunday 19th March 2023 and our officials aboutage in relation to the collation of results from the Local Government Area. Similarly, reports from Enugu State call for a review of the results of the Governorship election from the two outstanding Local Government Areas of Nsukka and Nkanu East.
“Consequently, the commission hereby suspends the collation of results in Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State and the two outstanding Local Government Areas of Enugu State which are yet to be collated. A review will be undertaken immediately before the process is concluded,” he said.
